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Audi spotted testing new S4 at the Nurburgring

Where there's smoke, there's fire. Only in this case, the smoke is the upcoming new Audi A4, and the fire is the S4 spotted undergoing testing in this latest batch of spy shots. Snapped in both sedan and Avant wagon forms while undergoing testing on and around the Nurburgring – where else? – the next-generation Audi S4 will of course be based on the new A4 that's anticipated to debut in Frankfurt this September. That means MLB Evo architecture and styling that takes a page out of the new TT's playbook. But in S4 trim, it'll be altogether more performance oriented. Expect an even more powerful version of the outgoing model's 3.0-liter supercharged V6, pumping out a good 340-350 horsepower to all four of its driven wheels. That power will help it keep pace with the new Mercedes C450 AMG Sport. It won't have to take on the new C63 AMG directly, though, as that'll be the job of the next RS4 that will slot above it. But since that model may never make it to US showrooms, this will stand as the flagship of the new A4 family as far as the American market is concerned. Related Video:

Audi, Toyota land on MIT's list of 50 Most Disruptive Companies

MIT Technology Review, a magazine all about innovation, has announced its list of the 50 most disruptive companies in 2013, and both Audi and Toyota made the cut. While the term "most disruptive" may carry a negative connotation in most uses (especially in the classroom), the acknowledgement in this case is an accolade, signifying that the company is at the forefront of its industry. In a nutshell, a disruptive company is a business whose innovations force other businesses to alter their strategic direction.
Audi made the list for "pushing autonomous cars closer to fruition with a laser-scanning road detector that fits in a vehicle's front grille," and Toyota for "expanding its dominance of the hybrid-car market with its new plug-in version of the Prius." Click on the image above to be taken to the original graphic at MIT Technology Review, where clickable colored squares reveal information about each of the 50 winners, compiled from a variety of industries.

Audi unveils A3 Sportback G-Tron with bi-fuel power, 808-mile range

By this time next year, the Audi A3 Sportback will be offered with a variety fuel-efficient powertrains ranging from diesel to the all-electric E-Tron, but perhaps the most interesting is the all-new G-Tron model, which uses Audi's innovative carbon-natural compressed natural gas called e-gas. Previously called A3 TCNG, we first heard about this technology last year, but now Audi has confirmed that this low-emission, sustainable-fuel will debut by the end of this year on the A3 Sportback G-Tron.
To create this e-gas, a plant in Werlte, Germany uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. As hydrogen fuel cell vehicles become more popular, Audi says that this process could also be used to produce hydrogen fuel, but to create CNG, it mixes the hydrogen with carbon dioxide to create "synthetic methane." Since it is identical to the CNG available today, Audi's e-gas can be shipped and stored using the existing CNG infrastructure. Making the whole process even greener, Audi obtains the CO2 for this process from a nearby biogas plant, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Differentiated from the regular versions of the A3, the G-Tron features a pair of tanks under the rear cargo floor holding 15.43 pounds of CNG, which can power the car for almost 250 miles. What's more, the A3's conventional gasoline tank is still in place, giving the car an addition 560 miles of range. In total, that means the A3 G-Tron has a driving range of more than 800 miles. To run on both CNG and gas, Audi made changes to the car's 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine (including the turbo, cylinder head and fuel injection system) and catalytic converter.