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Audi first to bring LTE to the car later this year

It appears Audi will be the first to market with in-car LTE service later this year. We knew that BMW was working on LTE integration last year with its ConnectedDrive, and we've been told that, by the end of 2015, most General Motors products will have it, but LTE can be ordered on the S3 Sportback (pictured) as soon as July. Other models in the A3 line-up will add the option in November.
Inserting an LTE-enabled SIM card into the Audi's MMI navigation will make the S3 a WLAN hotspot that can quickly shuffle high-definition content from the cloud to the cockpit. It will also bolster Audi Connect services like Google Earth, Facebook and Twitter, e-mail, and streaming internet radio.
We've been told that we'll be offered the LTE option when the 2015 A3 sedan gets here in the spring of 2014. Since the service requires you to provide a SIM card, we expect that costs and data caps will be a matter between you and the service provider; speaking of which, Audi hasn't announced yet who that provider will be on this side of the Atlantic. The press release below has more details.

TRANSLOGIC 148: Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron

We get an early drive of Audi's first plug-in vehicle for the U.S. market, the A3 Sportback E-Tron PHEV. Part of Audi's all-new A3 lineup, the Sportback E-Tron boasts an estimated electric driving range of about 30 miles at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. Find out what the future holds for Audi and their E-Tron vehicles.

Next Audi RS4 to get an electric turbo?

We don't yet know if the next Audi RS4 will come to the US, but whoever gets it could find an electric turbocharger under the hood according to a report in Auto Express. The 4.2-liter V8 that has served for two RS4 generations is retiring from the line, replaced by a twin-turbocharged version of the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 used in the S4. But instead of using two sequential turbochargers - a smaller one to eliminate lag while a larger, more powerful turbo spools up - batteries charged by brake regeneration could power a first-stage electric turbo. The idea hasn't been publicly appointed for a particular model, as Audi's technical chief Ulrich Hackerberg has said that due to expense, that kind of setup "would only be used be used on the very top end models." Since the technology cuts down on the use of exhaust gases, it would also also help in markets like Europe where CO2 emissions are a factor. No matter whether it benefits from all conventional or some electric boost, the horsepower number for the twin-turbo V6 will be more than 420 hp but less than 503 hp, the rating of the V8-powered Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Auto Express believes Audi will want to maintain the power gap between the 333-hp S4 and previous, 444-hp RS4. With Hackenberg saying the new S4 will make more than 350 hp, that gets the coming RS4 up to at least 461, but AE figures it "could deliver as much as 480 hp." We'll find out sometime after the S4 launches next year.