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Audi TT Offroad gets the green light

The TT family already has a coupe and convertible, with various engines available in each. But over the past year or so, Audi has been toying with the idea of expanding the range with another bodystyle. And now the latest report from Car confirms that Ingoldtadt has given the production go-ahead to the TT Offroad concept. Unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show last year, the yellow TT Offroad concept envisioned a high-riding five-door crossover form with trademark TT styling cues. It was preceded by the blue three-door Allroad Shooting Brake concept at the Detroit show and followed by the sleek, red five-door TT Sportbrake concept at the Paris salon later the same year, but the impracticality of both those show cars is what we understand prompted Audi to go with the Offroad concept instead. So if it's a crossover, why not badge it with the letter Q, you ask? Because Fiat, that's why. The Italian automaker owns the names Q2 and Q4, which it has used on a variety of models (particularly Alfa Romeos and Maseratis) to connote their traction system. And though the Volkswagen Group has asked nicely, Sergio Marchionne has been as reluctant to give his biggest rivals a leg up as he has been to part with Alfa Romeo, despite their repeated advances. As a result, word has it that the production version of the TT Offroad concept will be sold as the TTQ, which kinda makes us giggle, but it would at least provide a nomenclature bridge between the TT and Q families within Audi's lineup. That is, unless Audi marketing chief Luca de Meo manages to convince his former boss to part with the Q2 and/or Q4 labels. Whatever it's called, the production crossover coupe would share similar dimensions to the Q3 when it arrives in 2017, but would potentially stand even further apart from its more utilitarian counterpart than the BMW X4 does from the X3 on which it is based.

2017 Audi Q7 Second Drive

One morning, I'm driving down the Malibu coast, top-down in a two-seat sports car. Twelve hours later, I'm on a straight road, in traffic, and piloting a seven-seat SUV. I think this is how new parents feel. There's no other word but "parental" to describe how three-row crossovers, like this 2017 Audi Q7, make me feel. Whether it was the Honda Pilot that was actually kind of tossable, or the plush Kia Sorento, one glance in the rear-view mirror at five headrests makes you wonder if someone isn't waiting for you outside an elementary school. The Q7, however, has always been a luxury car first. And this second-generation model is crammed with technology and convenience features to make life more effortless, as if it was designed for a person who lives in Bel Air but also must take the kids to horse-riding lessons on the one weekend it rains in Southern California. Autoblog already tested a European example, but I'm now getting the chance to finally drive it Stateside. When it comes to the Q7's appearance, I always seem to have a minority opinion. The old one looked like a bus when plenty of people said it looked beautiful. This new one has been widely criticized for looking like a wagon, but I don't see a lot wrong here. At some angles, it's reminiscent of the old 5000 Avants from the '80s – probably not a coincidence, since the Q7 is Audi's most prestigious wagon right now. Even Audi admits it pulled from the '80s with styling cues along the rear quarter panels and the ever-larger "Quattro" badges. While the shape grows on you, it isn't going to stop people seeing it and thinking it's a Q5. The new Audi Q7 has an incredible sense of elegance about it. The most ambitious design touches are the arrows in the LED lights, front and rear, but they're ultimately dwarfed by the size of the car. What's more, the string of white, silver, and gray cars on hand at our test aren't exactly striking, and the optional 20-inch wheels are boring in design. You could also call this "quiet luxury." Or perhaps stately. The new Audi Q7 has an incredible sense of elegance about it, never feeling ponderous like a truck and always feeling secure like a large luxury sedan. As the first application of the Volkswagen Group's MLB Evo platform, it really is a large luxury wagon. Which is the exact image the company seems to be running from.

Next Audi R8 to be up to 130 pounds lighter

"Simplify and add lightness," as Lotus founder Colin Chapman said. In a world where even supercars are subject to environmental, efficiency and emissions standards, lighter vehicles are being looked on as a sort of panacea - make it lighter, and it's automatically faster, more agile, easier to brake and better on gas.
Knowing this, it comes as no shock that Audi is looking at ways to lighten up its next-generation R8, with the brand's head of technical development Ulrich Hackenberg targeting a 110- to 130-pound diet for the mid-engine rocket. This supports previous reports regarding the focus for the next R8. Motor Trend reports that aluminum and carbon fiber feature heavily in plans for the next R8, which should go a long way toward slimming down even the lightest of R8s, the 3,678-pound V10 Plus model.
There's more over at Motor Trend, including the buff book's attempts to get Hackenberg to discuss powertrain options for the next R8.