Detroit 2009: Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI [w/VIDEO]

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Audi always seems to have something great in store for us at the Detroit Auto Show every year, and in addition to the Sportback Concept, the long-awaited R8 V10 5.2 FSI made its official world debut at this year's show. With the 5.2L V10 plucked from the Gallardo LP560-4 mounted amidships, the new R8 now packs 525 horsepower and 391 lb-ft torque. Exterior styling has been subtly updated and includes all-LED headlights, wide side sills, revised matte aluminum exhaust tips, and new 19-inch 10-spoke wheels. More details on Audi's new flagship are in the press release after the jump as well as a video of the car's debut here in Motown. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI   Gallery: 2010 Audi R8 V10

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Detroit 2009: Audi confirms A3 TDI for US launch in late 2009

2009 A3 TDI Audi has finally confirmed what's been rumored since last fall's cross-country mileage marathon. The A3 TDI is indeed coming to America later this year. A pair of A3s were included in the marathon group and achieved mileage figures that regularly topped 50 mpg. The A3 will use the same 140 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel current motivating the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Getting 40 mpg or more with the A3 TDI shouldn't be difficult in normal driving, and adding the powerful and efficient diesel should help the slow-selling A3 get more of a foothold in the US market. Hit the jump for all the details. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Audi A3 TDI

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Detroit 2009: Audi Sportback concept, coming soon as the A7

Audi A7 Audi continues to underscore the importance of the US market to its future fortunes with two world debuts at the Detroit Auto Show. In addition to the R8 V10 that we saw last month, we got our first look at the Sportback concept. The Sportback is a preview of the A7 sedan due to arrive in the next year or so. As expected, this is Audi's take on the four door coupe/sedan idiom. Compared to the Porsche Panamera, this is one actually works. It takes the look we've come to expect from Audi and updates it with slightly sharper lines and a reshaped grille, along with even more LED lighting. The Sportback name refers to the fastback roofline and Audi boss Rupert Stadler made it clear that the new look will become a common trait in the Audi lineup, beginning with a new A5 Sportback coming later this year. Under the hood, the Sportback gets a 3.0-liter TDI diesel V6 with 225 hp/406 lb-ft paired up with a seven-speed S-Tronic dual clutch gea box. The whole thing is topped off with automatic start stop to give a combined 39 mpg (US). Based on these specs we can't wait for the A7 to arrive. Hit the jump for the press release and a 20-second video walk-around of the Audi Sportback concept. Gallery: Detroit 2009: Audi Sportback Concept   Gallery: Audi Sportback Concept

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Audi confirms A3 TDI for U.S.

The horsepower wars are being supplemented by the efficiency wars now that global warming issues are being taken seriously by the world's major governments, and one of the primary weapons of the new war is the diesel engine. Audi cars have long had a close relationship with diesel fuel, and since the R10 began its dominance at Le Mans, cut short only when hamstrung by rules changes, the carmaker has been at the forefront of the public image of performance-minded yet efficient diesels. Now, Audi has confirmed that it will bring its efficient 2.0L A3 TDI to the U.S. 2009 Audi A3 facelift

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Detroit 09': Audi Sportback Concept Unveiled...Hints at the A7

Audi has unveiled the Sportback Concept at the Detroit Auto Show. The Sportback Concept is supposed to be a preview of the upcoming A7.

The Sportback Concept and eventual A7 is Audi's version of a four-door coupe, like the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes CLS. In addition to providing a preview of the A7, the Sportback Concept previews Audi's future design vocabulary.

The Concept is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 TDI clean diesel. The diesel engine already meets the emissions limits of all 50 U.S. states and the EU6 standard scheduled to take effect in 2014. In addition it manages to get 39.87 US mpg.

Detroit Auto Show: Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro World Debut

The R8 V10 will be the street going version of the R8 LMS that debuted a couple of weeks ago at the Essen Motor Show in Germany. It's 5.2L V10 is rated at 525 horsepower and 390.91 lb-ft of torque in European spec form.

Those numbers fall a bit shy of the latest Gallardo LP560-4 even with the same displacement, which ensures that the Lamborghini can still command a price premium over the German machine. The U.S. version of the R8 V10 should remain pretty close to these numbers.

That will be enough to push the 0-62 sprint under four seconds to 3.9 seconds. Unfortunately, the R8 is still saddled with the same craptastic 6-speed R-tronic as the only alternative to its proper manual gearbox. The R8 V10 now also inches closer to the magical 200 mph mark with a terminal velocity of 196 mph.

The V10 version gets a new set of all-LED headlights for both high and low beams and the scoops on the side blades now bulge out to suck in the extra air needed to feed and cool the larger engine. A new rear diffuser also helps keep the rear end planted where a set of twin oval tailpipes replace the quad exhausts on the standard model.

The R8 V10 will be available in Germany starting next spring with a base price of EUR 142,400 (approx $180,000) and will make its official debut in January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Follow the jump for Audi's official press release and check out the high-res images in our gallery below.

For those who still have sufficient cash-flow to purchase high end sports cars, the latest and greatest remains a must. In keeping with that reality, Audi is cranking up the juice on its flagship R8 sports car with the introduction of the R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro, which got an early reveal on the web today. The R8 shares some less visible bits with its corporate cousin, the Lamborghini Gallardo, but until now the Lambo's V10 engine has remained exclusive to the Italian side of the family.

Source:autoblog

Audi A7 Sportback Concept - Auto Shows

This show car will morph into the production A7. Audi has decided hatchbacks are cool again, and after some educated speculation over the last few months, here we finally get an official look at what the design gurus in Ingolstadt have up their sleeves. The Sportback concept—unveiled at the 2009 Detroit auto show—is a mildly altered version of what will become the production A7, which will most likely debut at the Frankfurt auto show this fall. You wouldn't think that there is room in Audi's lineup between the A6 and the next-generation A8, but this concept is already so clearly distinguished from those more conventional notchback sedans that it could define its own category. With a length of over 16 feet, the Sportback concept is almost in full-tilt flagship territory—an A8L is 17 feet long—while its four-and-a-half-foot height is decidedly coupe-like. Think Mercedes CLS on luxury 'roids. History in Its Genes, Beauty in Its Lines Audi designers insist the Sportback concept's roofline and rear end are inspired by the mildly legendary, early-1970s Audi 100 Coupe. But the concept also invokes the first Audi 100 Avant, launched in late 1977. Back then, the Avant moniker stood for a true hatchback, before the Avant models gradually morphed into station wagons. Keep Reading: Audi A7 Sportback Concept - Auto Shows