Audi Confirms A5 Sportback and new A8 for 2009, Q5 Hybrid also in the Works

During his speech at Audi AG's annual shareholders meeting in Germany, Audi Chairman of the Board, Rupert Stadler, revealed that the automaker is planning to present the next-generation A8 in November and extend its range with the new A5 Sportback sometime in 2009. Furthermore, Stadler confirmed earlier reports that Ingolstadt based company is also working on a hybrid version of the Mercedes GLK rivaling Q5 SUV and that the A1 minicar is due for a 2010 market launch with the Q3 small SUV following in 2011.

This means that unless Audi has another surprise up its sleeves, the four-door coupe derivative of the A5 is most probably the new model that the maker said its preparing to unveil during the celebrative festivities for the firm's 100th anniversary in Germany on July 16.

The A5 Sportback is in essence the production version of the sleek-looking Sportback Concept that was first shown in Detroit in the beginning of the year. Expect to see a familiar Audi engine lineup, including the latest 2.0-liter TSI with 211HP, the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 290HP and a 3.0-liter V6 diesel cranking out 240HP.

"The A4 has attracted the largest share of customers loyal to the Audi brand. And a great number of them want to move further upward while carving out their own unique identity," said Stadler.

"The A5 Sportback is precisely what they're looking for. This vehicle will pose a genuine innovation in the B segment: a revolutionary vehicle concept offering the ideal blend of functionality and aesthetics"

As for the brand new A8 sedan (see the spy shots here), Stadler said claimed that it will be the sportiest model in its segment and that it will redefine people's notions of a luxury car's interior.

"We will also be presenting the next-generation Audi A8 and rest assured, Ladies and Gentlemen, it's going to be a sensation. The A8 remains Audi's flagship: it embodies our understanding of the word "premium"," Stadler told Audi's shareholders.

"The A8 will be the sportiest luxury sedan in its class – and set new standards with regard to interiors. Its precision and build quality are second to none. This model naturally means a great deal to us, because it played a greater role than any other car in the rise of the Audi brand. And we will unveil it to the world in a remarkable fashion in late November."

Audi A3, A4 and A5 to get New Start & Stop System this Summer

Pressing forward with its efforts to improve average fuel economy by 20 percent by 2012, Audi has announced that it will introduce a start and stop system along with a new efficiency program built into the onboard computer to some of its models this summer. Of course, other carmakers like BMW have been offering similar systems on their cars for quite some time now, but better late than never. The start and stop system promises to lower fuel consumption on Audi models by about 0.2lt per 100 km and CO2 emissions by around 5 g/km.

Audi said that the system will make its debut in the A3 1.4 TFSI with manual transmission and in the A4 and A5 with 2.0-litre engines and manual gearshift with other models scheduled to follow by the end of the year.

The start-stop system reduces consumption by shutting down the engine once the car has come to a stop, the gear lever is in neutral and the driver has released the clutch pedal. Once the driver engages the clutch, the engine starts up again.

The second new feature that Audi has developed is the on-board computer with the efficiency program, an addition to the Audi Driver Information System. Anything that has to do with consumption appears in the center display, with the computer giving the driver tips for saving fuel, depending on the driving situation and driving style.

Furthermore, there's a newly designed gearshift indicator that signals to the driver when to shift for optimal fuel economy while another display in the efficiency program identifies the extra energy consumed by comfort features like air conditioning and seat heating and indicates their share in fuel consumption.

2011 Audi A8 Test Mule with New Interior Spied

Looks can be deceiving. What appears to be a current generation Audi A8 in these photos is in fact a test mule of Ingolstadt's next generation flagship sedan that is planned to go on sale in 2011. As you can see in the spy photos, the prototype model features a newly styled dashboard that drops the current's model instrument panel layout in favor of a new design while there's also a different automatic gearbox setting and a restyled four spoke steering wheel.

Underneath the current model's sheetmetal, the test mule hides an upgraded platform that uses more exotic materials such as aluminum and magnesium components in order to save weight and improve dynamics. The same architecture will most likely be used in future generation Bentley models.

Audi's new BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class adversary will be offered with a revised engine lineup that will include the S4 / S5's new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 delivering an output of around 290HP in the A8. Buyers will also be offered naturally aspirated V6 and V8 petrol engines along with the usual range of 'oil burners'. It is rumored, but not confirmed, that the German firm may drop the range topping 6.0-liter W12 as well as the 5.2-liter V10 unit in the S8.

Audi A2 'Little Lord of the Rings'

If anything else, the owner if this modified VW Lupo has a weird sense of humor when it comes to naming his cars. Among other things, the "Little Lord of the Rings" sports an Audi single-frame grille, Porsche 924 alloy wheels, a bodykit and semi-covered headlamps. Too bad the owner didn't add something from the Seat and Skoda brand cars to complete the VW Group look...

The 'Pimp my Ride' theme continues in the Lupo's interior that has been retrimmed and now features a set of front bucket seats while the rear seat bench has given its place to a desktop monitor and two smaller LCD units.

Via: Le Blog Auto , Source: Sohu

AVUS Performance Audi A5 Coupe Matte Black with 275HP

It appears that AVUS Performance wants to avoid any mistranslation troubles after the outcry it caused in the media for the RS6 Avant 'White Power' moniker, so the German tuning boutique chose to play it safe and simply name its new proposal, the A5 Coupe Matte Black. The vehicle's stealthily looks were achieved by wrapping the car all around with matt black foil and painting some details like the front grille, mirror covers and the rear diffuser in a black finish.

The A5 Coupe's looks are rounded off by a set of 21-inch Jofiel black Limited Edition wheels in sizes 9,5x21" front and 11x21" at the rear and a set of S5 LED tail lights.

This A5 Coupe comes with Audi's 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel engine featuring an upgraded ECU that helps boost output to 275HP and 600Nm ( 442.48 lb/ft) of torque. Last but not least, the German tuning house has equipped the A5 Coupe with KW coilovers with adjustable compression and rebound dampening.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: Third Trailer Released, Audi R8 Decepticon Seen Again

Paramount pictures has released yet another extended trailer of its forthcoming Transformers film, 'Revenge of the Fallen' that will hit the big screen on June 24th. And just in case you missed out on the previous trailer, this one too gives us a short glimpse of the Audi R8-based Decepticon named Sideways that crashes through a building of some sort at around 52 seconds into the video. Hit the jump to watch the trailer as well as to check out the screen shots we took from the film.