2007 Audi S4 Base Sedan 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

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Lamborghini could be sold or spun off from the Volkswagen Group

Volkswagen is reportedly considering a sale or stock listing for its high-end Lamborghini brand. The German automaker is looking to fold the Italian supercar brand into a separate legal entity, reports Bloomberg, which cites "people familiar with the matter" who don't want to be identified "because the deliberations are confidential and no decisions have been made." Any of this sound familiar? The goal of spinning off Lamborghini would be to stockpile more cash and other resources for VW's massive planned push into electric vehicles. Back in March, reports circulated that Volkswagen's "Vision 2030" corporate plan might include plans to focus on the brand's core brands — VW, Audi and Porsche. That means the futures of fringe players like Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, motorcycle brand Ducati and design firm Italdesign (and note this isn't a comprehensive list of brand's under the expansive VW Group umbrella) are up in the air. VW, according to the report, is targeting a market value of $220 billion, which is a big jump from the brand's current $89 billion valuation. Bloomberg pegged Lamborghini's valuation at around $11 billion back in August, buoyed by sales and profits generated by the introduction of the Urus sport utility vehicle. On the flip side, Lamborghini is currently grappling with how best to update its supercar lineup in the face of ever-increasing emissions regulations.

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.

Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA

Audi has swapped trademarks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to snare the rights to the Q2 and Q4 badges for upcoming crossover SUVs. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed at the Detroit Motor Show that the automaker had finally persuaded FCA to release the two names that would let Audi lock up the Q1 to Q9 badges for its growing SUV family. Audi already plans to drop the Q2 name onto its MQB-based city crossover five-door this year, while the Q4 badge will slot onto the rump of a coupe-like version of the next Q3. It will also reserve the Q1 badge for a 2018 baby crossover, based around the architecture of the next A1 hatch. The A1 will share a lot of its engineering with Volkswagen's Polo-based soft-roader, dubbed T-Cross in concept form. The German company has also pounced on the naming rights for SQ versions of all of its Q-cars, along with F-Tron to cover the day when it pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars into production. Stadler insisted that no money had changed hands in order to pry the two badges off FCA, admitting that they had "each found something we needed." "We promised each other we wouldn't disclose what it cost, but it was not something they were willing to sell," Stadler said. "We tried to get it years ago and they said 'No, never,' but there is never 'never' in business. ... This year I went back to them with a proposal and we talked and there were some negotiations and then we agreed to it." Those negotiations are believed to have centered on a trademark swap with a Volkswagen Group name that FCA desperately (evidently) wants to use on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge or Maserati. Asked if Audi had given FCA a trademark in return for Q2 and Q4, Stadler replied, "Something very much like that, yes." Audi has used Italian names on past concept cars that FCA could be interested in, such as the 2001 Avantissimo concept and the 2003 Nuvolari coupe. The latter was named after legendary pre-war racer Tazio, who won grands prix for both Alfa Romeo and Audi's forerunner, Auto Union. Both are unlikely trade chips, with laws in Europe preventing the trademarking of the names of actual people. There is always "quattro" (Italian for "four"), but after investing nearly four decades locking it in as an Audi all-wheel-drive name, it's just not anything like trade bait.