2013 Audi Q7 3.0 Tdi Prestige Quattro on 2040-cars

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Next Audi R8 to eschew engine downsizing, go on diet instead

Looking across the Audi landscape, many models that used to get the company's high-revving, naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 are now powered by smaller, yet similarly powerful, forced-induction engines. From what Auto Express is reporting, though, the next-generation Audi R8 will not meet this same fate.
Rather than ditching its V8 and V10 powerplants, the next-gen R8 - expected to debut in 2015 - will shed pounds from its curb weight. The 2014 R8 currently weighs between 3,583 pounds and up to 3,957 pounds, but the report says that engineers are targeting a weight of less than 3,300 pounds. All models will get cylinder deactivation, which along with lower curb weights should help to improve fuel economy and emissions. Head on over to Auto Express for more reported information as well as a handful of renderings that take a stab at how the next R8 may look.

Audi reveals R8 E-Tron Piloted Driving concept at CES Asia

Designed as they are to take the driver out of the equation, you might think that the idea of an autonomous vehicle would seem diametrically opposed to that of a supercar. But Audi disagrees. The German automaker has cooked up a series of "piloted driving" concepts that are increasingly focused on performance, and this could be the ultimate iteration yet. Audi's latest Piloted Driving demonstrator is based on the R8 E-Tron. It's altogether almost identical to the one we saw in Geneva, packing an electric powertrain to deliver 456 horsepower, 679 pound-feet of torque and a 0-62 time of 3.9 seconds. Only in this case, it can do it all on its own, without any driver intervention. To pull that off, Ingolstadt has fitted this show car with an array of sensors, including a new laser scanner, multiple video cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar transmitters at both ends – all handled by a central "driver assistance control unit." It's the latest in a series of concept cars that has already included a version of the RS7 Sportback designed to lap the racetrack, and the Prologue concept that drove itself to CES. This concept was similarly unveiled at CES Asia, the Eastern counterpart to the tech expo we usually catch in Las Vegas. Just what the point is in engineering (or buying) one of the best-driving cars on the market and then handing over its operation to a computer, we don't quite get. But at least we can rest easy knowing that Audi is not giving up on performance as autonomous tech turns the driver into just another passenger. Related Video: Audi R8 e-tron piloted driving technical concept car 340 kW of power, 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds and a driving range of 450 km (279.6 mi) – Audi has extensively developed its all-electrically powered high-performance R8 e-tron sports car further. The technology study is one of the highlights of CES Asia, and it brings together future technologies – which relate to lightweight design, high-performance drive systems and functions for piloted driving. The Audi R8 e-tron piloted driving concept car is based on the multimaterial Space Frame of the new production R8. A rear car body module made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) integrates the luggage compartment, which extends the frame structure. The walls of the luggage compartment shell are corrugated, so that they can absorb extreme amounts of energy with little material weight in case of a rear-end collision.

Audi reveals special A5 DTM Champion edition

For this year's DTM touring car championship in Germany, Audi switched (at least in appearance) from the A5 to the more muscular look of the RS5. But now that it's won the title (the driver's title anyway), it's the base A5 that's getting the celebratory treatment.
Limited to just 300 units, the new A5 DTM Champion edition honors its winning driver Mike Rockenfeller in similar fashion to the special-edition BMW M3 that paid tribute to last year's champion, Bruno Spengler. It comes with a rear spoiler, special 20-inch alloys, aluminum trim on the mirror caps and, of course, a smattering of special badges inside and out.
Buyers will be able to place their orders next week in red, white or grey, with any of four engine choices, at a €1,900 premium. That is, in Europe, anyway. Given that DTM hasn't picked up on this side of the Atlantic just yet, we wouldn't go looking for this model at our local Audi dealer Stateside.