2001 Audi S8 Awd on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Leaked Audi product roadmap may confirm R8 with V6 engine

About a year ago, we reported that Audi was considering downsized engines for the new R8, which launched in V10 form. This is partially due to the Chinese market's desire for smaller displacement engines, and partially due to R8 technical lead Roland Schala's statement that a "V6 is a perfect engine for this car." This leaked upcoming product schedule, passed on by our friends at Autobahn.eu, seems to confirm these rumors. Based on the information in the image above, the R8 V6 is due in 2018. The rest of the product map seems to square with vehicles we know are in the pipeline. We spied the SQ7, A5, and R8 Spyder about a year ago, and the TT RS a few months ago. We told you in December a new Q5 is on the way, too. We just heard a credible rumor that the RS3 is on the way in 2017 as a 2018 model, and may even come to America, which squares with what we're seeing here. And we drove the Q7 E-Tron in 2015 – it's going on sale in Europe soon. This graphic puts the on-sale date as October 2017; that could be for the US market. Puzzlingly, this graphic doesn't discuss the Q2, which Audi just teased today. We're not sure what to make of that. Now onto the fun stuff. 2018 should be when Audi reveals a new A8 (featuring, most likely, a version of the futuristic Virtual Dashboard seen at CES) and A7, an RS 5 Coupe launching a few months after the A5/S5, a new A6, and the already-confirmed Q8 SUV. All expected or already confirmed. What about the cryptically-named "C-BEV?" If we extrapolate that to mean C-segment EV, if could be the Audi version of the stand-alone EV that VW is reportedly developing, and no, it's not the next E-Golf. We expected this MEB-based vehicle to debut in 2018, before the next-generation Golf, so again our rumors square nicely with what this roadmap tells us. Let's leave it at this: if you're an Audi fan, the next few years are going to be quite exciting. Expect some of these rumors to be confirmed in Geneva, so keep your eyes here for more Audi and VW info. Related Video:

BMW can't build enough M3 wagons, but the U.S. won't see any

Why, oh why, won’t the automobile companies that supposedly cater to Americans give us a viable touring wagon? Seems that BMW is one manufacturer thatÂ’s aware of the question, but skirts the answer. WhatÂ’s more frustrating is that the German company, and others, have for years been off-handedly tossing out the same refrain: “Maybe weÂ’ll bring a wagon back to the U.S.” Not. All the more irritating then is the news that the Bavarians have increased production in Munich of its M3 Touring longroof version to keep up with demand. The information comes via Bimmer Today, which spoke with BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. He said that the company was surprised by the amount of interest in the M3 Touring since its debut during last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. In fact, he said, the company had to facilitate a production ramp-up within its Munich facility. Despite that increased production, the backlog of orders means that customers are still on wait lists, he said. Last year, van Peel admitted that demand for M-wagons in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, and exporting a touring example was a concept BMW was "taking into consideration.” Crossovers certainly are this decadeÂ’s version of the wagon, which leaves American enthusiasts will few choices: only expensive versions from Audi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz and a couple of others. Details that were announced last year — a few months before the wagon went into production for sale in Europe, the U.K. and elsewhere — noted that the M3 Touring was only available in Competition spec with xDrive all-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Pricing started at GBP80,550 ($105,000 U.S.) More data on the M3Â’s intro here. Related video:

2015 Green Car Of The Year finalists announced, run alt-fuel gamut

The 2015 edition of the Green Car of the Year award is following right in the footsteps of previous years with a variety of alt-fuel powertrains making the just-announced finalists list. You've got your plug-in vehicle (the BMW i3), your compressed natural gas (the Chevy Impala Bi-Fuel), your high-efficiency diesel (the Audi A3 TDI), your 40+ mile-per-gallon gas engine (the Honda Fit) and, finally, a car that can do a little bit of everything (the VW Golf). The Golf is available – at least in some parts of the US – with three different powertrains: a 2.0-liter diesel, a gasoline engine and all-electric drive. The Impala can burn either natural gas or gasoline in its 3.6-liter engine. The A3 is an efficiency champ, able to get 73.5 mpg on some European tests. The i3 can be a pure electric vehicle or come with a short range extending engine. And the Fit brings 41 miles to the gallon in a practical, affordable package. The GCOY award is announced every year at the Los Angeles Auto Show by Green Car Journal. The committee doesn't just take the fuel-saving technology into account, but also a vehicle's "availability to the mass market." Last year, the Honda Accord Hybrid/Plug-In Hybrid won top honors, following up on wins from the Ford Fusion models (plug-in hybrid and hybrid) for 2013, the Honda Civic Natural Gas for 2012 and the Chevrolet Volt for 2011. FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2015 "GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR"" Green Car Journal to Reveal Winner of 10th Annual Award at LA Auto Show" Press & Trade Days, November 20 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 21, 2014) – Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine's high-profile 2015 Green Car of the Year® program. The 2015 models include the Audi A3 TDI, BMW i3, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and VW Golf. The Green Car of the Year® award, an honor widely recognized as the auto industry's most important environmental accolade, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.