Well folks, from the look of things, the electric vehicle concept car that Audi showed at the IAA last month has just gone to full production, and with a whole new name besides, the Audi R4.

But it’s not just electric for this one, no sir or ma’am, as the case may be.  Seems that the R4 is likely to have a few purely gas-engine spinoff varieties too, likely to get the most bang for the design buck, metaphorically speaking.

There’s two sides to the Audi R4 that are downright interesting.  Check out the math on this one:  acceleration is slated to be zero to sixty in 4.8 seconds.  Maximum speed is now slated to be a hundred and forty miles per hour.  And this is the fun one: maximum range on its lithium-ion battery pack?  A whopping one hundred fifty five miles.  This thing’s got a range of ONE HOUR at top speed!

I’m not too sure about the whole EV trip just yet–and with specs like these, it’s not hard to see why.

Audi has recently announced that they will be issuing a recall for over 10,000 of their A3 and TT vehicles of the 2006-2010 model years.

The recall is over a potentially massive problem; a spring that keeps the fuel tank ventilation valve shut. If, under whatever conditions, this spring were to come loose gasoline could leak into the engine causing a massive fire or worse.

If you have one of these vehicles in question you most likely have nothing to worry about unless you get a call from VW of America but if you want to be on the safe side head over to your local dealership and have them check it out.

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The first we saw of Audi’s e-Tron concept car was at the Frankfurt Motor Show where it remained nothing more than a concept. Now, Audi has come forth to tell Autoweek that the 4,500nm torque of beast is on the drawing board to become a production vehicle. There’s not telling on when we will be seeing it at dealerships but Audi of America Johan de Nysschen reportedly expects pre-production models within the next 2 years.

For those who don’t know, the e-tron is a fully electric vehicle capable of a outputting 313hp (230kW), 4,500nM of torque (over 3,300 pounds-per-foot) and will hit 62 miles from a stand still in just 4.8 seconds and reach top speeds of 124 mph. Best of all, on a full charge the e-tron will be able to travel a full 154 miles.

I’ve always been a fan of the TV series “How It’s Made”, however, some of the things it has featured as of late haven’t really interested me. Luckily, it was recently announced that Audi’s TDI clean diesel engine will be featured on the show. Specifically, the 3.0-liter 6 cylinder engine capable of 225hp and 406 pounds-per-foot of torque will be the topic of focus.

The episode will air tomorrow night on the Science Channel a 9pm Eastern & Pacific so make sure you are there, or your DVR is.

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What you see above is Audi’s recently announced 2010 A4 3.0 TDI Quattro. This vehicle made its debut today at the Frankfurt Motor Show and is expected to hit European dealerships at a none too distant date (which we’ll notifty you of once it is made known).

Anyways, the A4 3.0 TDI Quattro is a clean diesel burning vehicle that features a 240hp engine in addition to a 6 speed Tiptronic transmission that propels the car from 0-60 in 6.2 seconds all while maintaining 35mpg. The only thing that is a bit unpleasing about this vehicle is that there are no current plans to bring it to the North American market.

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Audi has already shown us their R8 Spyder at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and now they have shown as a similar looking vehicle; the e-Tron concept, pictured above.

This vehicle features 4 separate electric motors, one dedicated to each of the e-Tron’s wheels, which make for a cumulative output of 313 horsepower and 3,319 pounds-per-foot of torque. These impressive numbers make for a 0-62mph sprint of 4.8 seconds. Other features of the e-Tron include electrohyrdaulic braking, a range of 154 miles, a body made up of aluminum and composite materials making for a weight of just 3,527 pounds. One particularly interesting feature to note is the wire spoke 19-inch allow wheels.

Any chances of production are slim as at this time it remains nothing more than a concept.

via kickingtires

Last week Audi pulled back the curtains to give us the official specs for their 2010 R8 Spyder but it still wasn’t set to make its official debut until this week’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Well today, it has done just that with the above promotion image making its way onto the Internet.

We already knew that it featured a 525hp V10 engine with either a 6 speed manual or 6 speed dual clutch automated manual transmission, but Audi has been nice enough to give us a few more details. First of all, we now know that the car will hitting European dealerships sometime in Spring of 2010.

Additionally, we know that the car will feature Quattro AWD standard and will reach speeds of up to 194.5mph while maintaining a EPA rating of 15.8mpg. The R8 Spyder also features electromagnetic adaptive suspension, anti lock breaks, side-impact airbags and a full electronic stability system.

via kickingtires

The Frankfurt Motor Show is underway and already we’ve seen some interesting vehicles put on display such as the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster and Volkswagen’s L1 Concept. Well now it’s Audi’s turn to show off their S5 Sportback, pictured above.

This vehicle features a 3.0L v6 engine capable of 333hp 324 pounds-per-foot of torque, a 0-62mph sprint of just 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph all while maintaining a EPA rating of around over 24mpg. The car isn’t just fast, it looks nice too, a 4 exhaust pipes, S series wheels, a chrome grille and metallic side view mirrors.

Audi suggests their S5 Sportback will be made available in Germany sometime this spring for around €57,900 or around $85,000.

It seems that Audi has grown tired of the leaks and what not and has decided to officially unveil the R8 Spyder ahead of its planned Frankfurt Motor Show debut.

Other than it’s beautiful drop top design, as you can see above, this thing is a beast. The R8 Spyder will feature a 5.2 liter V10 engine capable of     525 horsepower and 390 pounds-per-feet of torque. Unfortunately, the above shot and specs are the only thing we have to go by for now so we’ll have to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show to hear more.

via carscoop

Audi has finally revealed the official MSRP for their forthcoming diesel 2010 A3 TDI. The standard model will be retailing for $29,950, plus $825 destination. The car boasts a 30mpg city and 42mpg highway rating, and will be hitting the North American market this November. The A3 TDI has “30% better fuel economy and a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas than gasoline engines of comparable size.”

As far as Audi is concerned, the much heralded coming of the Chevy Volt is made for idiots. This was shared to the media by Audi President Johan de Nysschen, referring to the hybrid car as overpriced and no better than a Toyota Corolla. The rumored price for the Chevy Volt was said to be around $40,000.00.

The Chevy Volt is expected to be categorized in the company of cars priced in the $25,000.00 mark. However, a lot of criticism is being raised at the moment, waiting to see if the Chevy Volt can really be a car choice for people looking towards new electric cars coming out in the market. Will the Chevy Volt succeed? All we can do is wait and see once this GM hybrid car hits the automotive market.

Image courtesy: Auto Blog Green

(Source) Tech Whack

Well here we go again — Audi has recently launched the website, electricityuntamed.com that has a countdown to September 15th. Included in said website is a teaser video letting us know that on September 15th they will definitely be announcing some kind of all electric vehicle.

Unfortunately, all the website do is tease us, like mentioned above, so we’re going to have to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show to hear again of this all electric vehicle. Although all of the statements included in the teaser video focus heavily on how powerful electricity is so, perhaps an all electric Audi R8? Hey, a guy’s gotta dream, right?

It seems that a Swiss tuning garage by the name of Sportec has recently developed a ECU uprade kit for the Audi TT RS. Yes, we know, the Audi TT RS hasn’t made its way to the US yet but for those of you with access to the car, read on.

This upgraded Audi TT RS chip will up the car’s horsepower from 335 to 400 and lb-ft of torque for 328 to 401. That’s enough power to make for a 0-60mph sprint in 4.2 seconds as opposed to the stock 4.6 seconds.

Hopefully Sportec will find it in their hearts to export this chip to the States if/when the Audi TT RS is dropped domestically.

via autoblog

Buzz has officially begun circulating regarding Audi’s plans for this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Latest reports suggest that Audi will unveil an RS3 hatch back.

According to WCF, under the hood of the Audi RS3 will be a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine found in in the TT RS. If the RS3 does feature this engine it will be capable of 340 hp and 450 Nm or torque. If however, the engine is tuned for this model, which is likely to happen, we may see those numbers reach as high as 400hp.

As of now we’ll just have to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show next month to see if Audi will showcase their RS3.

Audi has today announced the impending availability of the A6L TDI. This vehicle is a diesel burning alternative to the already popular Audi A6L which reportedly managed to move 8,440 vehicles in July alone.

This vehicle features a 2.7-liter engine with 189HP and 258 pound-feet of torque along with a 34.6mpg fuel efficiency rating. While you won’t be able to pick this up anywhere outside of China, Chinese consumers can expect to pay around 488,800 yuan or about $71,500 USD for Audi’s brand new A6L TDI.

via autobloggreen