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Audi's diesel-electric supercar is codenamed 'Scorpion'

Speculation continues as to the final nature of the diesel-hybrid Audi supercar said to arrive in 2016 or 2017. A previous report in Automobile had the halo coupe, based closely on the R18 etron quattro endurance racer, codenamed R20 and pegged to look like a Le Mans winner for the street with around 700 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo V6. Now Car and Driver has updated the gossip with a report that the car is internally called "Scorpion," and it will be even closer to the R18 than supposed.
CD says the heart of the car will use the R18 etron quattro's carbon fiber tub and its engine will be "taken directly" from the race car. That means a 3.7-liter V6 with a single turbo that, in ACO-spec restricted form, outputs 500 hp and 625 lb-ft - CD suspects production output could get to 600 hp - and drives the rear wheels, aided by hybrid motors driving the front wheels. And remember, at Le Mans the R18's hybrid motors can't kick in until they're above a certain speed in order to prevent Audi from getting an advantage coming out of slow corners. A street car wouldn't face that restriction.
The Scorpion would be a fulsome and undiluted example of the technologies Audi has created during its return to sports car racing. Its exterior design hasn't been finalized, with CD citing either the convoluted concept of "a retro take on the future of racing" or packaging that would adhere to the R18's looks. To make sure it is properly appreciated and sells well, production could be limited to the same 333 units as the R8 GT and A1 Quattro.

Audi spotted running R8 E-Tron at the 'Ring

An electric version of the original Audi R8 may never have come to fruition – at least not in a form you could actually buy. But with the introduction of the all-new, second-generation model, Audi is getting serious about the prospect of producing the R8 E-Tron. And if you don't believe it, just look at these latest spy shots. Spotted testing at no less punishing a location than the Nurburgring is the upcoming new 2016 Audi R8 E-Tron. It looks just like the one we saw in Geneva earlier this year, painted in that same shade of electric blue, which we think suits the car rather well. It even has that orange strip of lighting around the side intakes, which drives the point of its electrification home in a rather stylish way, too. This prototype is wearing different wheels, and looks like it has some testing equipment mounted inside. Otherwise, this is pretty much what we can expect to see when Audi begins selling its electric supercar. We're sure there are more than a few eagerly awaiting customers who want to get their hands on an EV different from the Teslas or Nissan Leafs every other tree-hugger in the neighborhood has plugged in to their garages. To that end, expect the order books to open sometime later this year or maybe early into the next. Then the dream of an electric coupe with 456 horsepower and 679 pound-feet of torque, good for a 0-60 time in the three-second range and capable of tackling the Nordschleife, will finally become a reality. In the meantime, you can check out a piece of the action in the image gallery above. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Audi R8 E-Tron: Spy Shots View 9 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Green Spy Photos Audi Coupe Electric Performance

Witness the Prologue to Audi's design future [w/videos]

Audi went Hollywood for its debut of the forward-looking Prologue concept car last night, pulling the silks back at a sprawling LA manse in the hills. The cost-no-object unveiling of the car, as well as its prominent positioning at this year's LA Auto Show, speaks to the importance with which the company views the styling you see here.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, maharishi of development for the three-rings brand, made two important announcements at the presentation: reiterating publicly his endorsement of new styling chief Marc Lichte, and telling us that Prologue design will be found on upcoming production versions of the A6, A7 and A8.
Take a close look at that imposing face on the Prologue - an amped up revision of the single-frame shield grille that has appeared on new models like the TT already - and get used to it. Lichte called out the grille as the new face of the brand, so we fully expect its deployment across the range as the 2016 models roll out.