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Is Audi getting complacent and suffering from brain drain?

The argument is made in a Reuters article: Audi is falling behind other luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, due to a lack of research-and-development spending and "brain drain," or the migration of top executives and R&D chiefs to other parts of the Volkswagen Group. Reuters notes that Audi's current R&D chief is the third in 16 months.
Audi, which contributed to 40 percent of VW Group's $11.6 billion in profit the first nine months of the year, is delivering cars at a record pace: 1.31 million were delivered from January to October 2013 versus BMW's 1.35 million. Yet Audi, Reuters reports, doesn't have a halo car akin to BMW's new electrified i3 and i8 or an answer to Mercedes' plug-in-hybrid S-Class, and the R&D spending at Audi is less than BMW and Mercedes by a fair margin. It's noted in the article, however, that Audi benefits from other R&D spending within VW Group.
Reuters mentions that BMW "trumpets its new 'i' series" and the new Mercedes CLA and GLA ranges are winning "rave reviews" as part of its argument that Audi's recent lack of technological innovation could hurt future sales. Those cars do pack tons of new technology, some of which are firsts for mainstream production cars. But last time we checked, the i3 could be causing BMW's stock to slide, the CLA isn't receiving the rave reviews that Reuters would have you believe and the GLA hasn't been reviewed yet.

CO2-neutral* Audi A3 G-Tron goes on sale in Germany

The Audi A3 Sportback G-Tron has been on our natural gas-powered radar since it was unveiled at last year's Geneva Motor Show. Just before the big show starts up again this year, Audi put the new G-Tron vehicle on sale in Germany today, starting at 25,900 euros ($35,400 US). Anyone who opts for the Audi e-gas fuel card will be able to cruise the Autobahn knowing that their emissions will be CO2-neutral. That's because Audi has built an e-gas plant in Werlte in Lower Saxony, Germany that creates a synthetic methane that is compatible with natural gas from a process that uses "green electricity" to "[bind] as much CO2 as is released when the Audi A3 g-tron is driven in gas mode." Your own A3 G-Tron doesn't burn the carbon-neutral fuel directly, but the automaker will track how much is spent using the fuel card and make sure "that exactly this amount of Audi e-gas is fed into the German natural gas network." Audi charges 14.95 euros a month to use the card. Burning that e-gas in the A3's 1.4-liter TFSI engine can put out 110 horsepower (you can also burn regular natural gas or gasoline) and offers fuel economy of between 3.2 and 3.3 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometers on natural gas Audi A3 g-tron: Advance sales get the green light Ingolstadt, 2014-02-13 Audi A3 Sportback g-tron available to order from February 13 CO2-neutral mobility with the Audi e-gas fuel card Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg: "Audi e-gas is an important pillar of our sustainability strategy" The Audi A3 g-tron is all set to hit the roads. Advance sales at dealerships in Germany will kick off on February 13. The basic price will be 25,900 euros. Using the Audi e-gas fuel card, customers can opt for Audi e-gas to power their A3 g-tron without impacting the environment if they wish. The Audi A3 g-tron forms part of a new, integrated and sustainable mobility concept from the brand with the four rings. Its 1.4-liter TFSI engine developing 81 kW (110 hp) can be operated using either natural gas, e-gas generated by Audi or gasoline. In pure e-gas mode the g-tron is entirely CO2-neutral. Audi e-gas is a synthetic methane that is produced at the Audi e-gas facility located in Werlte in Lower Saxony, Germany – the world's first industrial power-to-gas plant. An A3 Sportback g-tron fueled by Audi e-gas is currently the most environmentally friendly form of long-distance mobility.

Audi R8 Spyder looks like heaven at the Green Hell

After Audi took the wraps off the new R8 coupe at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, we knew it would only be a matter of time before the convertible version arrived. Now, we've spotted the droptop during testing on and around the venerable Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany. The new Audi R8 Spyder is expected to closely mirror the fixed-roof supercar we've already seen. Only instead of a tin top, of course, it'll have a folding fabric roof mechanism. This goes against the recent retractable hardtop trend, and the featured is used by the Ferrari 488 Spider and McLaren 650S Spider. Some revised air vents appear to be part of the R8's convertible package, as well. Otherwise, we can anticipate the same specs as the R8 coupe. The latest model ditched the previous version's V8 engine in favor of 10-cylinder options: a 5.2-liter V10 with either 533 horsepower in "base" spec or 602 hp in the V10 Plus model. Both drive all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-cluch transmission. The jury's still out on whether Ingolstadt will slot a smaller engine option into the R8, particularly for markets where tax brackets are determined by engine displacement. But whatever the coupe gets, the convertible is likely to offer it as well. Related Video: