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International Engine of the Year Awards 2011

Fiat TwinAir Engine of the Year

The winners of the International Engine of the Year Awards have been announced and its a little engine that could from Fiat that has taken out the top prize. Punching well above its weight the 875cc TwinAir motor has modest power outputs, ranging from 65–105hp. It’s currently not available in Australia, but can be found in the Fiat 500 in overseas markets.

A jury of 76 judges from across the globe voted on the awards and here’s what John Carey, from Wheels magazine, had to say about the TwinAir donk, “This is proof that aggressive downsizing need not spell timid performance. Surprisingly torquey, impressively and affordably efficient, this tiny twin also has plenty of character.”

Not content with overall honours, the Fiat TwinAir also won the Sub 1-litre, Best New Engine and Green Engine categories.

International Engine of the Year Awards 2011

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Audi

Audi S1 prototype pipes up

Audi S1 spied

This otherwise regular looking A1 is reportedly an S1 prototype. The subtle twin pipes at the back offer the required clues. They actually look pretty good, too.

Speaking of clues, there’s not really too many others in regards to the finer details of the S1. We know it will feature a quattro drivetrain, but at this stage we’ve not come across anything too concrete in terms of the engine which will power the S1.

Some reckon it will be a reworked version of the 1.4 TFSI, which seems unlikely to us. Autoblog speculate 270hp could be on the cards; a little high maybe? Either way we doubt the 1.4 twin charger—currently offered with a max power rating of 185hp (136kW)—could be tuned to achieve that result. The S3 engine currently offers 265hp, so will the well utilised Volkswagen Group 2-litre find its way into the car? Or what about something entirely new altogether?

[Source: Autoblog | Pic: CarPix]

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Audi Porsche Volkswagen

Is the Audi R4 over B4 it begins?

Detroit showcar Audi e-tron

The Audi e-tron, which wowed Detroit back in January last year, was thought to be a preview of a mid-engined R4 model. It was expected to be part of a platform sharing program with stablemates Volkswagen and Porsche. However, according to Auto Motor und Sport any such plans have been shelved by Audi.

One of the reasons given are fears the cheaper R4 would cannibalise sales of Ingolstadt’s own TT model line, as well as eating into sales of the Porsche Boxster.

Also caught in the cross fire is the potential MX-5 rival from Volkswagen, the Concept BlueSport, meaning the planned Volkswagen Group MiMo platform is unlikely to become a production reality.

There’s also some speculation that this news may end the future of the Audi quattro concept. However, given an A5-based prototype has already been in circulation there’s still some hope.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Motor Authority]

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Audi Motorsports

Lowndes and Luff on track for Nürburgring 24 hour drive

Audi R8 LMS

The Nürburgring 24 hour race is one of motorsport’s toughest challenges. Earlier this year V8 Supercar drivers Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff got a small taste of what it might be like by driving a factory-backed Audi R8 LMS in the Bathurst 12 hour.

Many Australians have competed at the Nürburgring 24 hour race. Indeed, in days gone by it was as simple as coughing up the cash, packing your car into a container and rocking up to the track. You used to see well-prepped, but outclassed, decade-old Mitsubishi Mirages sharing the track with the latest factory-supported Porsche 911 RSRs.

Rule changes have put an end to such mechanical mismatches, and in further moves to usher the race to a more professional era, drivers now have to compete in at least one four-hour VLN enduro on the Nordschleife before being eligible for the more demanding 24 hour event.

As a result Lowndes and Luff will be heading to the Germany later this month to complete their qualification drive at the VLN race to be held on 28 May.

Scheduling will likely mean the lads will have to wait until 2012 before they can race in the Nürburgring 24 hour enduro. Lowndes hopes to race at the Ring next year, ahead of achieving a further goal to race at Le Mans.

[Source: Speedcafe]

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Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz News Porsche Volkswagen

Money for nothing

AU v US car pricing

Last week the Australian dollar hit a new high against the US dollar. That high was $1.07 for the record. The news prompted Drive.com.au to publish an article comparing the prices Australian buyers pay for luxury cars compared to other countries, chiefly the United States.

The Drive article states, “Inflated luxury-car prices are not a recent revelation but a rampant Australian dollar—continuing to break post-float records as it stretches beyond parity with the US ‘greenback’—has many car buyers again asking questions.”

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Audi BMW

VIDEO: BMW 1M Coupé v Audi TT RS

Car & Driver video

US publication Car & Driver brings us this video review of the BMW 1M Coupé and the Audi TT RS. Also along for the ride was an Infiniti G37 thingy that we don’t get in Australia; it placed last in the review.

That leaves us with the 1M against the TT RS, a match BMW has already anticipated; well, how do they? There’s clear plus points for both, but in the end, you could probably write the script before seeing the video. Take the break, watch the clip and let us know what you think.

[Thanks to Peter for the tip]

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Audi

2012 Audi Q3 photo gallery

Audi Q3

Audi has published photos and information about its new Q3 ahead of Auto Shanghai (21–28 April). What we see is an altogether predictable result with a few tweaks here and there for good measure. That’s not to say the latest wannabe SUV is a bad thing. On the contrary, we think it looks quite smart. The slight reworking of the front end, especially the new headlight treatment, gives the current Audi face a welcome lift.

Inside, too, we suspect we’re being granted a sneak preview of what to expect inside the next-generation A3. Again, we welcome the changes made. In the Q3, at least, the central controls seem to be slightly more ergonomically placed than the current A3. The centre-dash mount display screen is also more user-friendly.

There’ll be four familiar 2.0 litre turbocharged engine choices to power the Q3; two petrol and two diesel. The TFSI engines will be available in 125kW and 155kW spec. While the TDI will initially launch with a 120kW version, with a 103kW unit to follow.

UPDATE 15 April: New pics added at end of article.

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Audi

Audi R8 GT Spyder due in 2012

Audi R8 GT Spyder

Audi has plans to add an R8 GT Spyder to its supercar platform. Based on the 412kW 5.2 litre V10 hardtop R8 GT, which was limited to just 333 examples, the Spyder version will go on European sale early next year following a preview at Le Mans in June and a full reveal in Frankfurt this September.

[Source: Autocar]

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Audi Holden Hyundai Kia Mazda Subaru Toyota VFACTS reports

New vehicle sales report – March 2011

FCAI banner

March was another month without much fanfare as far as vehicle sales go. The official press release from FCAI is very matter of fact.

In real terms, though, the numbers don’t seem too bad. A total of 93,984 sales were registered, a drop of just under 1% compared to March 2010.

FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar seemed to dismiss the drop in sales by saying, “Notwithstanding slightly lower sales during the month, the demand for new vehicles is broadly consistent with other retail and consumer demand indicators.”

Toyota and Holden remain unchallenged in their respective one and two positions on the sales charts. While it is Ford’s turn to hold the number three mantle from Mazda.

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Audi

2012 Audi A3 revealed in sketch form

Audi A3 sketch

Five sketches have emerged detailing the look of the new Audi A3 hatch and sedan. Next year the third generation A3 hatch will be released; it will be the first model built on the platform which will underpin the Golf VII and many other Volkswagen Group products. In 2013 the A3 sedan will follow, which we know will be launched in the US and Germany. We can only assume the sedan model will reach other markets, but this is yet to be confirmed.

We don’t really see anything in these sketches that we shouldn’t expect. The lines have been sharpened up a bit, but really, we’re seeing an evolution of the current 8P shape here, rather than revolution. Of course, we were given a big preview of what to expect with the A3 concept “notchback” at Geneva last month.

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Audi

Audi Q3 heading to Shanghai

Audi Q3 design sketch

The world will be getting another small SUV/crossover thingy at Auto Shanghai later this month with confirmation Audi will launch its new Q3. If you think this type of car is your bag then full details will be coming your way around 19 April following the show debut.

Audi hasn’t confirmed any other details aside from the launch date, so expect the usual mix of four cylinder diesel and petrol engines. For en extra surprise maybe they’ll have a hybrid model too.

UPDATE: Audi today released five sketch images of the Q3. The first is shown above, take the break to see the rest.

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Audi Drive Thru

Drive Thru: Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI

Audi A7 Sportback

Beauty comes in the shape of many things. One such example is the Audi A7 Sportback. It’s the latest four-door “coupé” to hit local shores and helps to keep Audi at the vanguard of this current automotive trend.

Inside and out the A7 is all class. Audi has done well to keep the production car very close to the pathway set by the Sportback Concept presented at Detroit in early 2009. The look is refined elegance, as you would expect. It is clear, also, Audi’s biggest Sportback has a strong visual presence on the road and it certainly demanded attention from several onlookers during our test.

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