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Is the Audi R8 E-Tron project back on again?

If you ask Audi about its R8 E-Tron prototype, the all-electric two-seater that was first shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker will tell you that its development program is on hold. Yet, as we reported in January, limited production of the combustion-free coupe may be moving forward... information still officially unconfirmed by the automaker.
New images of the electrified R8 undergoing winter testing in Europe have emerged (above and in our gallery), and the car has been spotted running in Spain as well. Both sightings support reports that the E-Tron, with its 150-mile battery range and 8:09 Nürburgring time, may be back in business. Does the program have a green light, or is Audi merely trying to take some of the thunder from the BMW i8?
Whatever the case, if the R8 E-Tron does eventually make it into showrooms - and we are now led to believe it will - expect production volume to be very low. Assuming it doesn't get shelved again, of course.

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.

Elon Musk: Teslas will already know where we’re going

In the future, cars will drive us. And probably not surprisingly, they'll often know where to go without us even needing to tell them. That's the theme of a short back-and-forth conversation on Twitter recently between Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk and a user who tagged him in a comment suggesting that "it would be cool" to be able to tell a car where to go. Responding to user James Harvey, Musk replied, "It won't even need to ask you most of the time." Later, after Harvey asked how the car would know where he wants to go, another user suggested that the car would know what time you go to work. "Yeah, don't exactly need to be Sherlock Holmes," Musk tweeted. It won't even need to ask you most of the time — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2017 Yeah, don't exactly need to be Sherlock Holmes. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2017 That the ability to know where we're going will be part of our future driving experience shouldn't be surprising. After all, the smartphones we carry around already possess the ability to predict what we want — think Google's cleverness in tailoring search results or providing traffic information just before your commute, Facebook's highly customized News Feed content or even auto-fill technology, which can predict the words you're typing. And plenty of automakers have been touting their own work in developing in-car artificial intelligence systems. Like Audi's Elaine concept, which will be able to learn, think and even empathize with drivers. Or Mitsubishi's e-Evolution concept, which can not only assist your driving, but also assess your skills and teach you how to improve them. Tesla's vehicles, of course, are being outfitted with all the latest autonomous driver-assist technology, with the automaker eager to one day reach full Level 5 self-driving capability. According to Inc., Teslas will be able to listen and respond to directional commands, and they'll even have access to your calendar to comb for information about where you need to go. Tesla has also said it's developing an update to its Autopilot hardware and remains on track to achieve full Level 5 autonomous driving by the end of this year, which strikes a lot of people as wildly unrealistic. At any rate, the promise of cars knowing what time we're sneaking out to get donuts or picking up the kids is interesting, coming from the man who has warned that AI presents "a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization."Related Video: