2002 Audi S8 Base Sedan 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

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Audi's next R8 snapped running the 'Ring nearly naked

Following the debut of the Lamborghini Huracán, work is now well well under way on its cousin. That, of course, would be the next-generation Audi R8, the followup to the model that put Ingolstadt on the supercar map in 2006 and has been on the market ever since. That's an eight-year lifespan, though to be fair, for 2014 it has gotten a pretty meaningful update. Still, that's a long lifecycle, even if the Gallardo with which it shares its underpinnings was around even longer. In other words, it's about due for replacement.
Fortunately, that's just what Audi has in the cards. We've seen prototypes wearing heavy camouflage lapping the Nürburgring a couple of times over the past few weeks, but now it's been snapped nearly completely undisguised, with largely bare black bodywork giving us an even better look at what to anticipate.
So what are we looking at here? A sharper-looking take on the existing design, for starters, so onlookers and customers alike shouldn't have any trouble identifying this as an R8 - but a newer one at that. It seems to take some cues from the new TT, particularly around the headlights, with more squared-off elements throughout. There's an adaptive rear wing poking out the back and more pronounced side-blade intakes between the doors and the rear wheels, which themselves are wearing ultra low-profile rubber.

Head of dieselgate clean up set to leave Volkswagen after a year on the job

After just over a year on the job, Volkswagen's compliance chief Christine Hohmann-Dennhardt is set to leave the automaker by the end of the month. In an announcement, Volkswagen confirmed the departure, saying the separation was due to a difference of opinions regarding the role and duties of the compliance chief. Automotive News Europe reports that there were frequent clashes between Hohmann-Dennhardt and senior Volkswagen employees. Hohmann-Dennhardt was brought in on last year to help manage the cleanup in the wake of the diesel emissions scandal. She came over to Volkswagen from Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz. Before that, she served as a judge in Germany's constitutional court. Volkswagen hasn't announced a replacement. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Getty Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Audi Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles dieselgate diesel emissions volkswagen diesel

Audi to spend $17 billion to fight BMW

It's no secret that VW Group, parent company to not only Volkswagen but also Audi, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and Ducati brands sold in the US, is determined to become the world's largest automaker. Even more impressive is that VW is prepared to spend billions to make it happen.
With that comes word that VW Group will be spending $17 billion on its Audi brand over the next three years to push itself above rival BMW. The money will be invested in both vehicle development (including lightweight auto design and alternative powertrains) and facilities (including expansion in Hungary, China and new operations in Mexico). The luxury brand is focused on global manufacturing infrastructure.
Already Europe's best-selling luxury brand, Audi's objective is to overtake BMW by the end of the decade by selling more than two million cars per year (BMW is shooting for 1.54 million sales in 2013). If those objectives are met, VW Group should be on track to be the industry's volume leader by 2018.