The A4 isn’t the only Audi range that’s set to expand – as these grainy spy shots prove. This is the A5 Cabriolet, which will signal the end for the current A4 drop-top when it makes its world debut on the stands at the Paris Motor Show next month.

Our spies caught the cabrio on Switzerland’s mountain roads, and snapped it with its cloth roof down for the first time. Engines will be carried over from the A5 coupé range, with petrol units ranging from a 168bhp 1.8 to a 3.2-litre V6, along with 2.7 and 3.0-litre TDI diesels. An S5 is expected to follow later.

The idea of a small, efficient vehicle is not new to Audi. Perhaps you remember their A2, the aluminum premium super mini that despite its technological innovations wasn’t a market success. But those were different times, when “premium car” was associated with the image of a luxurious sedan. With the current volatility in oil prices, going for smaller cars is not only smart, but also trendy. And because fashion is of high importance with the upper classes, the little green cars with luxury trimmings become quite plausible.

As VW has the Up/Space Up pair already in works, we can imagine that the new Audi will share the same platform. This gives us the approximate sizes and proportions. A slightly elevated floor is also necessary to provide battery space in an electric vehicle. The “service hatch” first used on the A2 could also make a comeback on the EV, especially if we consider that it makes a good place for a plug-in socket.

Add to that some chrome and lacquer finishes, LEDs and fiber optics in the lights, some fancy wheels and there you have it: small, electric, trendy and premium.

The world’s best-selling executive saloon is back! But while the updated Audi A6 doesn’t appear that different to its predecessor, make no mistake, its conservative looks hide big improvements…

There are now five petrol engines and four diesels in the line-up, and Audi expects the 2.0-litre TDIe we try here to be the best-selling unit.

There are two distinct versions of the 2.0 unit – the 134bhp TDIe (for economy) and the 168bhp TDI, and they are likely to account for 65 per cent of all sales within the A6 range.

The TDIe beats the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class in most respects. Off the line, it propels the A6 from 0-62mph in 10.3 seconds, yet returns 53.3mpg on the combined cycle and has emissions of 139g/km.

These figures are helped by a new six-speed gearbox, low-rolling resistance tyres, a more efficient power-steering pump and an alternator that charges the battery while the car is coasting.

The TDIe also has improved aerodynamics, thanks to a 20mm lower ride height than other A6 models, improved suspension and special spoilers which reduce drag.

It all adds up to a greener package that seems certain to ensure that the A6 is a big hit when it goes on sale in October – particularly when you consider the attractive £25,000 price tag.

Rival: Merc E220 CDI
Both cars offer supreme luxury, but the E-Class’s 2.2-litre engine isn’t as efficient. The premium price also plays its part.

Here are some really nice wallpapers for your desktop pleasure of the new Audi S4, the real BMW M3 killer.

Over the past decade, Audi has made huge inroads into the full-size sedan (and station wagon) market in Europe. A lot of buyers have been disappointed with the Bangled styling of the BMW 5-series and left cold by the conservative Mercedes E-class. As a result, the fast lane on the autobahn is all but dominated by corporate Germany’s armada of black, xenon-headlamp-armed Audi A6 sedans and wagons.

One year after a slight face lift of the BMW 5-series and six months before Mercedes launches an all-new E-class at the Geneva auto show, the time is right for Audi to give its A6 a makeover. The most interesting feature is an available supercharged V-6, but before we get there, let’s check out the cosmetics.

The front end gets Audi’s now-trademark LED daytime running lights in the form of slim strips. The huge grille—Audi calls it “single frame” —has a slightly different shape. The most obvious novelties are the gigantic (if only partially functional) air intakes, which dominate the front bumper. Aggressive but somewhat inelegant, these A6 bumpers make the more powerful and sporty S6, which uses a front bumper with LED strips mounted lower, suddenly appear modest and subtle.

While the changes in the front are debatable, the rear styling of the sedan clearly profits from a new trunk lid and wider taillights. A fake diffuser mirrors the front air intakes. The tailgate and taillights on the Avant wagon remain almost unchanged, which is fine with us; the A6 Avant may be the most beautiful station wagon on the market. Four years after its launch in Germany, the A6 still looks crisp, and the changes should give it enough newness to stand its own against the competition.

More Gadgets than Your Favorite Inspector

Inside, the electronics are improved. The A6 features the third-generation MMI interface. The changes are mainly internal; for example, there are now just two control units for the MMI instead of five or more. The graphics are somewhat more sophisticated, if not outstanding. There is a new joystick on top of the controller knob to let you navigate more easily. Audi’s MMI is a complex system, but we’d argue it remains more intuitive than BMW’s iDrive. And while we like touch-screen displays, we greatly prefer this to any touch-screen system that blanks out functions while the car is moving.

We suspect that overly safety-minded customers have clamored for the lane-assist system that makes the steering wheel vibrate excitedly as you are about to veer off the road. In reality, every time you change a lane without using your signal, and every time you dare to cut a corner, you are reminded of your impropriety. The buzz is loud enough for the passenger to notice, too.

There is also a side-assist system, which monitors the driver’s blind spots. If a car is in a blind spot or approaches rapidly from behind, an amber light visible to the driver comes on in the side rearview mirror. In this type of a situation, if you activate a signal with intent to change lanes, the light will begin flashing rapidly. If you don’t use the signal? Well, there is always lane assist to remind you to do so . . .

Can We Interest You In Something With a Supercharger?

In the U.S., Audi will offer four engines in the A6 family: two V-6 engines and a V-8 in the regular car, and one V-10 in the S6, all springing from a similar engine architecture. The entry-level engine remains the 3.1-liter V-6 direct-injection unit—Audi calls the trim level using this engine the “3.2”—rated at 255 horsepower and mated to Audi’s continuously variable transmission. This engine comes paired with front-wheel drive only.

The A6’s top-level engine, a 4.2-liter V-8 rated at 350 horsepower, also carries over unchanged, and so does the 435-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 in the S6. Both come with Quattro all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission.

Audi’s big news is the intermediate engine: a new 3.0-liter V-6 fitted with a Roots-type supercharger that lives between the cylinder banks. It delivers up to 11.6 psi of boost. The numbers: 300 horsepower from 4850 rpm to the 6800-rpm redline and 310 lb-ft of torque between 2500 and 4850 rpm. Response is instant from idle, with no lag of the sort usually associated with turbocharged engines. This engine delivers torque instantly at any engine speed, superior even to many naturally aspirated engines. There is a throaty exhaust note, but hardly a touch of the whine you experience on other supercharged cars, such as the Jaguar XJ.

Perhaps that’s why Audi hopes to get away with calling this supercharged direct-injection powerplant—very similar to the next S4’s 330-hp engine—a “TFSI” engine, a nomenclature that usually denotes turbocharging. Audi says it doesn’t want to confuse customers, but perhaps Audi’s marketing guys are just underestimating them.

It Will Boogie

The supercharged V-6 offers performance at the upper level of its class. The sprint from 0 to 62 mph takes a claimed 5.9 seconds, while top speed is governed at 155 mph. Both numbers match the 4.2 V-8, which is differently geared. Fuel consumption is reported as 25 mpg in the European cycle.

On the road, this engine is so far superior to the entry-level V-6 and so close in responsiveness and easily attainable speed to the V-8 that it is our engine of choice in the A6. It is, by the way, the only engine available in the Avant station wagon.

Audi starts delivery in the first quarter of 2009. Expect prices to remain similar to the outgoing model, which range from just under $44,000 for a 3.1-liter front-driver to over $57,000 for a V-8–powered Quattro model. The Avant currently rings up at a smidge under $50,000.

In Europe, of course, picking favorites is a different story. The engine lineup is far more extensive, one extreme being marked by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel that averages more than 44 mpg. The other extreme is the top-of-the-line RS 6, which is powered by what essentially is a twin-turbocharged S6 engine. It is rated at 580 horsepower—far beyond the Mercedes E63 AMG, BMW M5, and Cadillac CTS-V.

At the end of the day, the changes to the A6 would be insignificant if it weren’t for the introduction of the powerful, smooth, and responsive supercharged V-6. Too weak with the 3.1-liter V-6 and extremely expensive with the V-8, the A6 now has a “just-right” engine choice that should help it shrug off its also-ran status in the U.S. market.

This is Audi’s all-new S4 which makes its debut in saloon and Avant (estate) guise at next month’s Paris motor show. It may look much like you’d expect it to, but in a radical move, Audi is turning its back on turbocharging – the S4 is powered by a new supercharged 3.0-litre V6 that pumps out 329bhp and a hefty 406lb ft of torque for a 5.1 second sprint to 60mph and a 155mph top speed.

After years of turbo-charging excellence, why is Audi going with a supercharger?

We’re a little perplexed ourselves, to be honest. While downsizing to a smaller forced-induction engine is a good way of lowering emissions and consumption without affecting performance, we’d have thought Audi’s turbocharging experts would have bolted on one or even two blowers to the S4’s 2995cc direct injection engine rather than a Roots type blower, even one that does spin to 23,000rpm.

‘In conjunction with direct injection it is far superior to twin turbochargers, both in terms of packaging and of starting performance and responsiveness,’ claims Audi’s official blurb. Which sounds like more spin than any supercharger could handle.
What else can you tell me about this engine?

Audi claims the smaller and lighter engine – the blower and a pair of air coolers are compact enough to nestle between the 90deg cylinder banks – benefits the S4’s dynamic balance and shortens the path the air must travel to the engine. It drives all four wheels – the S4 gets Audi’s quattro all-paw layout, natch – through a new seven-speed S tronic transmission.

Although at 142kg the dual-clutch some 40kg heavier than Audi’s six-speed manual, performance is actually faster because of the quick 200millisecond shift times and economy is enhanced because the transmission changes up earlier when driving in auto mode. Official combined economy is pegged at 29.2mpg – a massive 26 percent hike over the outgoing V8 model.

For those of you that can’t get enough of the 2009 Audi RS6 Sedan, we’ve updated our image gallery with a whole bunch of new photos that include a red RS6 equipped with the optional ‘Black Optics’ package. The latter turns all chromed exterior bits aka, the front grille surrounding, the window sills and the exhaust tips, into black while buyers can also add a set of Titanium-colored alloy wheels to complete the blacked out look. Read our article about RS6 here.

The Top Gear boys are out in force attempting to review supercars in Spain.Who will come out on top out of the BMW M3, the Mercedes C63 and the Audi RS4? Watch this brilliant highlights video in high quality from BBC smash hit motoring show, Top Gear, to find out.

New traffic management system enables communication between cars and traffic lights to reduce ‘stop-start’ inefficiency

Audi lends its support to ‘Travolution’ project aimed at streamlining urban traffic flow through interaction between cars and traffic lights to minimise fuel-sapping ‘stop-start’ traffic
Travolution software can alert Audi drivers when a light is due to change to green, and calculate the speed that should be maintained in order to pass through in the green phase
System also reduces duration of stops by improving synchronisation and traffic light phasing across the network

Frustrating, fuel-sapping stops at red traffic lights could soon be the exception rather than the rule thanks to a new initiative being championed by Audi aimed at streamlining urban traffic flow and reducing CO2 emissions.

The experimental ‘Travolution’ system, developed with Audi support by traffic management experts in the brand’s German home town of Ingolstadt, will not only improve synchronisation and phasing of traffic light networks to reduce stopping times, but could also dramatically reduce the number of actual stops needed by creating a communications link between cars and the traffic light network.

Communications modules built into each traffic light are able to send messages to cars in the vicinity, alerting them to the time remaining until their next green phase. The car’s onboard system is then able to calculate the speed which the driver must maintain in order to pass through the light during this green phase, and displays this via the Multi Media Interface display.

A network of 46 of the ‘intelligent’ traffic lights has been installed in the centre of Ingolstadt, the software to which they are all linked optimising their phasing to bring stopping times down to a minimum, reducing fuel consumption and pollution in the process.

Of the 46 light gantries, three have been upgraded to enable communication with the specially modified A5 and A6 Avant models provided by Audi as part of the 1.2-million Euro pilot project. A further 20 cars and 50 light installations are to be incorporated as the project evolves.

The stars of FC Barcelona are turning into serious DTM fans: After last year’s debut, the players of the 18-time Spanish champion came to the Circuit de Catalunya again today. There, they took over their new “company cars” and caught a whiff of racing air at the Audi driving experience and during rides in the DTM racing taxi.

Not only on the playing field but also on the road the footballers demonstrate unity: From now on, the squad will be travelling to their training sessions in Audi Q7 vehicles. All cars are equipped with 3.0-litre TDI engines and quattro drive. Only when it came to their choice of colours, the players’ preferences differed: While team captain Carles Puyol ordered his car in lava grey, striker stars Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o opted for elegant silver. Goal-keeper Victor Valdes, together with Eidur Gudjohnsen, leads the group of fans of phantom black.

Audi and FC Barcelona have been partners since the 2006/2007 season. Players, coaches and officials drive vehicles from the brand’s sporty model range. In return, Audi presents itself at the team’s home matches at the famous Camp Nou stadium – Europe’s largest football stadium with room for almost 100 000 spectators – as well as at joint activities and events.

Before the footballers, who started to the new Champions League season with a 3:1 home win, received the keys to their new “company cars” from Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board for Marketing and Sales of AUDI AG, they experienced close-up Audi motorsport action on the Formula 1 and DTM circuit: The defending champion Mattias Ekström and Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen drove the footballers around the race track in the 470-hp Audi A4 DTM racing taxi. Martin Tomczyk as a chauffeur demonstrated the sportiness of an Audi R8 converted into a racing taxi.

“For me, as a big football fan, it’s always a highlight to meet the footballers of FC Barcelona and to talk a bit of shop,” says Tom Kristensen. “They’re all nice guys who, since Michael Laudrup’s era in Barcelona, are very popular in Denmark as well. So it goes without saying that I’ll be crossing my fingers for them for the next match on Sunday and I’m sure that the players will have an eye on us too when we’re out on the circuit.”

At an Audi driving experience the footballers were also given the opportunity to experience the sportiness of the Audi A5 and Audi S5 models. In addition, they received a wealth of tips for a sporty as well as a safe driving style on the streets and roads of Barcelona by seasoned instructors.

On Sunday, 21 September, the ninth of a total of eleven DTM rounds will be staged at the Circuit de Catalunya. Audi driver Timo Scheider comes to Spain as the leader of the standings. The race will start at 2:03 p.m. local time. ARD will broadcast live from Spain starting at 1:45 p.m. and will also air live coverage of the qualifying on Saturday starting at 1:30 p.m.