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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 to lap Hockenheim in driverless RS7

An automaker like Audi will always have a number of different research and development projects going at the same time, and some of them might take on very different approaches. At one end, you'll have its racing programs, and at what you'd assume would be the other, self-driving prototypes. But Ingolstadt is preparing to bridge that gap by running an autonomous prototype at racing speed around the famed Hockenheimring.
Set to take place on Sunday, October 19, during the DTM season finale at Hockenheim, the driverless RS7 will motor at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, right up "to its physical limits with millimeter precision."
Audi anticipates that "the world's sportiest piloted driving car" will run a lap time of just over two minutes, at which the RS7 would stand not only to be the fastest driverless car ever to lap the circuit, but also potentially the fastest four-door - if it can beat the 2:02.71 lap time set by a BMW M3 sedan in 2007.

Audi passes BMW as top luxury brand in India

By the end of this decade, India is expected to be one of the top three car markets in the world, but automakers are already starting to duke it out for sales. In terms of premium brands, Automotive News says that Audi has jumped out to an early lead for sales in the country due in large part to the recent introduction of the Audi Q3 (shown above).
In 2012, Audi's sales increased 43 percent, rising to 9,350 units and outselling BMW (8,686) and Mercedes-Benz (7,015), both of which experienced a drop in sales last year of 9.5 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. While none of these sales figures are particularly significant on a global scale, the article says that the market for premium cars in India is expected to quadruple by 2020 up to around 120,000 units. AN attributes Audi's lead to its offering of new SUVs while its rivals have been focusing on small hatchbacks.