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Subaru WRX STI vs. Audi S3 in compact AWD dustup

It's not every day that a Subaru and an Audi can be reasonably compared head-to-head; the two brands tend not to compete directly in their respective segments. However, the latest WRX STI and the S3 Sedan offer the perfect chance to find out if the working-class Scooby can beat its upper-crust competitor.
The UK's Auto Express gets behind the wheel of these two all-wheel drive performance sedans, or saloons as the Brits call them. Across the pond, both of them are rated at an identical 296 horsepower, but the Subaru edges out the Four Rings on torque. Like in the US, British buyers have to pay a little more to get the Audi, but it comes with a nicer interior and more brand cachet, if that means anything to you.
The video starts out with a fairly standard road test comparing the two of them back-to-back - all fairly subjective. But then Auto Express takes the trip to the drag strip, and the results there are much more conclusive. There's a definite winner when they cross the line, but you have to scroll down to see which of these turbocharged models with rallying heritage wins out.

Audi sets diesel records on road and track

Ever the proponent of diesel propulsion, Audi has claimed two very different kinds of records in Europe with its finest oil-burners. The more exciting of the two was achieved recently at the Sachsenring, where the Audi RS5 TDI Competition Concept posted the fastest diesel-powered lap time ever recorded on the track. As you may recall, Audi revealed the RS5 TDI Concept last year, swapping the gasoline-burning 4.2-liter V8 in the production RS5 coupe for a 3.0-liter V6 diesel with two turbochargers and an electric supercharger. The result was 385 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, but Audi's been working on the prototype over the course of the past year. In the new Competition version, output is up to 435 hp and 590 lb-ft, and despite the inherently heavier diesel engine, it actually weighs 531 pounds less than the production model. That helped the RS5 TDI Competition lap the circuit in 1:35.35, besting the previous diesel lap record by 1.87 seconds, and adding to the Hockenheim record it took previously. Around the same time, another team set out from Maastricht in the Netherlands in an Audi A6 TDI Ultra and drove it for 28 hours straight, hitting 14 countries and logging 1,158.9 miles on a single tank of diesel. The achievement, certified by Guinness World Records, was completed in a showroom-stock vehicle, with automotive journalist Andrew Frankel and racing driver Rebecca Jackson splitting driving duties. They achieved an average of 75.9 miles per gallon – much better than the advertised rating of 67 mpg – as they cruised through from Holland to Hungary, passing along the way through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia. Record: Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept drives to record time on the Sachsenring track - Audi sets new lap record for cars with diesel engines - Superior technology platform with 435 hp and 800 Nm (590.0 lb-ft) - Electric compressor: overcomes turbo lag, enhances sprint performance Audi has set a new record time on the Sachsenring for cars with a diesel engine. The Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept rounded the 3.6 km (2.2 mi) race course in a time of 1 minute 35.35 seconds. The technology platform draws its power from a 3.0-liter V6 biturbo TDI with 320 kW (435 hp) of power and 800 Nm (590.0 lb-ft) of torque. The highlight is an electrically driven compressor.

'Worldwide, every third Audi will be an SUV by 2020'

Automotive News Europe reports the new Audi manufacturing facility in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico will increase the automaker's production capacity for the Q5 SUV by 150,000 units per year. While the plant will supply every market with the exception of China, most of the production is slated to head to the US.
While speaking with ANE, Audi CEO Rupert Stradler said, "Worldwide, every third Audi will be an SUV by 2020." So far this year, 40 percent of Audi vehicles sold in the US have been light trucks, with the company's sales in that segment jumping by 53 percent. By comparison, Audi passenger car sales have increased by just one percent.
The first Q5 vehicles from the San Hose Chiapa plant will show up on dealer lots in 2016. Audi of America recently received a larger 9,000-unit allocation of Q5 models after seeing sales increase 36 percent through April compared to the same period in 2012.