2009 Audi A8l Phantom Black Pearl 32,600 Mi. Mint Sport Package 20 Inch Rims on 2040-cars

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Audi design getting big overhaul?

Car and Driver has an update on the design shuffle in Ingolstadt that will ultimately bring more differentiation to Audi products. Last November, Audi design chief Wolfgang Egger spoke of the need to do "something new without breaking from tradition" in Audi design, but talk at the time centered on how the Crosslane Coupe Concept would influence the new looks of the brand's Q cars. The most recent moves appear focused on passenger cars, with designers from Volkswagen Group kin like Bentley and Seat moving to Audi, and outsiders from Alfa Romeo moving in.
While Egger decreed the end of "scalable design" to CD, last November's report said there would be more technology and "greater visual cohesion" between interior and exterior design. We still have no idea what all this means nor when we'll see visible changes in production, but at least we know there's something being done behind the scenes.

Next Audi R8 to eschew engine downsizing, go on diet instead

Looking across the Audi landscape, many models that used to get the company's high-revving, naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 are now powered by smaller, yet similarly powerful, forced-induction engines. From what Auto Express is reporting, though, the next-generation Audi R8 will not meet this same fate.
Rather than ditching its V8 and V10 powerplants, the next-gen R8 - expected to debut in 2015 - will shed pounds from its curb weight. The 2014 R8 currently weighs between 3,583 pounds and up to 3,957 pounds, but the report says that engineers are targeting a weight of less than 3,300 pounds. All models will get cylinder deactivation, which along with lower curb weights should help to improve fuel economy and emissions. Head on over to Auto Express for more reported information as well as a handful of renderings that take a stab at how the next R8 may look.

Next Audi RS4 to get V6 turbo, US sales still unclear

Audi's high-performance S models have forged a reputation in the US for offering wonderful driving dynamics in a package that doesn't scream, "I bought a sport sedan." However, its even higher-performance RS models are still somewhat of a rarity here. While the RS5 and RS7 are in the current US lineup, many of the wild RS models that Europe gets, like the RS6 Avant (pictured above), never make it to these shores. Unfortunately, that might not be changing anytime soon with the next-gen RS4.
The RS4 will follow the lead of the next BMW M3/M4 and (rumored) next Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG and make the switch to a smaller turbocharged powerplant. According to an Audi insider speaking to Car and Driver, the next RS4 will drop the last generation's 4.2-liter V8 in favor of a turbocharged V6. The engine block will likely be shared with the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 in the regular S4 but fitted with two turbochargers. Power would likely be around 400 horsepower to match the 425-hp M3 and rumored 450-hp C-Class AMG.
Unfortunately, the RS might not make it across the pond to our waiting hands because the source says no decision has been made to export them yet. Obviously, we hope that Audi makes the right decision and brings the next RS4 here.