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2017 Audi S4 goes running naked through the Alps

Audi just launched its new A4 sedan barely more than two months ago, bringing with it a raft of improvements over the outgoing model. And you know what that means: A new S4 performance model is just around the corner. Fortunately, that's just what we have here in these latest spy shots, snapped completely undisguised. Spotted testing in the Alps, the new Audi S4 is closely based on the new A4 we've already seen, benefiting from all its enhancements and weight savings. Only it promises to be more potent. Where previous S4s packed V8 engines and the current (outgoing) model pressed a supercharged V6 into service, this new model is tipped to switch to a fresh turbocharged V6. Expect power to rise from 329 horsepower up to 340 or more, and with less weight to motivate, we can expect performance to improve markedly in the process. Along with a more powerful engine, the S4 clearly stands out visually from ordinary A4s with bigger intakes, upgraded rolling stock, quadruple exhausts, and more. We'll have to wait a little longer to find out all the sordid details, but from the look of it, we won't have to wait long. In fact, we'd be surprised if Ingolstadt didn't take the opportunity to unveil it at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month, so watch this space for more and scope out the photos in the gallery above in the meantime.

Audi calls R18 E-Tron Quattro its 'most complex race car'

Technically speaking, Audi's R18 E-Tron Quattro is quite technical. The German automaker says the diesel-hybrid is the "most complex race car" it's ever created. And we'll take their word for it. The Audi, which pairs a V6 turbodiesel powering the rear wheels with two electric motors, is all about connectivity, giving the car's crew the opportunity to constantly monitor the vehicle while it's racing. The car sends in a host of data each lap to the crew's computers, and the vehicle's telemetry system constantly keeps tabs on things like hybrid energy levels, cockpit temperature and boost-pressure levels. In all, the amount of data parameters is more than 100 times greater than in 1989, when Audi first tested a race car equipped with automatic data transmission capabilities. Audi first released specs on the updated version of the R18 E-Tron Quattro late last year, trumpeting the vehicle's advantages in competing in the LMP1 class of the 2014 World Endurance Championship (WEC). Audi made the car a little narrower and a little taller and it complies with a new WEC regulation requiring the front end set off by a new wing. Take a look at Audi's most recent press release below. AUDI R18 E-TRON QUATTRO WITH COMPLEX ELECTRONIC ARCHITECTURE • Telemetry connection between race car and pit lane • Permanent acquisition of far more than 1,000 parameters • Various electronic control units interlinked by a multitude of CAN Bus systems Ingolstadt, May 5, 2014 – The Audi R18 e-tron quattro is the most complex race car created in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm to date. This not only applies to the mechanics. The electronics of the most recent LMP1 race car with the four rings is more sophisticated than ever before. The age of electronic data transmission from the race car on track began for Audi in 1989. At that time, an Audi 90 quattro in the IMSA GTO series radioed eight parameters to the garage where engine speeds and a few pressures and temperatures were plotted on printouts – a tiny step from today's perspective, but one that provided important insights at the time. Today, an Audi R18 e-tron quattro on more than a thousand channels, in cycles that in some cases only amount to milliseconds, generates data of crucial importance to a staff of engineers at Audi Sport. At Le Mans, the engineers constantly monitor their race cars for 24 hours.

Audi Q3 production begins in Spain

2012 Audi Q3 - Click above for high-res image gallery
It wasn't that long ago that Audi had no SUVs in its lineup - aside from the A6 Allroad Quattro - despite being known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles. But that's all changed, just as it has for BMW and Porsche. The Q7 was followed by the Q5, and now the Q3 has started production as well.
The first Q3 rolled off the assembly line today at the plant in Martorell, Spain. The facility belongs principally to Audi's sister-company Seat, but has gone through a considerable expansion - funded by both Audi and Seat - to prepare for the Q3's production.