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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 Quattro tech shoots for the moon

Most automakers seem satisfied building vehicles to drive on the Earth's surface. But not Audi. The German automaker is quite literally shooting for the moon with the vehicle you see here. Called the Audi Lunar Quattro, it forms what promises to be an integral part of one team's campaign for the Google Lunar Xprize. That team calls itself Part-Time Scientists, and is the only German contingent of the 25 that originally entered from around the world and the 15 that are still in the race. Sponsored and technically assisted by Audi, the Lunar Quattro is a solar-powered moon rover. It packs an adjustable solar panel and a lithium-ion battery powering four individual hub motors – one in each wheel. It can only travel at a theoretical maximum of 2.2 miles per hour, but outright speed isn't the point here. It's been designed to traverse the difficult terrain of the moon's finely dusted and craggy surface. It'll need to travel at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) and will transmit high-definition video footage from the twin stereoscopic camera on its swiveling head back to Earth. The lunar rover is scheduled to be launched aboard a rocket from Earth to the moon by the end of 2017. The 240,000-mile trip will take five days and is targeted to land north of the moon's equator – close to the place where Apollo 17 (NASA's last manned lunar mission) landed back in 1972. Before that, though, it'll be presented by Audi sales chief Luca de Meo (who's since been named the head of Seat) at the Cannes Innovations Days forum. You can check it out in the gallery and extensive press release below, but first, we suggest you watch the video playlist above while preparing to check out tonight's red moon eclipse. Related Video: Moon landing mission: AUDI AG supports the German Team at Google Lunar XPRIZE Audi is taking off for the moon – together with the Part-Time Scientists team. The group of German engineers are working within the framework of the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition to transport an unmanned rover onto Earth's natural satellite. Audi is supporting the Part-Time Scientists with its know-how in several fields of technology – from quattro drive and lightweight construction to electric mobility and piloted driving. The moon rover will be named the "Audi lunar quattro." "The concept of a privately financed mission to the moon is fascinating," says Luca de Meo, Audi Board Member for Sales and Marketing. "And innovative ideas need supporters that promote them.

CARB found another emissions-defeating device, this time from Audi

The California Air Resources Board has discovered another emissions-cheating device on an Audi earlier this summer, reports German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. The device is different from the software found in the VW Group's diesel-powered engines, as it alters the way the cars' automatic transmission shifts. The latest device, according to Bild am Sonntag, measures how far the cars' steering wheel is being turned. If the wheel is turned less than 15 degrees, indicating that the vehicle is being tested in laboratory conditions, a program in cars with certain automatic transmissions changes the way the gearbox shifts. The change in the transmission allows the engine to produce less carbon dioxide than when driving in normal conditions. When the wheel is turned more than 15 degrees, the program automatically turns off, claims Bild am Sonntag. The paper reports that Audi took the software out of its vehicles, which was used in both diesel- and gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe and the US, earlier this May after CARB discovered the program on one of the automaker's older cars. Several engineers that were connected with the emissions-cheating device have already been suspended, reports Bild am Sonntag. As the German newspaper points out, the device, which is fitted to certain Audis with an automatic transmission, is different from the cheat devices found on the automaker's 3.0-liter TDI turbodiesel V6 engine and Volkswagen's 2.0-liter turbodiesel motor, even those were also designed to beat emissions tests. The 3.0-liter engine is found in the Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne models. Audi didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. Related Video: News Source: Bild am Sonntag via ReutersImage Credit: Reuters / Michaela Rehle Government/Legal Green Audi Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal