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2016 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron First Drive

While its parent company is still in the throes of an emissions scandal that has thrust the "green" credentials of automakers worldwide under the microscope, Audi is launching its first plug-in hybrid in the US. Audi is ready to double down on its electrified future, putting up its own reputation as collateral. This A3 Sportback E-Tron – a vehicle we've sampled in prototype form – is a tech-savvy plug-in car that could be the perfect vehicle to mark the brand's new commitment to an electric lifestyle. Straightaway, Audi USA President Scott Keogh addressed the TDI situation. He says he and the rest of the company are "shocked, followed by appalled, followed by anger, and now in the phase of drop-dead determination to make this thing right." Out of the 500,000 affected 2.0-liter TDI engines around the world, 14,000 are in Audis: about 3,000 A3 TDI sedans and about 11,000 A3 TDI Sportbacks. "It's quite simple. CARB and the EPA have told us these cars can stay on the road, they will stay on the road until we have a fix, and when we have a fix, we will absolutely fix these cars." The most important thing going forward, Keogh says, is regaining the trust of both the dealers and customers. Audi has been enjoying a bit of momentum in recent years, building a reputation for itself along the way. Audi came on the scene in the US in 1969, but it took until 2010 for the company to sell 100,000 units in a single year. Now, "In 2015, we're starting to look down the barrel of nearly doubling our sales in five years," says Keogh. The A3 achieves a 40-percent segment share, and for 75 percent of those buyers, it is their first purchase of a luxury brand. But as its own pace increases, the momentum of the industry as a whole has pulled Audi toward this foray into electromobility. Enter the A3 Sportback E-Tron. There's a little extra weight from the battery pack, but the suspension does a good job of keeping it unnoticeable while driving. The A3 E-Tron has several strengths working in its favor. First of all, as Keogh puts it, the hatchback is a "real, proper Audi – a real, proper, fully rounded driving machine." Qualifications such as "this is an electric car" don't matter. "People just want to buy a car," he says. It has the technology, build quality, and drivability of an Audi.

2014 Audi A4 next car to go on big diet while adding features

The Audi A4 is expected to receive a major redesign over the next couple of years, and with the smaller A3 now gaining a sedan model, it is being reported that the A4 might be getting a little breathing room for a more advanced design and improved technology and features. According to AutoBild, this would include a drop of more than 200 pounds in curb weight, updated cabin tech and a wider variety of drivetrain options.
AutoBild states that Audi is looking to upgrade just about every detail - inside and out - when it comes to the 2014 Audi A4, and this includes a next-generation MMI system that uses two digital displays. Extensive use of magnesium, aluminum and plastics will help shave an estimated 220 pounds from the A4's curb weight, and in terms of engines, it sounds like the usual array of forced-induction, small-displacement gas and diesel engines will be on tap, but a bigger V6 TDI and a plug-in hybrid powertrain are also mentioned.

Is the Audi R8 E-Tron project back on again?

If you ask Audi about its R8 E-Tron prototype, the all-electric two-seater that was first shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker will tell you that its development program is on hold. Yet, as we reported in January, limited production of the combustion-free coupe may be moving forward... information still officially unconfirmed by the automaker.
New images of the electrified R8 undergoing winter testing in Europe have emerged (above and in our gallery), and the car has been spotted running in Spain as well. Both sightings support reports that the E-Tron, with its 150-mile battery range and 8:09 Nürburgring time, may be back in business. Does the program have a green light, or is Audi merely trying to take some of the thunder from the BMW i8?
Whatever the case, if the R8 E-Tron does eventually make it into showrooms - and we are now led to believe it will - expect production volume to be very low. Assuming it doesn't get shelved again, of course.