Auto blog

Audi changes the guard at Quattro GmbH

Although it may not have the brand recognition that Mercedes-AMG does or BMW's M division, Audi's Quattro GmbH department is responsible for its most exciting products - including the RS line of performance models and the R8 supercar. For the past year and a half, Quattro GmbH has been led by Franciscus van Meel, but soon it will get a new leader.
According to reports, van Meel (46, pictured right) is being reassigned to head up the Audi R&D center in Beijing. In his place, Audi is promoting Heinz Peter Hollwerweger (60, pictured above) to the post. The move is expected to be confirmed in advance of the Geneva Motor Show, at which point we can expect Audi to claim that it was part of a planned rotation. However sources suggest that van Meel's departure came at the behest of R&D boss Ulrich Hackenberg, who was apparently unhappy with how van Meel has been handling development of the next R8 and of the R8 E-Tron project.
Why Hackenberg would have van Meel reassigned to run one of his own R&D centers is beyond us, but Hollerweger is apparently expected to be able to get the job done faster and better. Whether he'll have any major changes in store for the Quattro division and its products is another matter, but we're looking forward to finding out.

Next Audi TT RS comes in 2016, manual transmission doesn't

This line comes from our review of the 2012 Audi TT RS: "Did we mention that the 2012 TT RS is only available with a manual transmission?" When we review the next-generation TT RS, expected to launch next year, we'll have to rewrite that line as: "Did we mention that the TT RS is not available with a manual transmission?" That's the word from Car and Driver, which has heard that the superheated little coupe will only come with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox found in the Euro-market RS3 Sportback. The first generation came with a dual-clutch and a manual transmission in Europe, but the unit for our market required the laying on of hands to get from one cog to another. If we don't get another, the blow will be all the more painful because Audi's manual transmissions are so good. Our assessment summed up the last one thus, "With a short, precise throw and excellent action, the transmission is a mechanical work of art." Good news? Volkswagen says the installed DQ500 dual-clutch is faster, more refined, and more reliable. As well, power from the reworked 2.5-liter, turbocharged five-cylinder should rise from 360 horsepower to "around 400." You'll just be asked to keep your hands off of it. The first-gen car only came here after a successful Facebook petition gathered more than 11,000 signatures in a month, we wish Audi had given us a chance to weigh in on this, too. Although we will probably get it later next year as a 2017 model, we could see it at the Frankfurt Motor Show in two months. Related Video:

The Aston Martin DB11 leads this month's list of discounts

We've got something of a broken record to report this month. The 2020 Acura NSX and 2020 Aston Martin DB11 have swapped places atop the discounts leaderboard for a fourth month in a row. For the month of March 2011, it's the British entry again in the lead. The DB11 earns top billing with an average discount of $24,614 off its sticker price, meaning buyers are paying an average transaction price of $177,206. That still a large suitcase full of bills, but at least it means buyers get to stare at a drop-dead beautiful coupe in their driveways with as much as 630 horsepower underhood. And if you love Aston Martin's svelte sense of style but don't want to spend quite so much money, you could always choose the 2020 Vantage that's selling for around $143,000. That's nearly $13,600 off that car's sticker, which is enough to land in seventh spot overall. Up next, as we've come to expect, is the Acura NSX. The hybrid-powered supercar from Japan is selling for $137,663 on average this month, which represents a $22,340 discount and seems like an exceptional deal for a 573-horsepower technological marvel that can scoot from 0-60 in just 2.9 seconds. That also represents the largest percentage of savings off the sticker this month. In third place for the month is the Audi R8, making March the second straight month that this trio of supercars has led the list of discounts. Buyers are saving $18,331 off the R8's sticker, which equals an average transaction price of $175,508. That's awfully close to the selling price of the DB11, for those lucky enough to be deciding between the two. Related Video: Driving Iron Man's Favorite Supercar, The Acura NSX | Translogic 215