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Audi TT most likely to breed crossover derivative

Audi has been rolling out successive concepts based on the new TT. Aside from the production coupe and convertible, we've seen the Shooting Brake concept in Detroit, the Offroad concept in Beijing and, most recently, the Sportback concept in Paris. The clear message is that Audi plans on actually producing more derivatives of its stylish two-door, but the question is which one will come first?
Speaking with Britain's Car magazine in Paris this past week, Audi technical chief Ulrich Hackenberg indicated that, while the decision has still yet to be made, the crossover is the most likely candidate.
Producing the TT Offroad concept - or something like it - would give Ingolstadt another addition to its growing crossover lineup that already includes the Q3, Q5 and Q7. Whether this would come in addition to or instead of the rumored Q1 and Q4 models remains to be seen, but crossovers have become increasingly popular and profitable for German automakers like Audi.

Audi planning RS Q7 performance crossover

Audi resisted getting into the crossover market altogether until it launched the original Q7 in 2005, and held back from producing a performance crossover until it caved first with the SQ5 and then with the RS Q3, both in 2013. And now that the tide has washed over it, Ingolstadt's next plan, according to Top Gear, is to launch a performance version of the new Q7. Though it remains unclear whether it would carry the S or RS badge, the performance-oriented version of the new Q7 will surely benefit from the hundreds of pounds in excess weight Audi managed to trim off the latest model over the one it replaces. Also unclear is whether said hi-po Q7 would go with a diesel or a gasoline engine. The diesel option would more likely go the S route than the full RS, but wouldn't be likely to make it to the States if it were only offered as a diesel. With the SQ5, it's worth noting, Audi offers a TDI diesel version in Europe and a gasoline TSI in North America, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it take a similar approach with the larger model as well. Whatever it does pack under the hood, though, the SQ7 or RS Q7 would be facing some stiff competition from the likes of the Mercedes GL63 AMG, BMW X5 M and Range Rover Sport SVR – not to mention corporate cousins like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and upcoming Bentley Bentayga – while giving the Volkswagen group a bigger slice of that exclusive but expanding pie.

Audi S1 officially shows itself as 228-hp hot hatch [w/video]

We got the first leaked pics of the new Audi S1 Sportback five-door hot hatch yesterday, and as expected, Audi has unloaded the full details today, including confirmation of its S1 three-door sibling ahead of its debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show. The two cars are essentially identical aside from their door counts, and together, they represent a new entry-level rung into Audi's S car range.
The subcompact S1 is propelled by Audi's ubiquitous 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder, tuned here to produce 228 horsepower and 279 pound-feet with a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. The potent combo accelerates the S1 to 62 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds (5.9 seconds for the Sportback) and on to a top speed of 155 mph. Fuel economy is rated at an average 33.6 miles per gallon (40.3 mpg UK) in the UK cycle. The S also gets a completely different four-link independent suspension to replace the less sophisticated torsion beam setup found in the standard A1.
Styling also gets a bump in aggressiveness that befit the S1's performance upgrades. In addition to a new body kit with a lower front air dam and 17-inch wheels, the S1 comes standard with Xenon headlights, LED taillights and two new available exterior colors ­- Vegas Yellow and Sepang Blue. The interior gets combination leather and cloth sport seats, piano black trim and a retractable 6.5-inch color infotainment display.