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Audi R8 bids adieu with the 570-hp Competition in LA

Audi is saying auf Wiedersehen to the first-gen R8 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the best way possible - the even more powerful, limited edition 2015 R8 Competition. This might be the vehicle's swansong, but it's going out with a bang.
Audi is sending just 60 of these supercars to the US, and the heart and soul is a beefed up version of the 5.2-liter V10 from the V10 Plus model. The mill now makes 570 horsepower, a 20-hp boost, and is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch S Tronic gearbox. Audi claims that the potent package shoots the Competition to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds and to a max speed of 199 mph.
The extra ponies might be enough for some, but Audi really wants to make the Competition something special. Matte carbon fiber pieces replace areas around the car, including the rear spoiler, side slides, front spoiler, rear diffuser and center console. For contrast, the wheels and exhaust pipes are painted in high-gloss black. Ceramic brake discs should be a useful aid with deceleration, too.

2018 Audi SQ5 will use 48-volt electric supercharger

It seems like 48-volt electric systems and electric compressors are becoming relatively mainstream, and Audi will be adding another vehicle powered by this emerging technology in 2017, according to comments Audi powertrain chief Oliver Hoffman made to Autocar. Hoffman said the upcoming SQ5, probably a 2018-model-year vehicle, will use a version of the electric compressor technology that debuted on the SQ7. While the SQ7 uses two gas-driven turbochargers and one electric compressor, the SQ5 will likely only use one conventional turbo and one e-compressor. That should allow it to make 365 hp, but 390 hp is possible from the system and may hint at room for a more powerful SQ5 Plus down the road. Remember, the European SQ5 uses a 3.0-liter TDI engine, and that's the same basic engine that will power the new SQ5 with the addition of the new forced induction system and 48-volt electrics. And also remember that the US-market SQ5 uses a supercharged 3.0-liter gasoline engine, not the TDI unit, which is one of the reasons it's still on sale in the wake of the TDI scandal. Torque is the real differentiator: the current US-market SQ5 makes 354 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque, while the current Euro-market SQ5 Plus makes a massive 516 lb-ft. No word yet on how the dual-compressor system on the upcoming SQ5 will affect torque numbers, but expect the new engine to again have considerably more twist than its gas-powered US-market counterpart. Related Video: News Source: Autocar Green Audi Technology Emerging Technologies Crossover SUV Diesel Vehicles Performance audi sq5 48-volt system

BMW says SUVs killed the sports car market

In many ways, we're living in a golden age of automotive performance. After all, it's possible to show up at a Dodge dealer, hand over about $60,000 and storm away with a 707-horsepower Challenger Hellcat. Or for those who prefer a touch more luxury, the BMW M4, Mercedes-AMG C63 and latest Cadillac ATS-V offer between 425 and 503 horsepower, depending on your pick, with a bit more poshness. However, none of these powerful vehicles fit the classic definition of a two-place, droptop sports car, and according BMW head of sales Ian Robertson, that's because the segment is very much in the doldrums.
According to Robertson, two factors seriously wounded the classic sports car market. First, the global economic crisis of a few years ago put a serious hurt on sales, according to Bloomberg. Further worsening the situation, the boom in popularity of luxury SUVs and crossovers in the past few years hasn't allowed for much recovery. Even car-hungry China hasn't helped much because of the smog in many cities and preference among some of the very rich there to be chauffeured.
Combined, Audi TT, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK sales peaked around 114,000 units a year in 2007, but they are only expected to reach 72,000 annually by the end of the decade. Robertson is pretty pessimistic about the market's comeback too. "Post-2008, it just collapsed. I'm not so sure it'll ever fully recover," he said to Bloomberg.