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Audi A3 E-Tron is a look at battery-operated things to come

Audi officially unveiled the A3 Sportback E-Tron at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. While not a production model, the plug-in hybrid gives us a good glimpse at what the German automaker has in store for future products. The five-door gets around thanks to parallel hybrid drivetrain comprised of a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a small electric motor integrated into the vehicle's six-speed dual-clutch transmission. While the four-cylinder churns up 150 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, the motor contributes 100 horsepower and 242 lb-ft of twist. All told, the design allows the E-Tron to serve up its full power from just 1,750 rpm.
An 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery sits under the floor beneath the rear seat, complete with a liquid cooling system designed to keep the pack in its optimum temperature range. The A3 Sportback E-Tron can be charged in as little as 2.5 hours with a 3.6-kW charger, yielding an EV range of up to 31 miles. The machine can also travel using the electric motor, ICE or a combination of the two for a total range of 584 miles. Check out the full press release below.

Audi S3 with manual transmission still on table for US

The fine folks at Fourtitude recently sat down with Audi of America President Scott Keogh, and among other things, learned that the potent little S3 sedan could be offered with a manual transmission in the United States someday. That sort of sounds like the usual company line to us, but Keogh reportedly said the company is "looking very closely" at adding the manual to the S3, which currently is only available with a dual-clutch automatic.
Fourtitude also brought up the possibility of a hotter RS3 - a vehicle we've seen testing before, as a hatchback. We don't doubt that this more potent compact is already a done deal, but Keogh reportedly mentioned that the sedan will get this treatment. An RS3 for the US? Sign us up, for sure.
Head over to the Audi enthusiast site to read more from their talk with the company's US boss.

Stay caffeinated at the speed of Audi

A large portion of the world would be in trouble without a daily dose of caffeine, and some of these coffee addicts are serious about the details, especially when it comes to specialties like espresso. For them, filling up a mug of regular java before hitting the road just isn't good enough, and Audi is happy to appeal to these folks' persnickety needs with one of its accessories available in Europe. The Germany luxury brand calls it the Espresso Mobil, and the fancy device plugs into a 12-volt outlet to brew up some espresso in a claimed two minutes. The user just needs to fill the contraption with water and press a button. The gadget runs on proprietary pods from Illy, however, which means coffee snobs can't pack it with their specific choice of bean. According to the Audi accessories catalog, Espresso Mobil starts at 199 euros ($217). In addition to the device, buyers gets a carrying case, two cups, a cleaning towel and 18 espresso pads. It's everything you need to make a fresh espresso while driving. Audi actually isn't the first to jump into the mobile-espresso-maker-for-cars category. It was the Italians at Fiat who launched a similar device with Lavazza a few years ago. That gadget was even more expensive at ˆ250 (about $300 at the time). Related Video: