Car Automotive and Design

Showing posts with label Audi. Show all posts

Digitus Impudicus: Our Spies Spot the Audi Q5 Facelift Again, Test Driver Not Happy

After receiving the phallic salute from one of Audi's test drivers, our hardy scoop photographers swallowed their pride and continued with their work as usual snapping some new pictures of a very lightly camouflaged Q5 crossover.

For a vehicle with not a lot of styling changes over the current model other than the five-point grille, resculptured bumpers and possibly, new headlamp and taillight graphics, Audi's engineers are sure spending a lot of time testing the car.

This could be explained by the availability of new powertrains like the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine, which is offered in various states of tune with outputs ranging from 295bhp (300PS) in the A6 up to 328bhp (333PS) in the S4 and S5 models.

R&T Pits 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport Against Audi A7 Sportback

Lexus has high hopes for its brand new 2013 GS sedan in the highly competitive executive segment, or at least it does in the North American market because Europe is a different story.

While one would consider the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the BMW 5-Series or the Audi A6 more direct opponents for the GS, Road & Track magazine chose a different adversary in the form of the Audi A7 Sportback.

Audi's A7 may split the difference between a traditional saloon and a hatchback offering an in-between body style, but it in essence, it remains an executive model, so R&T's test is not too far off.

Aston Martin Rapide Receives a Heavy Facelift from an Audi Q5 in China

The world has one less Aston Martin Rapide to worry about today after a gunmetal grey example of the British luxury sports saloon had an unfortunate meeting with an Audi Q5 crossover on the busy streets of Beijing in China.

The two cars bumped heads with might, but fortunately, no one was seriously injured from the accident.

According to reports from the local media, police are still investigating the cause of the accident, so we don't know which of the two drivers is at fault here.

Audi A5 DTM Shows its True Colors During First Official Test at Valencia Track

Earlier this month, Audi announced that it had completed the design of its brand-new DTM racer for the 2012 season after its homologation.

The A5 DTM, which externally at least, is based on Ingolstdat’s premium coupe, had some differences compared to the initial concept, mainly in its aerodynamic appendages – though the homologated car shown was covered in swirly “camouflage” paint.

Scoop: Audi Tries to Hide New Q6 Crossover Under Q5's Body

Another crossover from Audi? Yes and this time, the brand with the four rings is pointing its guns towards the BMW X6 with what could be best described as a Sportback version of the firm's familiar SUV model series.

Sometimes, you need to pay close attention to prototypes to see that they are test mules but that's not the case here as the extended wheelbase together with the widened tracks are a clear giveaway, despite the Q5 body shell.

Audi Giving Consumers the Chance to get Behind the Wheel of an R8 for a Day

Have you ever tried to sit in a Ferrari at an auto show? Sure you tried but did you actually manage to get pass the protective ropes surrounding Maranello's creations? Unless you make close to seven figures a year, the answer is probably no.

On the other hand, Germany's premium automakers have a much more lax approach to consumers even if most cannot afford to buy their top sports car offerings. And all for good reason as being able to dream about it pays off for the brand and its name in the long run.

Spied: Audi Takes MQB-Based TT Mule Out for Testing

It will interesting to see what Audi's designers have in store for us with the upcoming, third generation TT sports car series, and with that we mean if they're going to reheat the same old styling dish or if we should expect something radically new.

For the time being, however, our scoop photographers nabbed an early test mule being driven around Europe for evaluation purposes.

Hiding underneath the modified body of the current model is the VW Group's brand new and widely advertised, MQB transverse platform architecture. The same chassis debuted on the new A2012 Audi A3 hatchback, while it will also form the base for a great number of future VW Group models.

Monstrous 1,000HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Takes on Audi R8 V10, Nissan GT-R and BMW X6M

Ah Russia, the land of great artists, endless distances, dashboard mounted cameras and 1,000-horsepower Jeep Grand Cherokees challenging some of the fastest cars around.

In this match, we see the previous generation Grand Cherokee SRT-8 that's powered by a Stroker 7.2-liter supercharged V8 engine competing against a completely stock Audi R8 V10 5.2 with 525-horses, a Switzer-prepped Nissan GT-R R850 with 850-ponies and a BMW X6M by Evotech with 620-horsepower.

Race through the break to watch the one mile runs.

ABT Wastes No Time in Preparing a Tune for the 2013 Audi A3

It's only been ten days since the world premiere of the third-generation Audi A3 at the Geneva Motor Show, yet amazingly, we already have an announcement on the first tuning project, courtesy of ABT.

The German tuning brand said it is preparing a comprehensive package for the new Audi hatchback marketed under the name AS3 and which will be available for order later this year.

Senner Tuning Muscles up the Facelifted Audi S5 Coupe

It's been roughly two years since Senner Tuning presented its own version of the Audi S5 Coupe called the "White Beast".

In the meantime, Audi presented the facelifted S5 Coupe, which received a styling makeover but more importantly, a new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 328bhp (333PS) that replaced the previous model's 349bhp (354PS) 4.0-liter V8.

In tune with Audi's current portfolio, Senner Tuning has unveiled a new package for the 2012 S5 Coupe.

Spied: 2013 Audi Q5 to Receive a Trivial Makeover

The next generation Q7 isn't the only crossover model Audi is working on these days as our eagle-eyed scoop photographers filtered through the cleverly placed camouflage and spotted this facelifted Q5 while testing in Europe.

If you take closer look at the pictures that follow in the gallery below, you'll see that Audi has tapped off the corners of the Q5's grille to make it look like the current model.

What the Germans don't won't you to see is the redesigned, hexagonal front grille, which is present on all new Audi models including the 2013 A3 hatchback.

Scoop: Audi Spotted Testing Next Generation Q7 Mule

Audi's first attempt in the full-size luxury SUV segment, the Q7, has been in the market since 2005 having received a rather subtle facelift in 2009. This means it's almost time for the Ingolstadt-based automaker to present the second generation model.

The brand with the four rings has already started work on the new Q7 with a test mule that uses a modified version of current model's body shell to hide its new and lighter platform architecture.

As you can see in these photos, the test mule's fenders are wider while it appears that the front overhang may be shorter.

Audi Poised to Buy Ducati, Mercedes and AMG Left Out in the Cold

Four rings, four wheels and more often than not, four-wheel drive: the description fits Audi to a T. Yet the VW Group's premium brand is about to expand in the world of two wheels by acquiring a motorcycle manufacturer.

Mind you, not just any manufacturer, but Ducati, Italy’s closest thing to a Ferrari on two wheels. That comes to a surprise as since 2010, the Italian motorcycle maker formed a marketing partnership with Mercedes-owned AMG, which included AMG sponsoring the Ducati MotoGP team and the latter rolling out an AMG-branded Diavell motorbike.

Audi Homologates A5 2012 DTM Racer Two Months Before First Event

Ever since Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz revealed their brand-new racers at the Frankfurt Motor Show, we knew that the 2012 DTM season was going to be very promising. These cars, however, were billed as concepts – and with good reason as the final versions were still under development.

Now, Audi Motorsport has revealed that the A5 DTM has been homologated and therefore, the car shown above is the one that will battle the M3 and the C-Class Coupe racers starting with this season's premiere at Hockenheimring on April 29.

2013 Audi A3 is Newer than it Looks: Live Photos and First Videos

Audi’s Chairman of the Board Rupert Stadler formally unveiled the new three-door A3 on the opening day of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Of course, we already know everything there is to know about the third generation of the A3 thanks to Audi revealing full details of its brand-new premium C-segment model yesterday.

To refresh your memory, the new A3 is the first model to be based on the modular (and cost-saving) MQB platform. It sports the same length and height as the car it replaces, but is 12mm wider and has a 23mm longer wheelbase.

New 2013 Audi A3 Makes its Official Appearance Prior to the Geneva Motor Show

Audi’s brand new A3, which will make its first public appearance at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, seems to be following the Porsche 911's lead. Just like the 991, at a first glance, it doesn't look radically different from its predecessor, yet it is a completely new design with different proportions.

In much the same way, the third generation of Ingolstadt’s premium three-door hatchback looks familiar, but is actually an all-new design inside and out.

At 4,237mm long, 1,421mm tall and 1,777mm wide, the new A3 has about the same height and length as its predecessor but is 12mm wider and rides on a 23mm longer wheelbase that measures 2,601mm.

Audi’s 2012 R18 Le Mans Challenger Comes in AWD Hybrid and RWD Flavors

Ten-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race Audi revealed its new contender for this year’s event in the Audi Training Center at the Munich Airport.

Named the R18 e-tron quattro, the four-wheel drive LMP1 racer combines a diesel engine, which has worked brilliantly for Audi in the past, with hybrid technology.

While the 510HP 3.7-liter V6 TDI diesel engine continues to drive the rear wheels like before, the R18 e-tron quattro also features a kinetic energy recovery system up front that captures energy during braking and feeds it to a flywheel accumulator.

MTM's Colorful Geneva Motor Show Debuts Include 306hp Audi Q3 and $215k, 466hp VW T5

German-based tuning company MTM has shared photos and details of the vehicles it plans to debut at the 82nd Geneva International Auto Salon in a just a few days' time.

We'll start with the Audi Q3 crossover with the 2.0-liter TFSI engine. MTM's tune includes a power kit that lifts output from 170PS (168hp) to 310PS (307hp) allowing for the improvement of its 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time by two seconds to 6.1 seconds, its top speed from 212km/h (132mph) to 250km/h (155mph).

The tuning house also adds a custom exhaust kit, a rear diffuser, a sports suspension kit, 20-inch Bimoto lightweight alloy wheels shod in 255/35 ZR20 tires and the optional black-red-gold foil wrap seen on this car.

Audi Quattro Action Team helps Bulgarian Drivers in the Snow

As we've seen in the past, there are many non-traditional ways to promote your brand or a product.

Audi Bulgaria and local advertising agency "Noble Graphics Creative Studio" came up with an idea to promote the brand's quattro all-wheel drive system by lending a helping hand to those in need during the heavy snowfalls experienced in the country this winter.

The company sent out the "Audi quattro Action" team comprising four men to assist any Bulgarian drivers that were stuck in the snow. You can watch the short clip in the video after the break.

Audi's New U.S. Market Promo for the 2013 RS5 Coupe Facelift

The revised RS5 Coupe is the subject of Audi of America's newest promotional video that depicts the crown jewel of the firm's extended A5 lineup deep in the desert.

The RS5 is motivated by a 4.2-liter V8 that delivers 450 horsepower and is matched to seven-speed S tronic transmission with launch control program that transmits power to all four wheels through Audi's quattro system.

Ingolstadt's answer to the BMW M3 Coupe will launch in the U.S. this year.

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