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Audi H-Tron Concept is a familiar face now with hydrogen power

Audi shows its green side at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show with the H-Tron Concept, a hydrogen-fueled version of the recent E-Tron Quattro concept. The new fuel-cell powertrain gives the futuristic crossover an estimated range of 372.8 miles on the European cycle, and the company claims that the solar panel that spans the roof could let drivers recoup 621 miles of range each year from the sun's rays. The H-Tron's powertrain benefits from both the fuel cell and a lithium-ion battery for an extra boost. The hydrogen system alone can produce 148 horsepower, and three tanks under the passenger compartment carry the fuel. The battery can also provide enough energy for an extra 134 hp for short periods. Its combined torque rating of 406 pound-feet is impressive. The Audi puts the power down through electric motors at the front and rear axle to allow for an electrified version of Quattro all-wheel drive, and the automaker claims the concept could accelerate to 62 miles per hour in less than 7 seconds. Other than the new coat of eye-catching yellow paint for Detroit, the H-Tron looks largely the same as the E-Tron Quattro, and both of them also ride on the Volkswagen Group's second-generation modular longitudinal platform. The most notable tweaks to the outside are the smoother hood and larger openings in the lower fascia of the latest concept. The two vehicles are also twins on the inside, and they both feature cabins with Audi's latest virtual cockpit with OLED screens. Zero emissions: the Audi h-tron quattro concept Audi h-tron quattro concept High range, swift refueling, sporty road performance: The Audi h-tron quattro concept car can boast all these virtues. It combines a highly efficient fuel cell achieving an output of up to 110 kW with a powerful battery that can provide a temporary boost of 100 kW. The car can be fully refueled with hydrogen in around four minutes, and is then ready to drive for up to 600 kilometers (372.8 mi). In another major step, Audi will go into production with its new technologies for piloted driving and parking in 2017 along with the next generation of the A8 luxury sedan. The technology study already provides a glimpse of things to come. The Audi h-tron quattro concept is another milestone along the path towards future mobility.

Audi R8 E-Tron back on production map thanks to new battery tech?

Contrary to our October 2012 report, it appears Audi's R8 E-Tron program is back on track, if a report from Australia is to be believed. Drive is reporting that the German brand has changed its mind and won't be sacking the program, despite previously stated concerns about the quality and price of batteries for the R8-based EV.
We last saw the R8 E-Tron prototype in the snows of northern Europe, although footage of the car has been non-existent since that wintry test. This new report claims that a small number of R8 E-Trons will see production, which gels with what we heard back in 2012 and supposed earlier this year. Apparently, some new sort of lithium-ion battery technology has allowed for a drastic increase in range, with rumors of the original 130 miles going up to around 250. According to Drive, this makes the project feasible again.
"Our engineers and technicians are further developing the car and its electric drive system. The range has grown significantly, allowing the potential for a small-scale production," an unnamed, but high-ranking Audi employee told the Aussies.

The mood at this year’s Paris Motor Show: Quiet

The Paris Motor Show, held every other year in the early fall, typically kicks off the annual cavalcade of automotive conclaves, one that traverses the globe between autumn and spring, introducing projective, conceptual and production-ready vehicle models to the international automotive press, automotive aficionados and a public hungry for news of our increasingly futuristic mobility enterprise. But this year, at the press preview days for the show, the grounds of the Porte de Versailles convention center felt a bit more sparsely populated than usual. This was not simply a subjective sensation, or one influenced by the center's atypically dispersed assemblage of seven discrete buildings, which tends to spread out the cars and the crowds. There were not only fewer new vehicles being premiered in Paris this year, there were fewer manufacturers there to display them. Major mainstream European OEM stalwarts such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Nissan and Volkswagen chose to sit out Paris this year, as did boutique manufacturers like Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. This is not simply based in some antipathy on the part of the German, British and Italian manufacturers toward the French market — though for a variety of historical and societal reasons that market may be more dominated by vehicles produced domestically than others. Rather, it is part of a larger trend in the industry. Last year, Mercedes-Benz announced that it would not be participating in the flagship North American International Auto Show in 2019 — and that it might not return. Other brands including Jaguar/Land Rover, Audi, Porsche, Mazda and nearly every exotic carmaker have also departed the Detroit show. Some of these brands will still appear in the city in which the show is taking place, and host an event offsite, to capitalize on the presence of a large number of reporters in attendance. And even brands that do have a presence at the show have shifted their vehicle introductions to the days before the official press opening in an attempt to stand out from the crowd. In many ways, this makes sense. With an expanding number of automakers, with diversification and niche-ification of models and with wholesale shifts that necessitate the introduction of EV or autonomous sub-brands, there is a growing sense that, with everyone shouting at the same time, no one can be heard.