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Mercedes chief invites Audi, BMW to compete in F1

Mercedes-Benz didn't just win the Formula One World Championship in 2014 – it positively dominated it. The team won all but three of the grands prix this season, scoring a one-two finish at more than half of them and landing at least one car on the podium at every race without exception. It goes without saying, then, that the German automaker thrives on competition, but now it's welcoming even more. Speaking with Germany's Sport Bild at its homecoming celebration in Stuttgart, Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche welcomed Mercedes' biggest rivals Audi and BMW to join it on the F1 grid. Noting that the three German brands share some 80 percent of the market for luxury automobiles, Zetsche said that F1 would make a natural arena of competition for Mercedes, Audi and BMW to fight for top bragging rights. The three currently compete against each other in front of home audiences in the DTM touring car series – effectively Germany's equivalent to NASCAR – but of the ten races held this year, the majority were in Germany itself, and all of them took place in Europe. BMW last competed in F1 when it bought the Sauber team in 2006, but withdrew from the series in 2009. Despite its progenitor Auto Union having fielded the famous Silver Arrows in pre-war grand prix racing, Audi has never been a player in modern F1 racing, though recent rumors have linked it to a potential foray – spurred by the arrival of sister-company Porsche on its home turf at Le Mans, the departure of several of its key endurance drivers and the hiring of former Scuderia Ferrari chief Stefano Domenicali. Porsche had similarly considered an F1 program before getting the go-ahead to compete with Audi at Le Mans. As for the prospect of Mercedes competing in other international racing series, Zetsche added that year-long preparations for 24 hours of racing at Le Mans didn't present a good cost-benefit ratio in his estimation, but that Formula E (where Audi currently supports a quasi-works entry) would be worth a closer look.

A dealer made a 'Urus' out of an Audi Q7 to get people excited for Lambo's SUV

Fake news seems to be catching on. In an attempt to drum up some interest in the upcoming Lamborghini Urus (the Italian SUV that hasn't been unveiled yet) the Lamborghini dealer in Nurnberg, Germany, created a Lambo-badged promotional vehicle. It seems it has fooled at least a few folks, with several outlets reporting on it as if it's a Lamborghini prototype. Of course, it's not. What you're looking at is an Audi Q7 with a camouflage wrap that includes a Lamborghini-script logo across the back and a promotional message on the side, which reads: "Der Urus kommt / Lamborghini Nurnberg." Thanks to one semester of German, we can tell you that first part means "The Urus is coming." Note, that's "is coming," not "is here." There's also something that kind of resembles a scoop on the front fender. It's also fake. It's not uncommon for automakers to put a cryptic message on the side of a test car, often with swirly camo, but this takes the idea a step further since it's not the actual car underneath. That said, the production Urus, whenever it arrives, is expected to share the Audi Q7's MLB 2 platform. So it sort of works. Kind of. Related Video: Image Credit: CarPix Audi Lamborghini Crossover SUV Luxury Performance confirmed

2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack squares off against Audi R8 V10 Plus

The team over at Motor Trend has pitted the new Audi R8 V10 Plus against the Nissan GT-R. While both of the bright red all-wheel-drive supercars are comparably matched in power output, the similarities end there. Audi offers a mid-engine aluminum coupe with a naturally aspirated V10 that spits out 550 horsepower. Nissan shows up with a more traditional coupe equipped with a 545-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 at the front of the car.
The Head-to-Head video takes both cars to the Streets of Willow Springs in the California desert for some track work with professional racing driver Randy Pobst behind the wheel. After a day at the track, the pair head to the local mountains for some spirited real-world driving. One dominates on the circuit, while the other earns back its credibility in the canyons. We won't tell you which coupe comes out on top, but we think you may be surprised. Follow the link below to watch for yourself.