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Audi Prologue concept drives itself to CES with updated powertrain

What's the point in crafting a one-off concept car if it only gets to stand in the spotlight at one show? That's what automakers have been asking themselves recently, and the answer has, generally speaking, been to repaint their show cars, give them a bit of new tech and put them back on center stage. And the latest to do so is Audi, which has given its Prologue concept a new lease on life. The Prologue was originally unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show less than two months ago, showing the way forward for the future of Audi design, in an elegant coupe form that looked ready to take on the Mercedes S-Class Coupe. We even got a chance to drive it around the streets of LA, and when we did, we marveled at the concept's advanced infotainment system that caters a range of personal preferences according to who's on board. "It's easy to see how this could even reach for chauffeured, or autonomously driven vehicles" in the future, we said at the time. And it turns out Audi was on the same page. At CES this year, Audi has brought back the Prologue concept, given it a darker coat of grey paint, a grey-tone interior (instead of the previous shades of brown and tan), a fresh set of wheels and equipped it with the autonomous tech the German automaker has been at the forefront of developing. Though other automakers have been fitting their self-driving prototypes with all-electric powertrains, Audi kept the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 in place – but fitted it with a hybrid assist to drive output up from an already prodigious 605 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to an even more impressive 677 hp and 701 lb-ft, dropping the 0-62 time down to 3.5 seconds. Now that's the kind of "piloted driving" tech (as Audi calls it) that we can get behind.

Audi highlights headlights on upcoming new R8

Audi is preparing to roll out an all-new R8... but it's not about to reveal the whole thing at once. So in the first in what promises to be a series of teasers, the German automaker is showing off the new supercar's headlights. (Or headlight, we should say, in the singular.) Not unlike the R8 LMX revealed in Paris, the second-generation Audi supercar will incorporate LED headlights with an optional laser high-beam module. Unfortunately since laser headlights are illegal in the United States, the option isn't likely to be offered here. That is, at least, until Audi succeeds in convincing federal regulators otherwise. Although the teaser image above, like the press release below, may shine the light (so to speak) principally on the headlights, the shrouded shape also gives us a (little) bit to chew on. Yes, it will be available in blue, but beyond that we can expect the new R8 to incorporate slightly more angular lines than the model it replaces, with a more pronounced trapezoidal grille up in an overall design similar to the new TT, only more so. But then we already knew that much and more from the undisguised image that leaked out a little over a week ago. Ingolstadt, 2015-02-16 Audi reveals laser headlights for the new R8 - New mid-engine sports car features high-tech headlights - Laser high-beam offers high light intensity and excellent range Audi is revealing the headlights of its new R8* as the first of a number of technology highlights of the top sports car. The R8 uses LED headlights which can be supplemented by a laser high beam lighting module as an option. The new R8 will set new standards among high-performance sports cars – including in its lighting technology. As an option, the latest car development by Audi can be equipped with a laser spot as the high-beam headlight. The special appeal of laser lighting is that it uses high-intensity laser diodes, which generate a lot of light energy from a very small component. Compared to LED high-beam headlights, laser high-beams attain nearly twice the lighting range. Each headlight contains one laser module that operates with four high-intensity laser diodes. This module bundles the four intense blue-light laser beams. Then a phosphor converter transforms the blue light into pure white light. An identifying characteristic of the laser headlights is their blue light signature. Standard equipment in the new R8 includes an LED headlight system.

Translogic 169: Racing against Audi's autonomous RS7

Translogic host Jonathon Buckley heads back to the Ascari Race Resort in Spain for an encounter with a track rival unlike any other. Watch as "Bucko" challenges "Bobby," Audi's autonomous Audi RS7 racecar to see who is quicker around the course. It's a classic tale of "man versus machine" in this episode of Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to Translogic in iTunes. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley. Audi Autonomous Vehicles Racing Vehicles Translogic Videos