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Audi SQ7 TDI would make a compelling option in the US

Intrigued by the prospect of the new Audi SQ7 TDI? We are. And promising though the signs may look, we'll likely still have to wait a while before Audi confirms whether it will bring the new performance diesel crossover to North America, much less announce pricing. But based on the sticker just attached in Europe, the SQ7 looks like a compelling choice – if a difficult one to compartmentalize. Audi has priced its new top-of-the-line crossover at 89,000 euros. Adjust for taxes and exchange rates, we'd likely be looking at an MSRP of roughly $86,000 in US showrooms, if and when it gets the green light from Ingolstadt to embark on the the transatlantic voyage. That places the SQ7 above any diesel crossovers we get in the US, but significantly undercuts the large, gasoline-powered performance SUVs we do get – like the BMW X5 M ($99k), the Mercedes-AMG GLS63 ($124k), and the Porsche Cayenne GTS ($95k) or Cayenne Turbo ($115k). The diesel performance version of the Q7 has more direct competition overseas in the forms of the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel and BMW X5 M50d – but the Audi offers a bigger bang for only a little more buck (or euro) than either. Where Porsche offers 385 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque for ˆ87.4k, and the BMW boasts 381 hp and 545 lb-ft for ˆ85.7k, the Audi trumps both with a prodigious 435 hp and a massive 664 lb-ft for only a little more cash. The SQ7 also outperforms both by a significant margin, reaching 62 miles per hour from a standstill in a scant 4.8 seconds, versus the 5.3 achieved by both the Cayenne S Diesel and X5 M50d. That places Audi's latest in something of a category of its own, leaving its similarly priced but less potent diesel competition in its wake. And with more torque but less power, it rapidly encroaches on the levels of performance offered by the top gasoline-powered performance crossovers – whose 0-62 sprints range from 4.2 seconds (in the X5 M) to 4.6 (in the GLS 63). The question on our minds is whether Audi will bring the new SQ7 TDI to these United States. Our sources tell us the chances are good, but far from confirmed. Our hopes were further raised by its appearance in the latest Captain America movie. But it's the SQ7's performance vis-a-vis the competition – difficult as it may be to categorize – that has whetted our appetites the most.

Audi teases 700-hp Quattro Sport E-Tron concept for Frankfurt

Audi's trump card for the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show has just been unveiled, sort of. It's called the Quattro Sport E-Tron Concept. Set to debut in a few weeks, sketches have been uncovered that show a few of the car's details, albeit in rough form. The news of a big-name Audi concept at Frankfurt has been swirling since June, when we first reported on it.
From the sketches, we see a car that has the same basic shape as the Quattro Concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show, only with subtle tweaks and evolutions to a few features. The news isn't so much about the looks, though. It's the reports coming from Auto Zeitung and Audi enthusiast site Fourtitude.
Horsepower on the concept is expected to be in the neighborhood of 700 ponies - about 50 more than we initially thought - and will be split between a gas engine and an electric motor. Yup, that "E-Tron" name isn't just there for show. While it's not clear what the exact split will be between gas and electric power, we do know the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 found in the RS6 and RS7 will be sitting under the Quattro's hood, and that the bulk of the power will likely come from here. We may not have power figures on the hybrid system, but we do know this concept is capable of running for 21.7 miles on electric power alone.

Audi drives Laurel Canyon in reverse

With all its many twists and turns and narrow lanes, driving down Laurel Canyon Boulevard in Los Angeles demands your attention under the best of conditions. The driver caught on this video, however, is clearly not giving it his best. The driver behind the wheel of this new Audi – an S5 or maybe even an RS5 coupe, if our eyes and the low resolution don't deceive us – opted to drive down the canyon road entirely in reverse, with a woman in the passenger seat. The incident was caught on video by one Kevin Zanazanian, another motorist following behind. (Or would that now be considered in front? We're all turned around here). Fortunately the driver appears to have taken things at a rather leisurely pace. Which is a good thing, or at least a mitigating factor. While cars are designed to be able to back up, unless you're a stunt driver on a closed set, they're not meant to do so at speed. But then they're not meant to be driven backwards for extended lengths of time or distance, either. That's why local authorities are reportedly trying to track down the driver, who could have been held accountable for any number of infractions had he been caught in the act - including driving right through a red light, backwards, from the turning lane, across Hollywood Boulevard. With the video footage now in hand, the LAPD's West Traffic Bureau is reportedly working to determine who it belongs to, and who can be held liable for this stunt. With no injuries or damage reported, KTLA reports that the charges (however many of them) would not amount to more than misdemeanors. Related Video News Source: KTLA Government/Legal Audi Videos audi s5