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Focus ST Tuner, Traffic Deaths, Audi EV SUV | Autoblog Mintue

Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore gives the highlights from the week in automotive news.

Audi confirms all-electric SUV on the way

The electric crossover segment might become a hot market in just a few years. In addition to the rumors of an electric Jaguar F-Pace and obviously the Tesla Model X, Audi is now confirming an EV "sports activity vehicle" for early 2018. The Germany luxury brand even showed off a rendering (pictured above) of it during the company's annual press conference. Audi technical development boss Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg made the announcement during his portion of the conference but largely avoided hard details. What he said was tantalizing, though. The still un-named model was claimed to offer over 311 miles of driving range and ride on the brand's upcoming MLB 2 platform. Although, Auto Express suggests that it could be called the Q6 E-Tron. Dr. Hackenberg also promised a "new, very attractive design, which we are developing especially for the E-Tron range and for battery-electric vehicles." The rendering showcased a fairly squat crossover design with bold fender flares dominating the styling in profile. The images also suggested almost coupe-like proportions. Thankfully, the wait for more details about the model might not be too long. Dr. Hackenberg told Auto Express that Audi would have a presentation soon about the new model. He also hinted at a little of its tech by suggesting next-gen batteries offering 50 amp-hours and 90 kWh could be enough for sufficient range even in such a large model. With recent unveilings like the R8 E-Tron and Q7 E-Tron, Audi is rapidly moving towards offering more plugins and electric models. With this latest announcement, that expansion only appears to be accelerating. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management at AUDI AG for Technical Development Speech to the Annual Press Conference 2015 Ladies and Gentlemen, 2014 was the year of technical milestones, tests and records. Think of the sportiest piloted car in the world, the Audi RS 7 concept, which lapped the Hockenheimring racetrack extremely dynamically without a driver – at up to 240 km/h. Another mega-success was our 13th victory in the world's most important endurance race. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro with diesel-hybrid drive triumphed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 2014 – that was also 25 years of TDI technology. As strong evidence of the future viability of combustion engines, we showed the Audi RS 5 TDI concept – the fastest diesel ever timed on the Hockenheimring.

New Audi TT likely headed for Geneva reveal

Between the Consumer Electronics Show and the Detroit Auto Show, Audi is creating plenty of buzz lately for its upcoming third-generation TT. Fortunately, we won't have to wait too much longer to see the next Audi TT, though, as Autocar reports that the coupe will make its big debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
In speaking with Audi's technical chief Ulrich Hackenberg, the article states that the 2015 TT will first be revealed in March before going on sale later in the year. Previewed by the Allroad Shooting Brake Concept (shown above), it isn't that hard envisioning what the new TT could look like: ditch the shooting brake roofline, tall ride height and obvious conceptual design cues. Of course, if this styling is more your thing than the two-seater TT, Hackenberg left open the possibility of a TT Allroad or even a TT-based crossover.