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Audi reveals Prologue Allroad concept ahead of Shanghai

Audi kicked off the Prologue series of design studies with the coupe concept unveiled in LA, then followed up with the Prologue Avant wagon at the Geneva show. Now, we're seeing the third iteration in the form of the Prologue Allroad concept. Set to be unveiled next week at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show, the Prologue Allroad picks up where the previous two left off, but takes it in a more rugged direction. At 16.8 feet, it's longer than both of the previous concepts, and stretches out to the same length as a standard-wheelbase A8. It also rides three inches higher than the Prologue Avant concept. Not only is it larger than the preceding showcars, it's also more powerful. Under the hood sits a hybrid powertrain that pairs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 to an electric motor integrated into eight-speed automatic transmission. Together they produce a whopping 738 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, driven to all four wheels to send the concept to 62 miles per hour in a scant 3.5 seconds – all the while returning a claimed equivalent of 98 miles per gallon. If that's not the best of both worlds, we don't know what is. Plus, the car packs an inductive charging system that Audi says it's developing for production. Massive 20-inch brake discs keep that performance in check, sitting inside 22-inch wheels, all mounted to an adaptive air suspension and four-wheel adaptive steering. Other exterior features include door lock sensors integrated into the window frame, Matrix laser headlights and LED taillights. Inside it's all angular yet elegant, swathed in dark blue, beige and brown. Display screens abound, stretching across the dashboard with a deployable OLED infotainment display in the center console. There's another OLED screen for the passengers in the pair of rear seats, who can also dock OLED tablets in the front seatbacks. A pop-up "sound spoiler" promises to envelop the cabin in music, and there's inductive charging for mobile devices as well. Together with its conceptual stablemates, the Prologue Allroad concept points towards a stylish and technologically advanced future for Ingolstadt, and we're looking forward to seeing this show car transition into production as the next A6 Allroad. In the meantime, you can scope out all the details in the press release below and view the concept from every angle, inside and out, in the slideshow above.

Top Gear names BMW i8 Car of the Year, Corvette, Ferrari, Mercedes also win big

The lads at Top Gear have released their listing of the finest cars of the past year, handing the ultimate honor to BMW's revolutionary i8 plug-in-hybrid supercar. "The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers - and then some," the British mag wrote. The i8, though, was far from the only hybridized car to take victories. James May and Richard Hammond both highlighted hybrids as their personal cars of the year, with May saluting the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Hamster, unsurprisingly, heaping praise on the Porsche 918 Spyder. Jeremy Clarkson, meanwhile, opted to shock many by selecting not only an American car as his best of 2014, but giving the honor to of all things, a Corvette. Clarkson wasn't the only person to honor the USA's iconic sports car, with the new, 650-horsepower Z06 variant being named TG's Muscle Car of the Year. Other big winners include Mercedes-Benz, which TG honored for S-Class Coupe (Luxury Car of the Year), the new AMG GT (Sports Car of the Year) and the not-for-US C-Class Estate (Family Car of the Year). The 458 Italia Speciale A snagged a second win for Ferrari. The best of the rest include the Citroen C4 Cactus, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan and Audi TT. Take a look below for the celebratory press blast from BMW. The BMW i8 wins Top Gear Car of the Year The BMW i8 has been named as Top Gear magazine's global Car of the Year 2014. The plug-in hybrid performance vehicle beat off some stiff competition from a host of other premium and luxury manufacturers to win the overall award. The editorial team of Top Gear commended the BMW i8 for its breadth of abilities. Its 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine combined with an electric motor gives searing acceleration and driver enjoyment but all wrapped in a package that takes BMW's EfficientDynamics philosophy to the extreme courtesy of CO2 emissions less than 49g/km and a 135mpg combined cycle figure. Charlie Turner, Editor in Chief at Top Gear magazine, said: "The BMW is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some. It's the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now.

Audi S3 Cabriolet is a topless two-door temptress

Now that we've driven the Audi S3, we're pretty eager for it go on sale in the United States. And while we won't get the Sportback version, there's a teeny tiny chance that Audi may grace us with this new Cabriolet version that makes its debut at the Geneva Motor Show this week.
That certainly wouldn't be a shame, considering the topless S3 packs the same 290 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque as the sedan, all of which comes from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine. That folding roof mechanism adds a bit of weight to the S3 package, and thus, reaching that ever-so-special 62 miles per hour takes an extra half a second - 5.4 compared to 4.9 with the S3 sedan.
Looks-wise, we dig the aggressive little S3, though the chrome wheels of the show car are kind of throwing us off. Swap out a set of standard alloys, and we'll be good to go. Have a look in the gallery above to see the topless Audi for yourself.