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Audi boss can't say no to F1 program

Audi has been a dominant force at the top rung of endurance racing for over a decade. Still, rumors have fired up again about the possibility of the company making a big switch to Formula 1. The Four Rings' boss Rupert Stadler isn't ready to make that decision yet, but he's not ruling it out. When asked by Auto Express about the potential of Audi entering F1 in the next five years, Stadler gave an intriguing answer. "It's something we're looking at, but then we're always looking at it and many other things. But I can't say yes or no," he said. While not at all a confirmation, that's hardly an outright denial, either. According to unnamed insiders speaking to Auto Express, Audi is under pressure from Volkswagen Group to leave the FIA World Endurance Championship. Right now, the Four Rings is competing directly against its corporate sibling Porsche. While that might make for a good rivalry on the track, it doesn't necessarily make sense financially. Rumors last year suggested that Audi might leave the WEC and DTM to finance the F1 project. Two possibilities were proposed at the time: act as engine supplier to Red Bull or buy Toro Rosso to run a whole new team. Stadler's non-denial might also indicate that Audi's view on F1 is shifting. In the past, the company's opinion has been much more obvious. Last year, Audi Sport tweeted that the rumormongering was "pure speculation." As far back as 2011, the brand's motorsport boss said grand prix racing had "no relevance to the road." Related Video:

2014 Audi SQ5 priced from $51,900* [w/video]

Despite the fact that the 2014 Audi SQ5 you see here is quite a bit different than the one offered in Europe, we're still plenty glad that the folks from Ingolstadt have decided to offer a hotted-up version of its compact Q5 crossover here in the States. Now, Audi has announced that its US-spec SQ5 will be priced from $51,900 when it hits dealerships later this summer (*not including $895 for destination). That strikes us as a pretty favorable price - while the base Q5 in 2.0-liter TFSI trim starts at $35,900, the 3.0-liter Prestige model commands a full $51,400, and somehow manages to feel worth it.
We already enjoy driving the Q5 in its standard tune, and this SQ5 looks to be quite an entertaining thing. Audi has tuned its 3.0-liter supercharged V6 to produce 354 horsepower and 347 pound-feet of torque - gains of 82 hp and 52 lb-ft over the standard 3.0L Q5. No, it's not the awesome 313 hp and 479 lb-ft of the twin-turbo-diesel engine used in Europe, but our American SQ5 will certainly be a quick little thing. Audi is estimating a 0-60 time of 5.1 seconds, on its way to a limited top speed of 155 miles per hour.
Like all S models, the SQ5 will be a bit different visually than its basic Q5 kin. Aluminum roof rails are standard, as are 20-inch wheels (21s are available). There are revised bumpers at the front and rear, with Audi's usual gray grille and diffuser, as well as aluminum mirror caps. Inside, leather- and Alcantara-clad sport seats are standard, though buyers can opt for a fine Nappa leather setup. Audi says that new aluminum/black wood inlays are also available, as is a 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Audi celebrates 25 years of TDI

Nope, the diesel engine never really did go out of style for Audi. Now, the German automaker has released a video reminding the world of its persistence with the oil-burners and is commemorating the Silver Anniversary of Audi's first commitment to turbodiesels in 1989. And, yes, there are some road racers shown in the clip, so some of those bad boys actually move pretty well. Audi engineers on camera admitted to some of the early TDI engines being "slow" but still valuable for their torque and, obviously, their fuel economy relative to gas-powered engines. A bunch of tinkering later, though, and Audi says its diesels can be a legitimate "part of a performance car" and has even overcome the issue of noisiness that's often associated with diesels. The automaker made some news in these parts a few years back when its Audi A3 TDI won the 2010 Green Car of the Year at the annual LA Auto Show in late 2009, and the model even succeeded a fellow diesel (the Volkswagen Jetta TDI) to boot. Granted, diesel sales aren't nearly as popular in the US as they are in Europe. Still, Audi last year boosted its diesel sales in the US by 40 percent to 10,076, which was about a tenth of what sister company Volkswagen sold in diesels last year in the States. And things have looked even rosier this year for Audi's TDI sales. Through June, Audi diesel sales have almost quadrupled from a year earlier to more than 8,100 units. Check out the 150-second video on Audi's 25-years of TDI production below.