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Audi TT Offroad concept packs 408 hybrid horsepower, yet returns 123 mpg

Audi took the wraps of its TT Offroad Concept at the Beijing Motor Show, after teasing us with sketches earlier this month. "The Audi TT offroad concept provides a glimpse of how we might imagine a new model in the future TT family," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development. "It combines the sporty genes of the TT with the strengths of a compact Audi SUV."
The latest in Audi's eTron show cars reminds us an awful lot of the the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept that debuted a few months ago at the Detroit Auto Show. In addition to very similar physical appearances, the two share the same plug-in hybrid propulsion systems (the "plug-in" part is a bit misleading, as the concept simply needs to be parked over an inductive pad to take advantage of Audi Wireless Charging technology).
Proving that hybrid power never has to be a compromise, the TT Offroad Concept packs a 292 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder under the hood. The combustion engine is assisted by two electric motors (rated at 40 kW at the front and 85 kW at the rear) to provide a total system output of 408 horsepower and nearly 480 pound-feet of torque. With all-wheel drive, the concept hits 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and tops out at 155 mph - while returning a provisional fuel efficiency of 123 miles per gallon equivalent.

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.

KTM X-Bow to get Audi TT-RS five-cylinder turbo

The Audi TT-RS continues to occupy a warm spot in my personal top five list of cars thanks in no small part to the lusty turbocharged 2.5-liter five cylinder under the hood. With 360 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque in stock configuration, the engine is a shining star of internal combustion. And now it's headed to one of our favorite vehicles. EVO reports KTM is planning to plop the turbo 2.5 from the TT-RS into the upcoming X-Bow. That ruckus you hear? It's a choir of angels singing "Halleluiah." While speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, KTM CEO Stefan Pierer said the engine is good for up to 480 horsepower.
Pierer went on to say that the company is already testing prototypes and that we may very well see the engine show up in some races next year. What's more, the company's engineers are playing with dual-clutch transmissions, too. Since KTM is already testing the turbo 2.5 on the track, it's only a matter of time before customers will be able to get their grubby mitts on a street-legal version.