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2018 Audi RS3 Sedan to make US debut in 2017 [UPDATE]

UPDATE: We've heard back from Audi, and the statement was as expected. According to spokesman Mark Dahncke, there's "nothing we can share at this time." We really want the Audi RS3 to come to the US market, and based on a report from Car and Driver, it doesn't sound like we'll be stuck waiting that long. The report claims the new compact rocket sedan will debut next year as a model year 2018 vehicle. Beyond that date, C/D's report expands on some of the details we reported on in our RS3 Sedan report from February. It backs up the claim about a 2.5-liter, turbocharged five-cylinder, but instead of a 400-plus-horsepower engine, C/D's report says it'd be "close to" 400 hp. That power would come from a turbocharged, 2.5-liter five-banger that's distinct from the unit currently offered in the Euro-market RS3 Sportback and the last-generation TT RS (the new 2.5 would first debut in that car's replacement). The new powerplant would be paired with Audi's seven-speed S-Tronic. According to C/D, all this powertrain goodness will allow the new RS3 to hit 60 in four seconds flat and run up to 174 miles per hour. If correct, that means Audi's newest high performer will be a tenth of a second faster to 60 and have an extra seven mph on the high end than the most potent Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG. And while the two-door BMW M2 isn't necessarily a direct competitor – because coupe – it's worth pointing out that the RS3 will be 0.2 seconds faster to 60 and have an extra 19 mph to its top speed. While C/D's report cites a "highly reliable source" for its information, we've naturally reached out to Audi to confirm as much as possible. We'll update this post as soon as Audi's PR team gets back to us. The company basically gave the usual "No comment." Related Video: News Source: Car and Driver Rumormill Audi Luxury Performance Sedan

Audi and Hyundai team up to boost hydrogen fuel cell cars

Hyundai agreed a deal with Audi on Wednesday to collaborate on hydrogen car technology, hoping to boost an energy segment that has lagged behind battery electric vehicles. The South Korean firm wants to increase the sales and acceptance of hydrogen cars, which are propelled by electricity generated by fuel cells but have been held back by a lack of infrastructure and the push for battery electric vehicles by the likes of Tesla. The pair will be able to access each other's intellectual property and share components, including any new parts developed by Audi, which is responsible for hydrogen fuel cell technology in the Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest car seller. Hyundai hopes that the move will create greater demand for vehicles such as its ix35 model and bring down costs to make the technology profitable. "We want to provide to our component suppliers more chance and we want to have competition between component suppliers," Sae Hoon Kim, the head of Hyundai's R&D fuel cell group, told Reuters in an interview in London. "We also want to make them to have competition with other suppliers, and that competition will bring down the cost." Carmakers such as Toyota have touted the benefits of hydrogen vehicles, which take less time to refuel than the recharge times of battery electric cars, but are expensive and suffer from a lack of refuelling stations. Many carmakers are focusing on battery electric vehicles, which can take between half an hour and half a day to recharge, but are increasingly able to use a growing network of charging points. Auto firms are teaming up to share the cost of developing greener technologies to replace combustion engines as regulators around the world crack down on emissions. GM and Honda have a partnership to jointly develop electric vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells that are expected to go on sale in 2020, while BMW is working with Toyota. Kim said that a toughening of European Union carbon emission limits in 2025 would create a need for more hydrogen cars. Hyundai sold 200 such models last year and expects to sell thousands this year, but Kim said profitability was still far off. "100,000 or 300,000 vehicles per year per company, when that comes, I think we can make money," he said. Reporting by Costas PitasRelated Video: Image Credit: Getty Auto News Green Plants/Manufacturing Audi Hyundai Alternative Fuels Future Vehicles Hydrogen Cars

Next Audi R8 to share hybrid tech with Lamborghini Asterion

The second-generation Audi R8 isn't far away, but when it arrives, it could serve to seriously shake up the supercar market according to Audi research and development boss Ulrich Hackenberg.
Speaking to Car in the UK, Hackenberg confirmed quite unequivocally that a plug-in-hybrid model and a pure electric were coming. And as with the current R8, the next-gen model will borrow from Audi's Italian cousins at Lamborghini.
"We are able to make the R8 a plug-in hybrid," Hackenberg told Car. "The Lamborghini Asterion shows this is possible - that car uses the platform of the R8. We will see an increase in the efficiency of high-performance cars - they have to meet CO2 regulations of the future in order to survive."