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Audi calls R18 E-Tron Quattro its 'most complex race car'

Technically speaking, Audi's R18 E-Tron Quattro is quite technical. The German automaker says the diesel-hybrid is the "most complex race car" it's ever created. And we'll take their word for it. The Audi, which pairs a V6 turbodiesel powering the rear wheels with two electric motors, is all about connectivity, giving the car's crew the opportunity to constantly monitor the vehicle while it's racing. The car sends in a host of data each lap to the crew's computers, and the vehicle's telemetry system constantly keeps tabs on things like hybrid energy levels, cockpit temperature and boost-pressure levels. In all, the amount of data parameters is more than 100 times greater than in 1989, when Audi first tested a race car equipped with automatic data transmission capabilities. Audi first released specs on the updated version of the R18 E-Tron Quattro late last year, trumpeting the vehicle's advantages in competing in the LMP1 class of the 2014 World Endurance Championship (WEC). Audi made the car a little narrower and a little taller and it complies with a new WEC regulation requiring the front end set off by a new wing. Take a look at Audi's most recent press release below. AUDI R18 E-TRON QUATTRO WITH COMPLEX ELECTRONIC ARCHITECTURE • Telemetry connection between race car and pit lane • Permanent acquisition of far more than 1,000 parameters • Various electronic control units interlinked by a multitude of CAN Bus systems Ingolstadt, May 5, 2014 – The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the most complex race car created in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm to date. This not only applies to the mechanics. The electronics of the most recent LMP1 race car with the four rings is more sophisticated than ever before. The age of electronic data transmission from the race car on track began for Audi in 1989. At that time, an Audi 90 quattro in the IMSA GTO series radioed eight parameters to the garage where engine speeds and a few pressures and temperatures were plotted on printouts – a tiny step from today's perspective, but one that provided important insights at the time. Today, an Audi R18 e-tron quattro on more than a thousand channels, in cycles that in some cases only amount to milliseconds, generates data of crucial importance to a staff of engineers at Audi Sport. At Le Mans, the engineers constantly monitor their race cars for 24 hours.

Forza 5 documents bringing Audi R18 E-Tron and Le Mans to game

Forza Motorsport 5 is set to come out on November 22 alongside the all-new Xbox One. As part of the launch lineup for a big new system, it shouldn't be a shock that Turn 10 Studios, the maker of the Forza series is going all out in promoting its new game. That's meant making interesting partnerships, like the one it enjoys with Top Gear.
Perhaps a less talked about alliance is between Audi and Turn 10. It's put on full display here, though, as Turn 10 documents the process of building Forza Motorsport 5 alongside Audi's quest at Le Mans, with both sides talking about what it takes to make a game and racing team work (they aren't as different as you might think).
There's also quite a bit of Le Mans and Audi-specific content coming with FM5. As with previous iterations of Forza Motorsport, gamers will have access to both the old and new Circuit de la Sarthe (the most notable difference between the two being the presence of Chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight). Audi will also be volunteering several of its vehicles for the new title, ranging from racers like the R18 e-tron Quattro and Audi Sport R8 to production rockets like the 2013 R8 V10 plus, 2006 RS4 and the 1983 Sport Quattro.

Audi A3 E-tron guest stars in Muppet video for Emmys

Following on its tiny role in 2015's hilarious Emmys promo, Audi is grabbing a somewhat bigger guest spot by throwing in an A3 Sportback E-tron in this year's video starring the Muppets. Jim Henson's famous creations are returning to television in the coming weeks, and they get this extra bit of marketing for the upcoming 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20. Starring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy going out for lunch, the spot includes cameos by Julie Bowen from Modern Family and Viola Davis from How to Get Away with Murder. Joel McHale is the one that actually gets behind the wheel of the Audi, though. While the PHEV's appearance feels more forced more than last year, the clip provides a dose of nostalgia to Muppets fans ahead of their new show. The outtakes at the very end might actually be the major highlight here. Related Video: