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Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).

Audi plans RS3 for US

Rejoice, performance-car fans. The Audi RS3 (pictured above) is probably coming across the Atlantic. If that happens, the US-market RS3 will likely be a sedan, not the five-door body style offered in Europe. Hot hatch fans might shed a tear at this news, but we'll the RS3 any way we can get it. Audi of America CEO Scott Keogh feels the same way. "We really, really want the RS3," he said to Automotive News. "I'm very confident we'll see that car in the market. That's as far as I'm going to go. In Europe, the RS3 Sportback packs a 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder with 362 horsepower and 343 pound-feet of torque mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. That grunt get to the ground via a torque-vectoring all-wheel drive system that can route up to 100 percent of the power to the rear wheels when necessary. The sprint to 62 miles per hour goes by in just 4.3 seconds. Of course, a tiny, hardcore sedan isn't on every buyer's shopping list. For those who want a little more room with their luxury, the Q8 is also on the way. "That is absolutely a car that we will see in the United States," Keogh said to Automotive News. The big crossover shares its platform with the next Q7, but will have sleeker bodywork similar to vehicles like the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The Q8 is slated to launch in 2017 with US sales following the European debut. Recent rumors suggest that a fully electric E-Tron version could be part of the lineup as well. Audi's American arm isn't as crossover crazy as some other automakers, however. According to Keogh, the tiny Q1 CUV might not come to the US because it's not the right fit for the market. Related Video:

Mueller named Audi boss, too

Matthias Muller, chairman of the board for the Volkswagen Group, has officially taken the role of chairman of the supervisory board for subsidiary Audi. Muller takes over the role from the disgraced Martin Winterkorn. This appointment should come as a shock to no one, and not just because we told you about it last week. Since Audi is part of the Volkswagen Group, which Muller leads, he's effectively been the head of the subsidiary brand since his appointment in late September. This news simply formalizes his positioning at the Ingolstadt-based company. This, of course, is not Muller's first go-around at Audi. He previously served as Head of Product Management Audi (along with Lamborghini and Seat), before taking the lead on product planning at the entire VW Group. Check out the official press release from VAG. MATTHIAS MULLER BECOMES CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDI SUPERVISORY BOARD Ingolstadt/Neckarsulm, December 7, 2015 – The Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Matthias Muller, has joined the Supervisory Board of AUDI AG and becomes its Chairman with immediate effect. Berthold Huber will continue to be Deputy Chairman. Furthermore, the two vacant seats for members representing the shareholders will be newly occupied by Julia Kuhn Piech and Josef Ahorner. Matthias Muller has been a member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG since March 1, 2015 and its Chairman since September 25, 2015. After completing high school in Ingolstadt, he did a toolmaker's apprenticeship at Audi. He then studied informatics at the Munich University of Applied Sciences. After graduating in informatics, Muller continued his career at Audi in 1978, progressing to become the Head of Product Management for the Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT brands. From 2007 onwards, Muller was Head of Product Management for the Volkswagen Group and the VW brand as well as Executive Vice President of the Volkswagen Group. From 2010 until September 2015, Matthias Muller was Chairman of the Board of Management of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Josef Ahorner (55) is the chairman of the supervisory board and main shareholder of Emarsys AG, and was a member of the shareholder committee of Salzburger Porsche Holding from 1996 until 2008. Julia Kuhn-Piech (34) is a real estate manager and a member of the supervisory boards of MAN SE and the Truck & Bus division of MAN AG.