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Spy video shows Audi RS4 Avant twin-turbo V6 lapping the Nurburgring

Nurburgring testing season is in full swing, and Audi took some of its newest upcoming models for a spin. That means our first listen to Ingolstadt's new, turbocharged RS engine under the hood of the RS4. Based off the updated A4, the new RS4 Avant is a return to the performance variant's roots. The original RS4 (and early versions of the S4) used twin-turbo V6 power, although more recent models stuffed the beloved 4.2-liter V8 under the hood. The turbo engine in the new model is also rumored to find its way into the back of the R8 supercar. We don't know horsepower figures yet, but with 450 horsepower as the benchmark from the last RS4 we expect big numbers from the six-cylinder. The new engine might be just as powerful as the old V8, but as you'll see in the video, it's missing the phenomenal growl that the 4.2-liter made as it revved to the sky. This new car is quiet, especially compared to the ear-tingling five-cylinder note of the TT RS testing alongside the wagon. A quiet performance car is fine if you like stealth, but with its flared wheel arches, oval exhausts, and big wheels, the RS4 is a car that's anything but subtle. Related Video: News Source: Car Spy News via YouTube Spy Photos Audi Wagon Luxury Performance Videos

Audi wiring cars with cameras to see how ferret-like creatures tear them apart

In this German-language video, we see a batch of Audi engineers wiring up an A3 Cabriolet with a network of small cameras. The goal? To help identify where and how stone martens - small, ferret-like animals - attack cars. The idea is to observe the animals' behavior around the vehicles, see where they go, what they chew on, and work to develop solutions.
So why go to all this trouble? Cars and trucks are easily the single-most complex consumer good, and they're subject to the widest variety of conditions, regulations and usage cases that one could possibly imagine. They also come with very high consumer expectations for reliability. Thus, it's up to automakers to vet their vehicles for just about every possible scenario and threat - including weasels. And if that means Audi has to go hire Walter Simbeck, animal trainer to the stars, and string up a bunch of GoPros on an A3, well, they're game.
In speaking with Autoblog, Mark Dahncke, senior product manager at Audi of America said it best:

European RS6 Avant ad features diesel-hybrid R18 racecar

We'd be just as happy to casually walk back to an RS6 Avant as anybody, but Audi's commercial for its fastest ass-hauling wagon takes casual to another level. The RS6 isn't even seen until more than two-thirds of the way through the 46-second German commercial, but Audi seduces us long before that with the R18 E-tron Quattro diesel-hybrid endurance racer juxtaposed into scenes of everyday life. Since when can you be picked up at the airport or drive peacefully to a riverbed in a racecar?
The German automaker cashed in on childhood dreams its nearly flawless endurance-racing pedigree big time for the advertisement - and it works, even though we realize the RS6 drinks gasoline and isn't a hybrid. It does have Quattro four-wheel drive, however. But the commercial makes us want the beautifully pragmatic long-roof with 550 horsepower all the more, especially since Audi currently has no plans to bring it to the US. Please say it ain't so!
Even if the US doesn't get an RS6 Avant, we're happy to indulge in commercials like this. Be sure to watch it below.