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Audi TT Offroad gets the green light

The TT family already has a coupe and convertible, with various engines available in each. But over the past year or so, Audi has been toying with the idea of expanding the range with another bodystyle. And now the latest report from Car confirms that Ingoldtadt has given the production go-ahead to the TT Offroad concept. Unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show last year, the yellow TT Offroad concept envisioned a high-riding five-door crossover form with trademark TT styling cues. It was preceded by the blue three-door Allroad Shooting Brake concept at the Detroit show and followed by the sleek, red five-door TT Sportbrake concept at the Paris salon later the same year, but the impracticality of both those show cars is what we understand prompted Audi to go with the Offroad concept instead. So if it's a crossover, why not badge it with the letter Q, you ask? Because Fiat, that's why. The Italian automaker owns the names Q2 and Q4, which it has used on a variety of models (particularly Alfa Romeos and Maseratis) to connote their traction system. And though the Volkswagen Group has asked nicely, Sergio Marchionne has been as reluctant to give his biggest rivals a leg up as he has been to part with Alfa Romeo, despite their repeated advances. As a result, word has it that the production version of the TT Offroad concept will be sold as the TTQ, which kinda makes us giggle, but it would at least provide a nomenclature bridge between the TT and Q families within Audi's lineup. That is, unless Audi marketing chief Luca de Meo manages to convince his former boss to part with the Q2 and/or Q4 labels. Whatever it's called, the production crossover coupe would share similar dimensions to the Q3 when it arrives in 2017, but would potentially stand even further apart from its more utilitarian counterpart than the BMW X4 does from the X3 on which it is based.

2015 Audi RS7 Dynamic Edition is a pretty car for a pretty penny

Making its world debut at the New York Auto Show, and commanding a $40,250 premium over the base RS7, is Audi's new 2015 RS7 Dynamic Edition that arrives with an MSRP of $146,045 (including destination and delivery). The range-topping hatchback is designed to showcase Audi's exclusive program, which allows customers to choose choose from the automaker's long list of options and then take the customization one step further with bespoke paintwork, upholstery, bodywork and wheels.
The interior features Black Valcona leather seats with Crimson Red honeycomb stitching, and matching Crimson Red seat belts. The contrasting color is carried through to the stitching on the dashboard, center armrest, door panels, shift boot and center console. Carbon fiber inlays provide additional contrast. The exterior is offering in four colors (Ibis White, Suzuka Gray metallic, Daytona Gray pearl and Phantom Black pearl), with each arriving with performance-oriented DRC suspension (with three-stage adjustable dampers), 21-inch Gloss Black wheels, Tornado Red painted brake calipers and sport exhaust. A carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser and carbon fiber engine cover complete the package.
Like the standard RS7, the Dynamic Edition arrives with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 rated at 560 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. With an eight-speed automatic transmission, running through Audi's Quattro permanent all-wheel drive and a sport differential, the four-passenger vehicle will crack the 60 mph acceleration benchmark in a reported 3.7 seconds - and, thanks to cylinder-on-demand technology, it avoids a gas-guzzler tax. The RS7 Dynamic Edition arrives at dealerships in early summer.

Is Audi getting complacent and suffering from brain drain?

The argument is made in a Reuters article: Audi is falling behind other luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, due to a lack of research-and-development spending and "brain drain," or the migration of top executives and R&D chiefs to other parts of the Volkswagen Group. Reuters notes that Audi's current R&D chief is the third in 16 months.
Audi, which contributed to 40 percent of VW Group's $11.6 billion in profit the first nine months of the year, is delivering cars at a record pace: 1.31 million were delivered from January to October 2013 versus BMW's 1.35 million. Yet Audi, Reuters reports, doesn't have a halo car akin to BMW's new electrified i3 and i8 or an answer to Mercedes' plug-in-hybrid S-Class, and the R&D spending at Audi is less than BMW and Mercedes by a fair margin. It's noted in the article, however, that Audi benefits from other R&D spending within VW Group.
Reuters mentions that BMW "trumpets its new 'i' series" and the new Mercedes CLA and GLA ranges are winning "rave reviews" as part of its argument that Audi's recent lack of technological innovation could hurt future sales. Those cars do pack tons of new technology, some of which are firsts for mainstream production cars. But last time we checked, the i3 could be causing BMW's stock to slide, the CLA isn't receiving the rave reviews that Reuters would have you believe and the GLA hasn't been reviewed yet.