2001 Audi Tt Quattro on 2040-cars

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Dieselgate defeats Audi's Le Mans racing dynasty

Referring to what the automotive press has dubbed "Dieselgate", Audi's Chairman of the Board of Management Rupert Stadler announced that Audi is pulling out of the FIA World Endurance Championship by the end of the 2016 season. This means Audi will no longer compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, that doesn't mean Audi is through with competing on the world stage. Instead of fossil-fuel-powered prototype racing, Audi will now "focus on the things that will keep (it) competitive in the years ahead", namely Formula E. Having worked together previously with Audi tuner ABT and component manufacturer Schaeffler in Formula E, the company is now turning Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport into a fully factory-backed outfit. Audi's DTM efforts with the RS 5 DTM will remain untouched for the time being, and the company hasn't made a decision yet as to whether its World Rallycross Championship with the Audi S1 EKS RX quattro will continue. Audi has competed in Le Mans prototype racing for 18 years, during which it secured 13 Le Mans wins. Out of 185 races contested by Audi's LMP cars, they racked up an impressive 106 wins. Audi's victory in 2006 was the first with a TDI engine, and the first hybrid-engine win was claimed in 2012. From 2000 to 2008, Audi won nine consecutive American Le Mans Series titles. Related Video: News Source: AudiImage Credit: REUTERS/Regis Duvignau Green Motorsports Audi Green Automakers Diesel Vehicles Electric Racing Vehicles Formula E abt audi le mans schaeffler

TRANSLOGIC 147: CES 2014 Autonomous Vehicles

We head back to CES in Las Vegas to check on the progress of autonomous vehicles in 2014. We go hands-free on the highway with Audi, narrowly avoid a collision with Ford and hear all about BMW's drifting driverless car. But first we take a ride on Induct's self-driving Navia shuttle.

Audi reveals all-new R8 ahead of Geneva debut

This year's Geneva Motor Show is shaping up to be an absolutely orgy of supercars, but though there will be many that will surely outperform it, few have been as hotly anticipated as the arrival of the all-new, second-generation Audi R8. And here it is. Based around an all-new Audi Space Frame chassis, the new R8 is constructed of a higher proportion of aluminum and carbon fiber than its predecessor. The result is a frame that weighs 15 percent less at just 441 pounds – yet is 40 percent more torsionally rigid - tipping the scales at 3,205 lbs in top spec. Into the middle of that frame Audi has installed a revised version of its 5.2-liter V10, eschewing turbochargers but incorporating new technologies. While other powertrain options are expected to follow, Ingolstadt has gone straight for the top of the range at launch: the 'base' V10 model kicks out 540 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque to reach 62 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 201 mph. The upgraded V10 Plus, however, turns those figures up to 610 hp and 413 lb-ft to reach 62 in just 3.2 seconds, 124 in under ten and a 205-mph top speed. All the while, Audi has also equipped the new ten-cylinder engine with both direct and indirect injection, stop/start and cylinder deactivation systems to cut fuel consumption by 10 percent. It also boasts dry-sump lubrication and a variable exhaust system. Power is transmitted to the road through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a mechanical diff and a revised Quattro all-wheel drive system that can send 100 percent of available torque to either the front or rear axle. Aluminum wishbones suspend it all on 19-inch wheels (or optional 20s), with available variable steering and carbon ceramic brakes (optional on the V10 and standard on the V10 Plus). Underbody aerodynamics generate more downforce and a more slippery form, aided by a deployable rear spoiler (or a fixed carbon wing on the Plus model). All those tantalizing greasy bits are cloaked in fresh aluminum sheet-metal, riding on a track that's 1.6 inches wider: the whole shebang stretches 14.5 feet long, 6.4 feet wide and 4.1 feet high, riding on an 8.7-foot wheelbase. Among the myriad new technologies developed for the new R8 are the full LED headlights with optional laser high beams (where they're legal, at least, which currently doesn't include these United States).