The Audi A5 si definitely one of our favorite cars over here at Auto Unleashed and we are happy to report some really interesting stuff. The guys from Infomotori had the chance to test drive an experimental car from Audi, based on the S5. Dubbed ‘Evo’, the car was powered by a modified version of the 4.2 liter V8 engine, which developed 420 hp and was equipped with Audi’s new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. Of course, the first conclusions were that Audi is probably trying to fill the gap between the S5 (354 hp/260kw) and the upcoming RS5, which is expected to be powered by the same V8, but which will develop around 450hp (335kW). Rumors also say that the RS5 might be powered by the 500 hp 5.2 liter V8 from the Gallardo.

Besides the more powerful engine and the new gearbox, Infomotori reports that the four cars presented by Audi were having the same specs as the S5, but Audi refused to make more details available on the car and its future.

Read More: "420hp Audi S5 Evo tested in Spain"

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Audi hasn’t even started delivering the new Audi Q5 and the German tuner ABT already came up with a tuning program for the latest crossover from Ingolstadt. The package features a bodykit including fender extensions and more aggressive front skirt and grille, restyled side skirts, roof spoiler and rear skirt incorporating a 4-pipe-rear muffler, plus new 20 inch alloys. Handing upgrades include ABT Level Control (electronic lowering for the CDC air suspension), new sport springs that decrease the car’s ride height and a new set of 380mm diameter brake discs.

Power upgrade kits are available for all the engines: the 2.0 TFSI’s power output has been increased to 240hp/177kW (211hp/155kW on the factory version), the 2.0 TDI to 190hp/140kW (170hp/125kW) and for the 3.0 TDI there are two levels of power upgrades, the ABT Power, which increases the power output from 240 hp (177kW) to 282 hp (207kW) and the ABT Power S, which takes the engine up to 310hp (228kW).

Check out one more photo after the jump. Read More: "ABT tuning program for the new Audi Q5"

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It’s amazing to see how many 700+ hp tuning programs were created for the Audi RS6 Avant. After the MTM and the B&B ones, the German tuning Kicherer also set its eyes on the high performance wagon. The 5.0 liter V10 engine received a major upgrade and now develops 700 hp (522kW) and 577lb-ft (780Nm) of torque. That’s enough to take the care from still to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds, to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 13 seconds and to a top speed of 280 km/h (175 mph). Not as impressive if you compare it to the other programs, but still, a really cool upgrade.

But Kicherer did great with the exterior upgrades, especially the two-tone paint job. The body kit includes several carbon fiber parts, like the side mirror shells, the front lip spoiler and the rear diffuser, plus the massive 22 inch alloys. Other mods include a sport exhaust and new springs that lower the ride height by 25 mm. No clues on the package’s pricing, but MotorAuthority expects it to be priced around $10,000, without the power-enhancing ECU reflash and speed-limiter removal.

More photos after the jump. Read More: "Audi RS6 Avant tuning package from Kicherer"

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We’ve already seen a lot of exotic car crashes, almost all of them caused by irresponsible owners which don’t know how to handle the power of their cars. But this crash is a bit special, because we’re not talking about the owner of the car, but about a regular person which asked Audi to give him the €160,000 supercar, the R8 for a test drive. Although he met the standards of a test drive with a car this powerful, the 33-year old man from the Netherlands, lost control while he was driving near a river and crashed the car into it.

Police aren’t disclosing the name of the unlucky driver, and believe that he was driving at about 130 km/h (80 mph), although witnesses say that he was driving a lot faster, about 200 km/h or 125 mph, a lot above the limit on that road of 80 km/h (50 mph). Speed isn’t the only thing police are taking intro consideration, because the road was a bit bumpy, and one of these bumps could have caused the speeding driver to loose control of the 420 hp car. Still, if you want to test drive a car with lots of power, you really should check your speed and the road conditions, or you might end up like this poor fellow.

Check out more photos after the jump. Read More: "Audi R8 taken for a test swim"

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It seems that tuning companies really love the Audi RS6 Avant. After we saw 702 hp tuning package from MTM, this time we have a more powerful upgrade, from German tuner B&B. Fitted with a special race exhaust system, high performance racing catalyst, remapped ECU, high-flow intake and uprated cooling system, the 5.0 liter V10 engine develops an amazing 715hp (533kW), which mean that the car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph).

B&B offers severatl levels of performance, 650hp (485kW), 670hp (500kW) and 700hp (522kW) respectively and of course, the top specs 715 hp. All versions come with stiffer sport springs that lowers the car by up to 25mm and a set of 21 inch forged alloy wheels.

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The only thing that crossed my mind after seeing this video was “Wow!”. This Audi R8, codenamed “Blackbird”, is definitely one of a kind. First of all, it looks great, with those black wheels but if you imagine this car only has looks, oh, you’re so wrong. Because it’s more stuffed with gadgets than the KITT: four GPS units, two radar detectors, police scanner, CB radio, kill switch for all rear lights, high-speed broadband Internet with Wi-Fi running on a tablet PC, power ports, takedown lights, remote-controlled exhaust bypass valve and a…liquid-cooled infrasonic wave pulse generator. But enough said, just enjoy the video!

Read More: "Wow! The Audi R8 “Blackbird”"

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These are the first spy photos of the Audi R8 Targa, without any camouflage. The new Audi R8 Targa is scheduled for official launch in March 2009. There are speculations about the name of the new Audi R8 supercar: Targa, Convertible, Cabrio or Spider. But the most likely name will be Audi R8 Targa, as shown in the planning documents for the next years. About the engine, besides the 4.2 liter FSI powerplant that develops 420HP, we could also see the 5 liter V10 twin turbo engine with 580HP, from the Audi RS6. The new Audi R8 Targa is scheduled for official launch at Geneva Motor Show in March 2009.

Read More: "Audi R8 Targa without camouflage"

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Yesterday, the German company revealed the facelift for the new Audi A6. To be honest, I really liked the way the press release starts: “A winner always builds on his strengths: That’s why Audi has again upgraded its luxury class A6 model”. Sounds pretty cool, huh? Anyways, the new A6 features new engines, new technologies that cut fuel consumption by about 15 percent, improved suspension, new high-tech assistance system that give the driver even greater control over the car and new-generation MMI control system.

Exterior changes include restyled single-frame grill, bumpers, air vents and fog lights, optionally-available xenon plus LED daytime running lights and new LED talilights. Audi’s latest addition to A6’s engine range is a new 3.0 liter V6 TFSI engine that develops 290 hp (213 kW) and 420 Nm (309.78 lb-ft) of torque. Combined with the tiptronic gearbox and quattro drive train, the engine takes the new A6 from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds and up to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph), while achieving a fuel consumption of 9.5 liters per 100 kilometers (24.76 US mpg) on the EU cycle.

The new Audi A6 facelift will be available in Germany in mid-October with pricing starting at 34,200 Euros for the A6 2.0 TFSI sedan. There’s no point in saying that the new Audi A6 will come with top of the line technologies and infotainment systems. You can read all that in the full press release.

Also, check out more photos after the jump. Read More: "The new Audi A6 facelift revealed"

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It was about time that Audi released the sedan version for their top of the line mid size sedan and estate line. After the RS6 Avant broke the mold with ridiculous power for an estate, easily defeating the direct competitors like BMW M5 or the Mercedes E63 AMG, the Audi RS6 Sedan version will arrive with a 5 litre V10 engine, fitted with twin-turbochargers, capable of delivering 580 bhp and a peak torque of 650 Nm (479.42 lb-ft).

The six-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox is designed to let drivers change the gears themselves via the shift lever or the paddles fitted on the steering wheel and gets the power to Audi’s proprietary AWD Quattro system. Performance specs are pretty amazing, the car going from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds, and up to a electronicaly limited speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Tehnological improvements include a reworked suspension, Audi’s proprietary Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), which, combined with the sports plus suspension offers three damper settings from which you can choose, sport, dynamic and comfort.

For the power it is capable of delivering, the RS6 Sedan doesn’t really show it. The only things that give away the horse power under the bonnet are the big wheel arches, under which 19-inch or optional 20-inch wheels can be put, and in the back the two big oval tail pipes. Other exterior elements which stand out are the revamped bumper fitted with the new grille, the deep side skirts and the spoiler integrated into the trunk lid. On the inside, you’ll find the optional racing bucket seats or the standard sculptured sport seats, the leather RS steering wheel and the high quality Bose sound system.

The RS6 Sedan is set to be launched in mid-October, at a starting price of €105,550 and whoever wants a ridiculously powerfull mid-size sedan should start saving up.

Click here to read the full press release and check out more photos after the jump. Read More: "580 bhp for the new Audi RS6 sedan"

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On Friday, Audi USA announced the pricings for the new Audi A4, both Sedan and Avant versions. The starting MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) for the 2009 Audi A4 Sedan will be $32,700, while the 2009 Audi A4 Avant will start at a MSRP of $34,500. The sedan buyers will be able to choose between a 211 hp 2.0 TFSI and a 265 hp 3.2-liter FSI V6, both petrol engines and both with quattro all-wheel-drive system (front wheel drive will only be available on the 2.0 TFSI). The Avant will only come with a 2.0 TFSI engine and the quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Audi will begin delivery of customer orders in September 2008, but some dealers will have vehicles available for test drives as early as the week of August 10th.

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According to Auto Motor und Sport, the Audi RS6 Sedan will debut this fall, at the Paris Motor Show, in October. A prototype of the car was caught by German photographers and we can tell that, except the modified tail-lights, the car is pretty much the same with the RS6 Avant. Under the hood, the car will be powered by the same 580 hp V10 twin-turbo FSI direct-injection engine as the Avant (of course, not if MTM ‘messes’ with it).

More details will probably be available after the debut at the French show and you can check out one more photo after the jump.

Read More: "Audi RS6 Sedan to debut at the Paris show in October"

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For some of us, a 580 hp car will do it but apparently for others, that just isn’t enough. Because German tuner MTM developed two tuning programs for the Audi RS6 Avant which makes the German wagon even faster than it already is. The ‘entry-level’ package features electronic ECU modifications only which increase the engine’s power output to 656 bhp at 6,180 rpm and 785 Nm of torque. 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) is made in 3.9 seconds and the top speed can be electronically set to 279, 290 or 310 km/h (173, 180 or 192 mph).

However, the really cool package is the other one, which features a stainless steel sxhaust system with throttle control downstream from the catalytic converter and a sports air filter. With these upgrades, the RS6 Avant develops an impressive 702 hp. There are no extra details about this package, because the project is currently under development. The packages cost 3,999 Euros and 9,950 Euros.

On the outside, MTM has fitted the Audi RS6 Avant with a carbon-fiber front spoiler lip, a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, six-piston monoblock brake calipers with slotted brake disks and 21″ MTM bimoto wheels. MTM offers this entire suite of compoents for the RS6 R which includes power-boosted engine, modified breathing, exhaust system, suspension struts and 21-inch wheels for a package price starting from 15,500 EUR.

More photos after the jump.

Read More: "When 580 hp just won’t do it: 702 hp MTM RS6 Avant"

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Audi recently announced that the entry-level Audi A5 will get a new engine. The current 1.8 liter TFSI will be replaced by a 2.0 liter TFSI engine developing 178 hp. Besides the extra power, the new engine develops more torque, 236lb-ft (320Nm) (52lb-ft (70Nm) to more than the 1.8 liter), has a 7.5% improved fuel economy and produces 9% less CO2 emissions. The engine is derived from the 208 hp 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine and features Audi’s improved valveshift technology.

Equipped with the 2.0 litre TFSI engine, the Audi A5 sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.8 seconds (0.6 seconds faster) and reaches a top speed of 238 km/h (148 mph).

Read More: "New 2.0 TFSI engine for the Audi A5"

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Since we are growing more and more environmentally conscious, Audi is readying its A1 model. It’s a small car, who aims to compete with the Mini. It is thought very important for Audi, but it’s based on a corporate platform, the same as the one used for the new Seat Ibiza and the VW Polo. So in the end you will pay for the trim and badge. It will have an independent back suspension, though.

There will be plenty of engines to choose from, including petrol, diesel and hybrid. The petrol engines will be 1.2 and 1.4 liter, the diesel will be 1.6 and 2.0 liter and the hybrid will be powered by a 1.4 liter petrol and an electric motor.

So let’s hope that the quality will make it a winner over the Mini. We’ll have to wait and see.
Read More: "Audi A1 is the new kid on the block"

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