2011 Audi R8 on 2040-cars

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2016 Audi RS7 Performance is an LA beauty in blue

The whole point of the new 2016 Audi RS7 Performance is directly in its name, and the Four Rings now claims 605 horsepower from its 4.0-liter twin turbo V8. For those keeping track of big-brother bragging rights, Audi claims 560 hp from the standard RS7. Plus, the engine's torque can jump from 516 pound-feet to 553 lb-ft during the temporary overboost function. An eight-speed automatic gearbox still sends power to the front and rear through the Quattro all-wheel drive system. The results of all these upgrades are a sprint to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. The RS7 Performance is about more than just power; Audi also fits carbon ceramic brakes and an RS Sport Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control. The exterior also sees some minor tweaks that include a restyled rear diffuser, new 21-inch wheels, black tailpipes, and a gloss black grille. RS sport seats come standard inside. The RS7 Performance arrives at Audi dealers in December and prices start at $129,925 (after $925 for destination). Get a good look at this very quick, fastback sedan in the gallery above. Related Video: Plus performance: the new Audi RS 6 Avant performance and RS 7 Sportback performance 4.0 TFSI now with 445 kW (605 hp) and up to 750 Nm (553.2 lb-ft) Like a supercar: from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.7 seconds New model designation hones brand's sporty profile Even more performance coupled with outstanding efficiency – that is what is behind the new "performance" model designation at Audi. The Audi RS 6 Avant performance* and Audi RS 7 Sportback performance* further hone the brand's sporty profile. Their 4.0 TFSI engine with 445 kW (605 hp) and up to 750 Nm (553.2 lb ft) of torque push acceleration (3.7 seconds) nearly to levels usually reserved for supercars. Fuel consumption remains unchanged at 9.6 and 9.5 liters per 100 kilometers (24.5 and 24.8 US mpg), respectively, corresponding to 223 and 221 g CO2 per km (358.9 and 355.7 g/mi). These are best-in-segment figures. The new Audi RS 6 Avant performance and the new Audi RS 7 Sportback performance offer more power output than ever before. The 4.0 TFSI now produces 445 kW (605 hp) and maximum torque of 700 Nm (516.3 lb-ft). A particular highlight of the engine is an overboost function allowing the driver to temporarily draw on up to 750 Nm (553.2 lb-ft).

Audi celebrates 500k TT models with new TTS Competition

The stylish Audi TT first debuted in 1998, and while we've only seen two generations of the car over the course of 15 years, some 500,000 examples have been sold. To mark the occasion, Audi has created this special TTS Competition model, available as either a coupe or a roadster and limited to just 500 units.
Competition models are set apart from the rest of the TTS range by their unique paint colors - Imola Yellow and Nimbus Gray. Additionally, the limited-run TTS wears new five-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels and features a fixed rear wing (like the one on the TT RS).
Leather upholstery is found inside the cabin, done up in steel gray with yellow accents. Of course, there are special numbered plaques on the door trims, simply saying "1 of 500."

The VW emissions carnage assessment with an upside

Bombs cause destruction. Even if they're intelligently guided and pinpoint, there's always collateral damage. The strange Volkswagen brew, which is still spontaneously combusting in plain sight, will result in aftershocks for years. And the professional end of the corporation's top leadership will not be the only casualties. Blows are striking shareholder confidence, the residual value of the cars involved, consumer confidence, and the German economy itself. A hard rain's going to fall elsewhere, too. Here are just four damage assessment areas. The High-Compression Past and Low-Compassion Future of Diesels Despite European and especially German manufacturers' high belief that diesel engines were a way to light-duty automotive salvation, VW's scandal started the last nail in the fuel's coffin. Regulations both in the U.S. and in Europe for particulates and nitrogen oxide (NOx) are getting much harder to meet, and this is at the very core of VW's deception. Even with the high-cost exhaust after-treatment systems, sky-high fuel pressure, and sophisticated electronics, the inescapable NOx realities won't be washable by technology in an affordable way. German engineering pride will have to work a real miracle to meet these looming regs and the stain of VW's scandal did the whole diesel movement no favors. Perhaps not so ironically, the E.U. adopted more stringent emission standards this year, which closely mimic the U.S. Tier 2, Bin 5 figures phased in for 2008. Indeed, when VW announced it was able to meet the stringent US NOx emissions standards in 2009 for its diesel engines without urea injection as an exhaust after-treatment, it was a particularly high point of engineering pride for the company. No other manufacturer had figured out how to do so. One Honda official at the time remarked that they had simply no idea how VW was achieving this feat and Honda couldn't come close. Well, neither could VW. On a macro scale, European cities are also starting to face government fines for air quality violations. This is forcing those cities to find various ways to cut smog-related causes like tailpipe emissions. In fact, Paris has gone to the length of restricting car use on a sliding scale when smog persists, while electric cars are free to roam. France's longer and larger plan is banning diesel fuel for light-duty transportation entirely. But why was there a frothy focus by the European manufacturers on diesels in the first place?