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Audi's diesel-electric supercar is codenamed 'Scorpion'

Speculation continues as to the final nature of the diesel-hybrid Audi supercar said to arrive in 2016 or 2017. A previous report in Automobile had the halo coupe, based closely on the R18 etron quattro endurance racer, codenamed R20 and pegged to look like a Le Mans winner for the street with around 700 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo V6. Now Car and Driver has updated the gossip with a report that the car is internally called "Scorpion," and it will be even closer to the R18 than supposed.
CD says the heart of the car will use the R18 etron quattro's carbon fiber tub and its engine will be "taken directly" from the race car. That means a 3.7-liter V6 with a single turbo that, in ACO-spec restricted form, outputs 500 hp and 625 lb-ft - CD suspects production output could get to 600 hp - and drives the rear wheels, aided by hybrid motors driving the front wheels. And remember, at Le Mans the R18's hybrid motors can't kick in until they're above a certain speed in order to prevent Audi from getting an advantage coming out of slow corners. A street car wouldn't face that restriction.
The Scorpion would be a fulsome and undiluted example of the technologies Audi has created during its return to sports car racing. Its exterior design hasn't been finalized, with CD citing either the convoluted concept of "a retro take on the future of racing" or packaging that would adhere to the R18's looks. To make sure it is properly appreciated and sells well, production could be limited to the same 333 units as the R8 GT and A1 Quattro.

Audi A3 E-Tron plug-in hybrid set to whiz into Geneva

The Audi A3 E-tron, which we drove in prototype form last year, is headed to the 2013 Geneva Motor Show next month. The plug-in hybrid will feature a total of 204 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque from the combination of a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine and a 75-kW electric motor. That motor itself is positioned between the internal combustion engine and the machine's six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The setup is good enough to scoot the A3 E-tron to 62 miles per hour in 7.6 seconds and crank out a top speed of 138 mph. Perhaps more impressively, the hatch can whir its way to 80 mph on all-electric power with an EV range of 31 miles.
Audi claims the A3 E-tron gives the world a "realistic glimpse into the future of mobility," so it's a bit unclear if the model will see production. We're encouraged by the specificity of Audi's press release (which is full of stats) and the fact that they don't label this vehicle a concept. You can check out the full press release below and judge for yourself.

Audi sees room for TT family, including possible crossover and superlight models

With the third-generation Audi TT slated for a debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in just a few weeks time, we've received some interesting news out of the United Kingdom. Speaking to the crew at Top Gear, Chief Engineer Ulrich Hackenberg made some interesting statements about the next TT, noting that he likes the idea of a production Allroad Shooting Brake.
"I can imagine the TT has much more potential than we have used up to now. That's why we did this Allroad [Shooting Brake] Concept. The trend is to smaller crossovers. So for example you do a crossover TT. It would have a big group of fans," Hackenberg told TG.
That makes it almost sound like Audi is trying to expand one popular, fashion-forward model into a wildly different niche, like Mini did moving from Hardtop to Countryman (or perhaps more appropriately, the Paceman). We'll reserve judgement, if only because the Allroad Shooting Brake was one of the more popular concepts at the Detroit Auto Show, making our Editors' Choice list.