Audi A5 Luxury Coupe 2-door on 2040-cars

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Audi SQ7 coming, will have electric turbo

Formula 1 and endurance racing are already harvesting energy from turbos on the track, and now it's apparently time for a similar idea of boosting the efficiency of forced induction to hit the streets in a high-performance, diesel SUV.
In a recent interview with the UK's Autocar, Audi technical boss Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg let the big news slip. "The new Q7 will be available in the market next year but the electric turbo will come a bit later in the Audi SQ7 available in 2016," he said. The e-turbo system was already rumored for the premium SUV but for the standard model, not this just-announced performance version.
Audi has been experimenting with the e-turbo system for a little while, as an electrically driven supercharger. It showed up on the RS5 TDI concept that used a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged diesel V6 plus the electric system to diminish turbo lag. In that application, it provided an impressive 385 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque and an alleged sprint to 62 miles per hour in 4 seconds. Although, Dr. Hackenberg didn't make it clear if this was the exact layout for the SQ7.

Audi Sport Quattro Concept speaks softly, carries a 700-hp stick

As promised, Audi has unveiled its Sport Quattro Concept here at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which takes inspiration from the 2010 Paris Motor Show debut known simply as the Quattro Concept. Both cars clearly seek to draw upon the company's legendary 1980 Ur-Quattro and its closely related Sport Quattro short-wheelbase rally special, yet this concept car looks more production-minded than the 2010 starlet.
Despite its more conservative duds, this handsome and muscular coupe actually packs significantly more power than the 2010 Paris showcar. In fact, it musters 700 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque from its plug-in hybrid powertrain, versus the Quattro Concept's more historically appropriate 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo with 408 hp and 354 lb-ft. We're not going to complain about a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 plus an electric motor, nor will we grouse about its 3.7-second 0-62 mph dash, 190-mph top speed or 2.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers on the Euro cycle (roughly 94 miles per gallon US).
Stubborn rumors abound that Audi will offer a limited-edition version of this four-place coupe for sale, but for now, the company isn't talking. If such a model is offered, it's expected to cost significantly more than the R8 supercar, which might be a tough sell considering that vehicle's similar performance and more voluptuous - if less practical - shape.

First impressions of Audi's next TT interior and Virtual Cockpit [w/video]

Not content to pummel CES show goers with laser lights and self-piloting vehicles, Audi has also pulled the wraps (well, some of the wraps) off the interior of its upcoming next-gen TT. While the car itself wasn't on hand for us to check out, Audi did mock up the cockpit, complete with its all-new Virtual Cockpit central display and the latest iteration of the company's Multi Media Interface (MMI).
Virtual Display is Audi's new brand name for a completely digital reinterpretation of the instrument binnacle, by way of a 12.3-inch TFT screen. Audi tells us that there are two operable modes for Virtual Display: in the standard mode, an average-sized tachometer and speedometer flank a smaller infotainment portion in the center. Infotainment mode, meanwhile, shrinks the gauges to discreet circles and allows the navigation map, audio controls, or whichever system is being operated by the driver, to fill the remaining screen real estate.
This design, says Audi, allowed engineers to slim down the size of the center console as a whole, without reducing function for the driver. We can say that it looks very impressive as a demonstrator, but we will need some time with it in a moving vehicle before we're convinced it isn't slightly more distracting that a traditional setup.