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Audi's fastest cars won't catch your drift

"I don't like them. I do not see the reason for them. We do not see the sense in sitting there burning the back tires. It's not fast." – Stephan Reil Drift modes are popping up in sports cars all over the world, but Audi Sport development boss Stephan Reil refuses to have anything to do with them, insisting they're a waste of time and tires. So if you want to show off with a wild-looking, tire-smoking, perfectly controlled drift in an Audi Sport model, you will have to brush up on your car control, not your button pushing. "No drift mode. Not in the R8, not in the RS3, not in the RS6, not in the RS4," Reil said. "I don't like them. I do not see the reason for them. We do not see the sense in sitting there burning the back tires. It's not fast." That seems a bit like Reil and his team are missing a trick that is proving popular with enthusiast buyers and isn't technically difficult to do. It's also a whole lot safer than holding down the skid-control button for long enough to switch off all the electronic safety nets, which Audi Sport will actually let you do. "You can do it yourself [drifting] with the ESP off, if you hold it [the button] for three seconds," Reil challenged. "Then it will not intervene for you even when it [the car] is fully out of control, because that's what you asked it not to do. "You wanted the full control by pushing that button. You got it." Almost every fast car, from Ford to Ferrari, now comes with (or soon will) a drift mode so drivers can just stomp on the gas and turn the wheel to instantly look like rally stars. The dangers of do-it-yourself drift control (which our forefathers used to call "driving") make up most of the moral defense for the companies that use the computer-controlled versions. While critics have called drift modes irresponsible, proponents argue that it is far safer than switching off all the safety nets, because there is still a level of skid-control safety behind it. "Drift control is a lot safer than just turning everything off," BMW M chief Franciscus van Meel said during the launch of the M550i xDrive. "The drivers can enjoy the car on a track but it still has another level of safety to catch them if they make a mistake." View 23 Photos But is that extra level of safety actually for the common good? Critics note there is no way to restrict drivers using drift modes on suburban streets.

South Korea to file criminal charges against VW exec

South Korea has tossed out Volkswagen's recall plans and is preparing to level criminal charges over its handling of the diesel emissions catastrophe, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Recall plans the company submitted to us earlier this month were insufficient and lacked key information, and thus are unacceptable," the South Korean Ministry of Environment said in a statement obtained by the WSJ. A ministry official hinted at the possibility of criminal charges earlier this month if VW's recall plan wasn't satisfactory, the Yonhap News Agency reports, and now it looks like it will actually follow through. According to the WSJ, South Korea has already ordered VW to recall 125,000 vehicles and slapped the automaker with a $12.3 million fine – one of the many countries to do so – but if it follows through with criminal charges against the company or its employees, it'd be among the earliest to so. Other countries, including the United States, are still exploring the possibility of criminal charges. Charges would likely come against both Audi Volkswagen Korea and its managing director, Johannes Thammer. It's not clear what the actual charge would be, but the WSJ claims Thammer could be facing up to five years in prison and a fine of 30 million won (around $24,700 at today's rates). For its part, VW officials in South Korea maintains that it is "doing its utmost to resolve the emissions issue" and that it plans to "offer further explanation" to authorities regarding its proposal for an emissions and fuel mileage fix in that country.

Audi bringing all-electric CUV to Frankfurt

Audi will introduce a new, all-electric, MLB-based concept this September at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. According to CEO Rupert Stadler, production of the vehicle this concept foreshadows will eventually hit 10,000 units. Stadler isn't the only Audi exec dropping details on the company's high-riding EV. Research and development boss Ulrich Hackenberg let slip that the all-electric "sports activity vehicle," might be followed by both a gas-powered plug-in variant and hydrogen-fuel-cell model. According to Hackenberg, the production model will arrive in early 2018, cover about 310 miles per charge, and target the upcoming Tesla Model X. Look for more on this new model and the concept that will precede it as the Frankfurt Motor Show approaches. Related Video: