2008 Audi S4 on 2040-cars

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Audi SQ7 TDI would make a compelling option in the US

Intrigued by the prospect of the new Audi SQ7 TDI? We are. And promising though the signs may look, we'll likely still have to wait a while before Audi confirms whether it will bring the new performance diesel crossover to North America, much less announce pricing. But based on the sticker just attached in Europe, the SQ7 looks like a compelling choice – if a difficult one to compartmentalize. Audi has priced its new top-of-the-line crossover at 89,000 euros. Adjust for taxes and exchange rates, we'd likely be looking at an MSRP of roughly $86,000 in US showrooms, if and when it gets the green light from Ingolstadt to embark on the the transatlantic voyage. That places the SQ7 above any diesel crossovers we get in the US, but significantly undercuts the large, gasoline-powered performance SUVs we do get – like the BMW X5 M ($99k), the Mercedes-AMG GLS63 ($124k), and the Porsche Cayenne GTS ($95k) or Cayenne Turbo ($115k). The diesel performance version of the Q7 has more direct competition overseas in the forms of the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel and BMW X5 M50d – but the Audi offers a bigger bang for only a little more buck (or euro) than either. Where Porsche offers 385 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque for ˆ87.4k, and the BMW boasts 381 hp and 545 lb-ft for ˆ85.7k, the Audi trumps both with a prodigious 435 hp and a massive 664 lb-ft for only a little more cash. The SQ7 also outperforms both by a significant margin, reaching 62 miles per hour from a standstill in a scant 4.8 seconds, versus the 5.3 achieved by both the Cayenne S Diesel and X5 M50d. That places Audi's latest in something of a category of its own, leaving its similarly priced but less potent diesel competition in its wake. And with more torque but less power, it rapidly encroaches on the levels of performance offered by the top gasoline-powered performance crossovers – whose 0-62 sprints range from 4.2 seconds (in the X5 M) to 4.6 (in the GLS 63). The question on our minds is whether Audi will bring the new SQ7 TDI to these United States. Our sources tell us the chances are good, but far from confirmed. Our hopes were further raised by its appearance in the latest Captain America movie. But it's the SQ7's performance vis-a-vis the competition – difficult as it may be to categorize – that has whetted our appetites the most.

Audi wants to tattoo your car with a new paint etching process

Those tribal stickers have sort of gone out of style, so Audi has developed a new technique that allows owners to have matte, tattoo-like images etched onto their cars. While initially available on the Audi R8 and R8 Spyder, the technique can be applied to any model, and it goes on after the component has been painted. The process is relatively simple. Audi places a template on the car with the desired design - like the Audi Sport logo in the image above - and then uses a special powder to basically sandblast the paint, roughening the surface of the clear coat. The result is a matt area with a depth of just a few thousandths of a millimeter, less than the width of a human hair, that's basically a permanent decal. Audi can currently handle images up to one meter square and will accept nearly any image that doesn't violate third-party copyrights, presumably excluding any obscene image as well. Just wait for someone to test the limits on that one. The cool thing about the process is that it can be applied at pretty much any point in the car's life. This means any vehicle is a candidate for customization and that an owner could purchase the car at a dealership and have the custom graphic applied afterward. Because the powder affects the paint surface, the image is more resilient than a wrap or sticker. The new option is limited to the side blades on the R8, but Audi will be extending it to other models in the future through its Exclusive program. And while it might affect the resale value of the car, it's a heck of a lot less painful than a tattoo. Related Video: News Source: AudiImage Credit: Audi Auto News Design/Style Audi Technology Convertible Coupe Performance paint customization

24 Hours of Le Mans live update part two

We tasked surfing journalist Rory Parker to watch this year's live stream of the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. What follows is an experiment to experience the world's greatest endurance race from the perspective of a motorsports novice. Parker lives in Hawaii and can hold his breath longer than he can go without swearing. For Part One, click here. Or you can skip ahead to Part Three here. I write about surfing for a living. If you can call it a living. Basically means I spend my days fucking around and my wife pays for everything. Because she's got a real job that pays well. Brings home the bacon. Very progressive arrangement. Super twenty first century. I run a surf website, beachgrit.com, with two other guys. It's a strange gig. More or less uncensored. Kind of popular. Very good at alienating advertisers. My behavior has cost us a few bucks. I'm terrible at self-censorship. Know there's a line out there, no idea where it lies. I still don't understand any of the technical side. Might as well be astrophysics or something. For contests I do long rambling write ups. They rarely make much sense. Mainly just talk about my life, whatever random thoughts pop into my head. "Can you do something similar for Le Mans?" "Sure, but I know absolutely fuck-all about racing." "That's okay. Just write what you want." "Will do. But you're gonna need to edit my stuff. Probably censor it heavily." So here I am. I spent the last week trying to learn all I can about the sport of endurance racing. But there's only so much you can jam in your head. And I still don't understand any of the technical side. Might as well be astrophysics or something. While I rambled things were happening. Tracy Krohn spun into the gravel on the Forza chicane. #89 is out of the race after an accident I missed. Pegasus racing hit the wall on the Porsche curves. Bashed up front end, in the garage getting fixed. Toyota and Porsche are swapping back and forth in the front three. Ford back in the lead in GTE Pro. #91 Porsche took a stone through the radiator, down two laps. Not good. The wife and I are one of those weird childless couples that spend way too much time caring for the needs of their pet. French bulldog, Mr Eugene Victor Debs. Great little guy. Spent the last four years training him to be obedient and friendly. Nice thing about dogs, when you're sick of dealing with them you can just lock 'em in another room for a few hours. You don't need to worry about paying for college.