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Audi trademarks SQ2, SQ4, Q9 and F-Tron nameplates

Audi is planning a whole raft of new models for the near future, and now we have further insight into what at least some of those models might be. The German automaker has reportedly filed trademarks for a series of model names, including SQ2, SQ4, Q9 and F-Tron.
Following in the footsteps of the SQ5 performance crossover, the SQ2 and SQ4 nameplates would seem to indicate that Audi is planning performance versions of its upcoming compact crossovers. The Q9 would suggest that a larger crossover is in the works to slot in above the already gargantuan Q7. And the F-Tron name could be used for a fuel-cell version of the A7 or other models, following a similar naming pattern to the e-tron range of electric vehicles.
Of course Audi could simply be filing these trademarks as a safeguard and may not actually build any of these models. But one way or another, it indicates a certain measure of intent exists as Ingolstadt gears up to expand its lineup with 11 new models in the next few years.

Audi reveals driver lineup and livery for Rolex 24 at Daytona

Audi has announced driver lineups for its customer teams running the R8 LMS GTD in this year's Rolex 24 at Daytona. The Rolex 24 is the first event for the inaugural season of the new United SportsCar Championship series, which merges the old Grand-Am Series with the American Le Mans Series. The new series kicks off January 25.
Flying Lizard Motorsports, which has traditionally been known for repping the Porsche 911, will campaign a pair of R8 coupes, while GMG Racing, Paul Miller Racing and Fall-Line Motorsports will run one car each. A number of drivers on each team are Audi Sport factory drivers, hot shoes like Oliver Jarvis for Fall-Line and Filipe Albuquerque and Dion von Moltke for Flying Lizard, while there are also a few Audi Sport customer drivers.
"We have a fantastic group of racing partners and drivers this season and look forward to defending last year's Daytona win," said president of Audi of America, Scott Keogh. "The successes of the R8 in endurance racing are a testament to the engineering found in every Audi on the road today."

2014 Audi Q5 TDI

I've struggled with diesel technology. It's not that I have a problem with it or dislike it, but rather that I don't particularly understand what stops its wider-spread adoption. Sure, memories of rust-prone, smoky, sluggish and uneconomical Oldsmobile diesels aren't exactly easy to erase from the collective memory of the North American motoring public, but I'd think that a few years into the latest crop of clean diesels, there'd be wider adoption - or at least consumer consideration - by now.
Part of the issue is the still limited number of segments that diesels are available in. The Volkswagen Golf/Jetta TDI is finally getting a challenger in the form of the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel, and the BMW 328d is bringing something new to the entry-level sports sedan, but there are still a huge group of segments where diesel-power has no representation.
The small, luxury crossover realm is not one of those. It has the Mercedes-Benz GLK250 Bluetec, a stylish crossover with a silky-smooth 2.1-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder that can return the kind of fuel economy that makes people take notice. And while the GLK250 is quite good, economy will only spread the diesel's appeal so far. People need to experience the seat-flattening torque that these mills can produce, and for that, we most humbly recommend the new 2014 Audi Q5 TDI.