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Audi bringing new TT Roadster to Paris

The TT may be first and foremost a coupe, but in presenting the third-generation model, Audi has toyed with all sorts of body-styles. There's been the prototypical coupe, of course, but also shooting brake and crossover concepts. The one thing it hasn't shown us is the convertible model, but that ends today as Audi takes the wraps off the new TT Roadster and TTS Roadster.
Set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show next month, the new TT Roadster naturally follows its fixed-roof counterpart's lead closely, but with the addition of a folding fabric roof mechanism. Made of magnesium, aluminum, steel and plastic, the mechanism weighs 6.6 pounds less than its predecessor's, helping keep the center of gravity lower. It also folds flatter to allow for more luggage space, and can deploy or retract in ten seconds at speeds up to 31 miles per hour. With the roof up it's also quieter, and with a drag coefficient of 0.30, Audi claims it's the slipperiest in the segment.
Of course, Audi's also worked to keep the weight down and rigidity up. As a result, the 0-62 sprint only takes an extra 0.2 seconds, quoted in the TTS Roadster at 4.9 seconds instead of 4.7 in the TTS coupe. Top speed remains pegged at 155 miles per hour. That, of course, is with the top-spec, 310-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four, but Audi will also offer the less potent 184-hp version as well as a 2.0-liter TDI, mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed DCT, though specific performance figures for each version were not disclosed in the press release below.

Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 priced at $48,855, AWD at $50,855

Infiniti's most powerful production model, the new Q50 Red Sport 400, now has a starting price. You'll need at least $48,855 for the rear-drive model or $50,855 for all-wheel drive. (Both figures include the $905 destination charge.) A fully loaded, rear-drive Q50 RS400 with Direct Adaptive Steering, navigation, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, and Infiniti's entire alphabet soup of safety equipment, tops out at $57,045. (Again, add $2,000 for AWD). When it comes to rear-drive competition, the closest base price to the Q50 is the 320-hp BMW 340i. This German undercuts the Infiniti by two grand, $46,795 to $48,855. But the BMW outprices the Q50 as soon as you start selecting options. A 340i with similar equipment to a loaded Q50 Red Sport 400 costs just under $60,000. All-wheel-drive German competitors also lose out in the price war. Like with the rear-drive models, the BMW 340i xDrive undercuts the Q50 RS400 by around $2,000. Add the options, and the Infiniti becomes a better value. The other two big German rivals, the Audi S4 and Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG start at a higher price and only get more expensive. Technically the S4 starts cheaper than the Q50, but only with the standard manual transmission. Selecting the S-Tronic dual-clutch model kicks the price from $50,125 to $51,125, and going for the top-end Prestige trim will bump potential Audi owners up to $57,025. Throw on must-have S4 options, including adaptive cruise control, adaptive dampers, and a sport differential and you'll be shell out $64,425 for the Audi. The Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG is the priciest choice in this group, starting at $51,725, or roughly $900 more than a base Q50 RS400 with AWD. Options, again, are the downfall here. Building a C450 to match a loaded Infiniti will drive the Mercedes' price up to $64,315. While it occupies something of a weird space relative to these vehicles, it's also worth mentioning the Cadillac CTS VSport. It's the only car in this impromptu pricing comparo that can outgun the Q50, with its 3.6-liter, twin-turbo V6 good for 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. It also starts at $60,950, although that includes plenty of standard equipment. All this means that the Q50 Red Sport 400 represents a relative value. It packs more power than the Germans – 80 more than the 340i, 67 more than the S4, and 38 more than the C450 – and a more comprehensive list of options, too.

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.