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Audi boss can't say no to F1 program

Audi has been a dominant force at the top rung of endurance racing for over a decade. Still, rumors have fired up again about the possibility of the company making a big switch to Formula 1. The Four Rings' boss Rupert Stadler isn't ready to make that decision yet, but he's not ruling it out. When asked by Auto Express about the potential of Audi entering F1 in the next five years, Stadler gave an intriguing answer. "It's something we're looking at, but then we're always looking at it and many other things. But I can't say yes or no," he said. While not at all a confirmation, that's hardly an outright denial, either. According to unnamed insiders speaking to Auto Express, Audi is under pressure from Volkswagen Group to leave the FIA World Endurance Championship. Right now, the Four Rings is competing directly against its corporate sibling Porsche. While that might make for a good rivalry on the track, it doesn't necessarily make sense financially. Rumors last year suggested that Audi might leave the WEC and DTM to finance the F1 project. Two possibilities were proposed at the time: act as engine supplier to Red Bull or buy Toro Rosso to run a whole new team. Stadler's non-denial might also indicate that Audi's view on F1 is shifting. In the past, the company's opinion has been much more obvious. Last year, Audi Sport tweeted that the rumormongering was "pure speculation." As far back as 2011, the brand's motorsport boss said grand prix racing had "no relevance to the road." Related Video:

Audi eyes factory-backed Formula E racecar for 2017/2018 season

Audi is going all-in into the world of electric vehicles, both on and off the race track. After announcing plans to create a Tesla-fighting all-electric car, the German automaker set its sights onto increasing its involvement in Formula E. Audi recently announced plans to further its involvement with the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport Formula E Team for the 2016 and 2017 season. In addition to furthering its involvement with the ABT Team, the automaker planned to introduce its own factory-backed car for the 2017 and 2018 season. The plan to enter Formula E, the first fully-electric racing series, reveals just how serious Audi is about electric cars. Audi to become involved in #FormulaE #LeagueofPerformance pic.twitter.com/AeJf534UnH — Audi Sport (@audisport) September 2, 2016 Last year, Audi announced that it wanted one out of every four vehicles in its lineup to have a plug by 2025. Entering Formula E would help Audi engineer electric components for its road-going vehicles. Audi's current involvement with the ABT Team is on a technical basis as the Formula E team narrowly missed out on titles in two seasons in the all-electric series. For the 2016/2017 season, Team ABT will benefit from technical and financial input from Audi, before the automaker unveils its own factory team. Audi will join other automakers like Jaguar, Mahindra, Renault, and Faraday Future on the grid in Formula E's fourth season. Jaguar recently entered the Formula E scene with a race car of its own for the third season of the all-electric series, which will start on October 9 in Hong Kong. Related Video: News Source: Formula EImage Credit: Daniel Abt / Twitter Green Motorsports Audi Electric Racing Vehicles Special and Limited Editions Performance Formula E abt

2018 Audi A5 gets a manual and S5 gets 369 lb-ft of torque

Update: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated that the A5 was the only Audi model to offer a manual transmission with the 252-horsepower inline-four. Audi will offer the same combination on the A4 in the near future. The text has been updated to reflect this. When Audi revealed the new A5 and S5 coupes, we knew the elegant lines of the European model would come to the United States. But the big question was, would the drivetrains, and in particular, the manual transmission, come along? The answer is yes. The 2018 A5, with its 252-horsepower, 273 lb-ft of torque turbocharged four-cylinder, will be offered in America with both a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and a classic six-speed manual. These combinations will take an A5 to 60 mph in 5.6 or 5.7 seconds, respectively. The A4 sedan will also offer the manual with the same engine soon, in case you need an extra pair of doors. The four-cylinder model is also the only A5 model with a manual, since the turbocharged V6 S5 only comes with an 8-speed automatic. To make up for a lack of shifting involvement, drivers can take advantage of the S5's readily available torque. Like the Euro-spec model, our S5 will come with 369 lb-ft of twist, and it peaks at a stunningly low 1,350 rpm. That torque, combined with the engine's 354 horsepower, launches the S5 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Every type of A5 or S5 also funnels its power through a Quattro all-wheel-drive system with torque vectoring. A5 owners can also personalize how their cars ride and handle, with either a sport suspension with different sway bars, shocks, and springs, or with the comfort adaptive damping suspension. The latter uses constantly adjusting electronic shocks for improved ride. The S5 has an available sports adaptive suspension that works similarly, as well as a dynamic steering option that can change steering ratios. Capping things off is an extensive list of gadgets and safety features, some standard, such as the LED interior lighting and panoramic sunroof, and others optional, such as Audi's Virtual Cockpit LCD instrument cluster and lane keeping assist. A new feature for the A5 line is the MMI touch system, which allows drivers to write in characters with their fingers. Something Audi hasn't revealed about the A5 and S5 is the pricing and availability, but those details should come soon. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Audi A5 View 27 Photos Image Credit: Audi LA Auto Show Audi Coupe Luxury Performance quattro audi s5