From Hooniverse.com;

“While Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system has been notorious for providing excellent control in slippery and changing conditions, very few have viewed it as an advantage on the salt pans of Bonneville. Beginning in 2008, Jeff Gerner set off on a journey with his UrS4 to set records, and this year, that’s exactly what he has done.

First, there is the place. Bonneville. It’s name alone strikes awe, and leaves any gearhead worth his salt (pun intended) with clammy hands, dilated pupils, and an accelerated heart rate. Straight line performance has never done anything for me, I am not a drag racing fan, but the pursuit of ultimate top speed has always pulled at my heartstrings.

Then, there is the car. If it were mine to pick, I likely would not have chosen the first gen S4, but when you sit down to contemplate it further, it seems more and more likely a candidate. The long wheelbase, autobahn aerodynamics, German reliability and build quality, combined with a Group B proven engine, it is hard to go wrong. A 2.2 liter 5 cylinder assisted with 32 pounds of boost certainly don’t hurt the equation either.”

Many pics and vids here;

http://hooniverse.com/2012/01/05/an-18-year-old-audi-goes-242-miles-per-hour/#more-74234

From MotorAuthority; “The Portland International Auto Show isn’t exactly known as a hotbed of industry activity or product reveals. Nonetheless, there is often some attractive hardware on display, including, this year, at least one privately-owned Lamborghini Gallardo. Unfortunately, that Gallardo won’t be making the show. It caught fire.

Why, you ask? How? The answer is surprisingly stupid.

Fire marshals at the show, quite reasonably, won’t let any car enter the building with more than a quarter-tank of fuel. The Gallardo attempted to enter with an undisclosed greater amount, however, and was refused. Makes good sense so far.

That’s when the story gets stupid. Instead of figuring a way to extract the fuel from the tank, taking it for a quick 50-mile spin, or just swapping it for another Gallardo, the display staff decided it’d be a good idea to just sit in the car and rev it to redline in neutral. Not so good for the car, but, in a pinch, excusable–perhaps.

The person behind the wheel soon grew tired of the limiter-popping, however, and decided to automate the process with a piece of wood lodged between the seat and the gas pedal.

Yes, a piece of wood. After sitting idle at full song for several minutes, the completely predictable, inevitable, and foreseeable occurred: it overheated and caught fire. It was immediately loaded on a truck and removed from the scene.

Chalk up another win for idiots, another loss for exotic sports cars. [Sigh].”

From MBWorld.org; “The G Wagen AMG models are testing and readying, most likely priming for a Geneva Auto Show debut early next year. And for the record, we did say wagons, plural. Undergoing winter testing in Sweden recently, AutoEvolution got some great spyshots of the newly refreshed AMG G55 as well as the all-new G65.

In AutoEvolution’s story, the G55 will most likely be sporting the new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 which boasts 525 hp and 700 Nm peak torque. The G65 AMG is slated to get the 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 with 612 hp and 1,000 Nm. But even so, AMG promises fuel efficiency to boot.

Also new for the G55 will be the mirrors, the front grille and the front bumper, which should come integrated with a single oil cooler. New LED daytimes and better stopping power are also expected, as well as plenty of interior upgrades, including a new steering wheel and satnav system.”

More pics here; http://mbworld.org/features/g-class/spyshots_of_the_facelifted_mercedes_g65_and_g55_amg-industrynews_mbdec11_1.php?=industrynews&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=

“The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it star of the Paris show was undoubtedly the Audi A4 Concept E.

European government is well down the road on demanding that the average CO2 output of a car maker’s range is just 130g/km – with promise of further cuts to come. As a result, some people in the industry wondered whether the day of the large car was over, and whether we would all end up in diesel-powered Ford Focuses.

However, the EU hadn’t figured on the might of the German auto engineer.

By applying a host of detailed fuel-saving measures, Audi has managed to turn its new A4 into a Prius-humbling fuel sipper.

The Concept E’s 105g/km CO2 (58.95mpg) rating has been achieved through some extremely clever lateral thinking. The 2.0-litre TDI engine gets new software, a new cooling system, de-coupling oil and water pumps and even softer valve springs. The stop-start system is backed up by a secondary battery, which powers the A4’s ancillaries when the engine is off.

The rear brakes are electrically actuated and the Concept E gets an aerodynamic underbody. Weight saving measures include a magnesium casing for the gearbox.

But the crowning glory is the Concept E’s heated gearbox oil, which helps reduce frictional losses when the car is first started.

Even better, the EU legislators – who are mostly trying to pick a fight with the EU car industry – have been put firmly on the back foot.”

We also think Jeff Zwart’s ’10 run up Pikes Peak in a Porsche 997 GT3 is worth another watch; http://vimeo.com/13014363

Translated; “It’s built on the B5 Audi A4 Avant. Audi Duo is the first in Europe to standard hybrid vehicle, which was offered from 1997 at a price of 60,000 DM. Due to low demand, production was halted in 1998.

The proven TDI engine with a displacement of 1.9 liters and 66 kW power was used as an internal combustion engine. As an electric drive of the Audi Duo, a synchronous machine with an output of 21 kW (29 hp) installed, which is accompanied by a translation stage to the five-speed gearbox connected. 1/min due to the rated speed of 10 000, this system is called a high-speed concept (because the speed is significantly higher relative to the engine speed).

As a lead-acid battery energy storage has been used with a weight of 320 kg, providing a capacity of 10 kWh and is installed in the trunk. As a special feature you can perform the power cable with which it allows the driver the car is it can be connected to the outlet.”

From autoblog.com; “Despite recent sad decisions by Ingolstadt and the company’s regional bosses in Herndon, Virginia not to include either the stunning new A6 Avant or the handsomely reworked A4 Avant in its U.S. lineup, Audi has crunched the numbers on another niche’s business case and decided to throw us one hell of a bone. Arriving on our shores by July 2012 for the first time is this spanking refreshed A4 Allroad Quattro. As consolation presents go, it’s a humdinger.

We’ve just had a shot at driving this latest A4 Allroad – a model originally created in early 2009 – in various European trims along the Portuguese shore north of Lisbon and over the mountain roads just inland of the same. We can say right off that the discreet slice of American premium car buyers who understand the Allroad legend have much to look forward to. They make up a sympathetic (though generally separate) fan club from those who buy the Subaru Outback. Allroads are for well-to-do drivers who share a passion for this rough-roading, do-it-all niche, and they won’t be palmed off with traditional SUVs or their more upright crossover substitutes.

To inaugurate the second coming of the Allroad franchise to the States, Audi is holding the A4 Allroad’s world premiere at January’s Detroit Auto Show. Through thick and thin, Audi has always treated Motown’s motor expo very seriously. Showing such a fondly admired model like the Allroad here first means a lot. There has been a lingering sense of unwilling withdrawal ever since Audi creased importing the A6-based Allroad back in 2005, and confirmation of this new model figures to be a homecoming of sorts.

In Portugal, Audi had the A4 Allroad available for us to test in two configurations: one with the 208-horsepower 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine mated to the Euro standard six-speed manual transmission and another with the 241-hp (and 369 pound-feet of torque) 3.0-liter TDI diesel using the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox. The only trim confirmed for the U.S. and Canada is the 2.0 TFSI with the ever-present eight-speed single-clutch Tiptronic, which is too bad, since the S tronic is just a better fit for this sporting softroader.

Why did Audi go this route? The basic message we got whenever we asked is that executives believe buyers in these bread-and-butter segments prefer a more casual relationship with their transmissions. Well, that and the fuel efficiencies implied in a transmission with two overdrive gears should also help keep the California Air Resource Board greenies at bay. We can only imagine what a joy it would be to have the torquey 3.0 TDI together with Audi’s sweet six-speed manual. It’d be an ideal sled for devouring the American countryside, particularly in areas that get four proper seasons.

The tried-and-true 208-hp turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter TFSI seen here has so far proven to be both indestructible and lively in its years of service in the Audi empire. The A4 Allroad Quattro with its automatic gearbox puts this reputation to its severest test, weighing some 3,803 pounds at the curb with a driver and one small travel bag aboard. The 258 pound-feet of torque on hand between 1,500 and 4,200 rpm certainly helps matters. Normally, in a lighter TT or A3/A4 sedan on uphill climbs or coming out of certain curves, we might leave the manual or S tronic (or the U.S.’ Tiptronic) in third or fourth gear with minimal lugging, but given the few hundred additional pounds aboard the Allroad, it was occasionally necessary to downshift into second or third. However, keeping in mind why we people buy an Allroad, this compensating to grab revs and oomph doesn’t strike us as a critical issue. We actually enjoyed it, in fact. Top speed for Euro Allroads is limited to 143 miles per hour, but Yankee top ends will be snipped at 130 mph. Acceleration to 60 mph with the Tiptronic is estimated at a more than decent 6.6 seconds.

Whether you want the optional steering wheel with paddles or not is a personal choice, though in this case, your author prefers to shift manually fore and aft with the console lever. (It is at this point how we feel compelled to repeat how much we long for the big six and a manual gearbox).

One of the happier outcomes of needing to rely on the 2.0-liter TFSI is that the whole engine range for the A4 family is now more frugal. While power and torque figures remain unchanged on this particular engine, thermal management for heating and cooling of the engine and gearbox fluids has been optimized to act more quickly right from the first cold start. In addition, all A4 models now get an electromechanical steering system with 2.9 smooth turns from lock-to-lock, a setup that lowers overall fuel consumption in part by decoupling when not in use, such as during long interstate travel. The third major advancement is a significant reduction in mechanical friction between all moving parts, an additional benefit of which is smoother throttle response and during transitions up or down through the gears. EPA highway mileage should increase from 29 mpg to a solid 32 mpg, while city mileage ought to be announced as 23 mpg versus the current Tiptronic model’s 21 mpg.

Along with the Tip automatic, owners of the A4 Allroad Quattro will benefit from opting for the newly available Audi Drive Select system with its five modes: Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual. Furthermore, the individual settings for the A4 Allroad has been simplified to better calibrate engine response and steering feel between Comfort, Auto and Dynamic modes. With the Allroad’s slight weight penalty in play, the system’s various modes provide subtle differences between the various settings, but they are appreciable.

The Allroad rides some 1.5 inches higher than the A4 sedan and Avant bodystyles for a total ground clearance of 7.9 inches, and suspension travel becomes somewhat longer and more pliant. Tires are Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT (245/45 SR18 96Y all around) and they were a good enough match for the Allroad all day, transmitting the default 40:60 torque split of the onboard Quattro setup to Portugal’s warm pavement with tremendous composure.

In addition to the raised height and plastic composite anti-scuff skirting, the stainless steel underbody skid plates are key to the Allroad’s aesthetic and its enhanced off-road ability. While the front fog lights on ground-bound A4 sedans and wagons are now laid in flat within the new front air intakes, the Allroad gets more traditional circular units. The new-look A4 headlights are here, too, while the more rounded engine hood and half-inch greater overall width add substance to the Allroad’s look.

Functional roof rails to support a 200-pound load are included with the Allroad, and we found the cargo area to be just as easily flexible as you might hope. Cubic feet ranges from a minimum of 17.3 to a suggested maximum of 50.5 with rear seatbacks flopped flat forward and the space filled to the roof. Stick to an eight percent uphill gradient max and your towing weight allowed is 4,190 pounds. If you anticipate up to a 12 percent tug angle, load only up to 3,750 pounds back there, okay?

We expect the A4 Allroad Quattro in Premium, Premium Plus or Prestige trims to add $2,000 over the outgoing – perhaps never to return to us – A4 Avant, starting at roughly $38,500. If our MSRP crystal ball is correct, that puts it in the thick of the hunt with more traditional entry-level crossovers, including Audi’s own Q5, which starts at around $35k.

So, we will finally have an Allroad model back on U.S. soil, which is good… nay, great news. It would be excellent to get the mondo 3.0-liter TDI V6 with manual shifter, but we’re overjoyed already with this unexpected holiday gift. Besides, if Well-Heeled America steps up (literally) to buy the Allroad, perhaps Audi will see fit to expand the range.”

More pics here; http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/14/2012-audi-a4-allroad-quattro-first-drive-review/

From topgear.com; “This is faster than a JCW Mini. It’s faster than the Corsa VXR Nürburgring. It’s also faster than a Ford Focus ST and nudges the VW Golf R for pace. This is the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive Audi A1 Quattro. Merry Christmas.

Like a mini Walter Rohrl-shaped gift to the world, Audi has announced plans to produce 333 left-hand-drive models of this, the fastest production A1 ever built.

It’s destined for mainland Europe for now, but Audi tells us positive customer reaction to this bonkers little thing could see it reach our[UK] potholed shores. And that’s an intriguing prospect, because it packs 252bhp from a turbocharged, 2.0-litre TFSI unit and 258lb ft of torque from between 2,500rpm and 4,500rpm. All the Audi’s horses and torques help propel it from 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 152mph. That’s really quick.

It’s also the first production A1 to get the Quattro system – a system we tested in a prototype mule way back last year. As in that car, traction comes from an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch rotating in an oil bath.

Which basically means its front wheel drive for normal driving, but sends power to the rear “in just a few milliseconds” if you start to Stiggify it. And there’s an electronic diff that brakes whichever wheel is losing grip, helping to keep you out of the nearest hedge/tree/sofa warehouse.

As we told you last year when we drove the prototype on ice – which was good actually – we feared Quattro on an A1 might have been overkill, had Audi not sufficiently ramped up the power. Consider this a sufficient ramp up in power, then.

The 333 cars are slightly longer than the standard A1, and get the full complement of Audi equipment: S sports seats, quattro badges, dashes of aluminium, Infotainment gubbins, a 465-watt speaker system… you get the picture.

No word on price, but if it does ever reach the UK, expect it to be significantly more expensive than the current range topper, the £21,270 1.4 TFSI S Line.”

More pics here; http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/audi-a1-quattro-252bhp-2011-12-21

From autoblog.com; “‘Tis the season, or so they say. But we’re not talking about the holidays. We’re talking about the season for cold-weather testing of new prototypes up in northern Sweden. After our intrepid shutter-bugs snapped an updated Mercedes-Benz GLK taking its licks in the snow way up there near the arctic circle, now they’ve caught this Audi Q5 test mule.

Only appearances can be deceiving. Because while this may look like a Q5 – or even a high-performance Q5-RS – what we’re actually looking at is a prototype for the upcoming Porsche Cajun.

The highly anticipated baby brother to the Cayenne will benefit from the synergies of belonging to the Volkswagen Group, hence the Q5 platform and – until we see otherwise – the Q5′s sheetmetal. The major difference is in the wheel wells: bigger alloys, bigger brakes, and a wider track than the existing Audi.

The running gear (read: powertrain) is expected to be fine-tuned by Porsche engineers for a sportier attitude. We’re expecting hybrid and even three-door versions (the latter to target the Range Rover Evoque), but for now we’ll just have to gaze upon a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Check it out in the high-res image gallery from the frozen tundra – you won’t even have to put on your parka.”

More pics here; http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/14/porsche-cajun-prototype-caught-wearing-audi-duds-in-sweden/

The X6 M50d will come equipped with an innovative and unique engine, a tri-turbo six-cylinder diesel. The internal code for the BMW X6 M50d is FH81 and production will begin in April 2012.

The M division will offer the M50d with a revised front hood, included as option number 348.

But this is not all. We also learned that the “step-brother”, BMW M550d xDrive will also be equipped with the same powerplant, running to 62 mph in 4.7 seconds. Thanks to the innovative diesel technology, BMW expects a fuel consumption of 6.3 liter per 100 km, or nearly 38 MPG. CO2 levels are 165 g/km.

The FV71 M550d will go in production in March 2012 and will be offered as an European only model.”

Of course, European only.