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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."

2016 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron First Drive

While its parent company is still in the throes of an emissions scandal that has thrust the "green" credentials of automakers worldwide under the microscope, Audi is launching its first plug-in hybrid in the US. Audi is ready to double down on its electrified future, putting up its own reputation as collateral. This A3 Sportback E-Tron – a vehicle we've sampled in prototype form – is a tech-savvy plug-in car that could be the perfect vehicle to mark the brand's new commitment to an electric lifestyle. Straightaway, Audi USA President Scott Keogh addressed the TDI situation. He says he and the rest of the company are "shocked, followed by appalled, followed by anger, and now in the phase of drop-dead determination to make this thing right." Out of the 500,000 affected 2.0-liter TDI engines around the world, 14,000 are in Audis: about 3,000 A3 TDI sedans and about 11,000 A3 TDI Sportbacks. "It's quite simple. CARB and the EPA have told us these cars can stay on the road, they will stay on the road until we have a fix, and when we have a fix, we will absolutely fix these cars." The most important thing going forward, Keogh says, is regaining the trust of both the dealers and customers. Audi has been enjoying a bit of momentum in recent years, building a reputation for itself along the way. Audi came on the scene in the US in 1969, but it took until 2010 for the company to sell 100,000 units in a single year. Now, "In 2015, we're starting to look down the barrel of nearly doubling our sales in five years," says Keogh. The A3 achieves a 40-percent segment share, and for 75 percent of those buyers, it is their first purchase of a luxury brand. But as its own pace increases, the momentum of the industry as a whole has pulled Audi toward this foray into electromobility. Enter the A3 Sportback E-Tron. There's a little extra weight from the battery pack, but the suspension does a good job of keeping it unnoticeable while driving. The A3 E-Tron has several strengths working in its favor. First of all, as Keogh puts it, the hatchback is a "real, proper Audi – a real, proper, fully rounded driving machine." Qualifications such as "this is an electric car" don't matter. "People just want to buy a car," he says. It has the technology, build quality, and drivability of an Audi.

2015 Audi R8 Competition ready to rock LA

The heyday of the first-generation Audi R8 is winding down, and the Four Rings already has a bespoke factory to start building the next model soon. In the meantime, the German brand is sending its supercar off with a bang at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show in the form of this limited-edition 2015 R8 Competition - the most powerful production vehicle ever made by the company.
Audi is earmarking just 60 examples of the Competition for the US, and this is more than just a trim package to say farewell. Power for the supercar comes from the usual 5.2-liter V10 that's massaged to develop 570 horsepower, an extra 20 hp over the already quite potent V10 Plus, and the only available transmission is the seven-speed, dual clutch S Tronic gearbox. The tweaks let this limited R8 rocket to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and achieve a maximum velocity of 199 mph. To haul that speed to a stop, it also gets ceramic brake disks with red calipers.
Of course, having such a rare supercar means showing off a little. Audi takes inspiration from the R8 LMS Ultra racecar for the Competition and tries to bring some of its details to the street. The model wears matte carbon fiber pieces replacing the rear spoiler, mirror housings, side blades, front spoiler and rear diffuser. For an extra mean-looking touch, it also has high-gloss black paint covering the wheels and exhaust pipes.