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VW adding particulate filters to gas engines

Volkswagen is working hard to overcome the PR disaster that is its diesel emissions scandal, and part of its efforts is focusing, weirdly, on petrol engines. Starting in June 2017, the embattled German automaker will add particulate filters to the gas-powered Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi A5. The change will eventually impact nearly every direct-injected gas engine the VW Group makes. Audi? Particulate filter. Seat? Particulate filter. Even Bentley is going to get the tech, all in a bid to reduce soot emissions by 90 percent. In fact, by 2022 VAG expects 7 million of its vehicles to boast the emissions-cleaning tech, which has long been a fixture on diesel engines. "Following increases in efficiency and lower CO2 output, we are now bringing about a sustained reduction in the emission levels of our modern petrol engines by fitting particulate filters as standard," Volkswagen Group research and design boss Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn said in a statement. "In the future, all models will be equipped with the latest and most efficient SCR catalytic converter technology." VW's initial rollout focuses on the 1.4-liter, turbocharged Tiguan and the 2.0-liter, turbocharged A5. Considering the popularity of the 2.0-liter across the VW range, we'd expect it's only a matter of time before VW expands its particulate filters tech to additional gas-powered vehicles. Related Video:

Audi R18 suffers huge crash during Le Mans practice, driver conscious and alert

Loic Duval, driver of the #1 Audi R18 E-tron Quattro, suffered a massive crash today during free practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Duval's car reportedly went off track backwards at high speed near the Porsche Curves and flew into the retaining fence. There is no video of the actual crash at the moment, but a video of the aftermath (viewable below) shows significant damage to the Audi and to the fence. The wall nearby the car appears unaffected.
Thankfully, it occurred quite close to a marshal's stand, and they were present almost immediately after the incident. Both the official press release from the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a tweet from Audi Sport (below) indicated that Duval was conscious after the crash, and he was taken by ambulance to the medical center and then to the hospital. The press release says: "His condition is encouraging." However, any injuries he might have sustained are unknown at this time. After the crash, the course was red flagged, and practice resumed about 50 minutes later.
Duval is alert. He will be transported from the Medical Center to the hospital for further examinations #R18 #LM24 @FIAWEC @24hoursoflemans

Subaru WRX STI vs. Audi S3 in compact AWD dustup

It's not every day that a Subaru and an Audi can be reasonably compared head-to-head; the two brands tend not to compete directly in their respective segments. However, the latest WRX STI and the S3 Sedan offer the perfect chance to find out if the working-class Scooby can beat its upper-crust competitor.
The UK's Auto Express gets behind the wheel of these two all-wheel drive performance sedans, or saloons as the Brits call them. Across the pond, both of them are rated at an identical 296 horsepower, but the Subaru edges out the Four Rings on torque. Like in the US, British buyers have to pay a little more to get the Audi, but it comes with a nicer interior and more brand cachet, if that means anything to you.
The video starts out with a fairly standard road test comparing the two of them back-to-back - all fairly subjective. But then Auto Express takes the trip to the drag strip, and the results there are much more conclusive. There's a definite winner when they cross the line, but you have to scroll down to see which of these turbocharged models with rallying heritage wins out.