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Introduced to the world this past August, it seems that Audi and racing team ABT Sportsline are spending some time at the Nürburgring with this, supremely wild R8 GT3.

The hugely winged and kitted R8 is said to have been fitted to the requirements of a GT3 race car, meaning that all of its 500 horsepower is directed to the rear wheels only—as four-wheel drive isn’t permitted in the formula. That prodigious shove from the V-10 engine is handled through a six-speed sequential gearbox. We’ve heard rumors that the racy R8 was clearing the ‘Ring in laps of around eight minutes, forty seconds, which isn’t bad considering the recently rainy driving conditions.

Have a closer look at the super R8 GT3 in our gallery above, or scroll down below to read a few words penned by the spy shooter himself.

The Audi TTS, which was revealed at last January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, is just about ready to be sold in the States, and official pricing has been announced. The TTS Coupe will start at $45,500, with the TTS Roadster priced from $47,500. This pricing reflects a $10,300 premium over the base TT models.

Under the hood, the TTS is powered by Audi's revised 2.0 TFSI engine, cranking out 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The Coupe will go from zero to 60 miles an hour in just 4.9 seconds, while the Roadster adds two tenths of a second to that time. Fuel economy should still be relatively good for cars in this segment, with both models yielding 21 city and 29 highway miles per gallon. Power is routed through the S-tronic dual-clutch system capable of 0.2-second shift times and Quattro all-wheel drive is standard. Top speed in both cars is electronically limited to 155 miles per hour.

Audi is also working on an even more powerful TT-RS, though there's still no official word if that car will be coming to America.

+ Motor Authority: Audi announces U.S. pricing for TTS Coupe and Roadster

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Since the Audi Mileage Marathon is essentially a contest to see which team of journalists can achieve the best fuel economy out of each vehicle, it's only fitting that some rules and regulations are put into place. Each car is fitted with a data logger that tracks the fuel consumption and average speed of each car, so even if we were to reset the in-dash trip computer, our overall results would not change. Points are awarded for the best fuel economy and the highest average speed, with more weight put on economy.

A team of IMSA officials traveled along with the Audi folks and monitored all fuel stops. Teams are not allowed to add any fuel themselves, and only one tank of gas is allotted per day. Just before we reach the hotel each night, we stop off at a Shell station where the IMSA folks fill the tank, record how much fuel was used, and seal off the fuel door with a signed sticker.

As for car modifications, we were told that the tires were inflated to the maximum pressure to give the best fuel economy. Bob Massa, a Michelin spokesperson, told us that even if we over-inflated the tires, it wouldn't do us any good, as the specific low-rolling-resistance tires outfitted on these cars were made for optimum economical driving. One team did, however, tape up the front end of a Q7 to eliminate any sheetmetal gaps, though these modifications did not improve their numbers in any way.

Click through the gallery to see some of the IMSA folks regulating our drive, and stay tuned for more impressions from the Mileage Marathon.

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After having taken over for my colleague Steve Ewing here at the Audi Mileage Marathon, we have successfully embarked on our first day of travel here in Wave 3, having journeyed from downtown Denver to Durango. Along our day of driving, my new co-driver, Roosevelt Gist and I clambered aboard Audi Q7 #1, a number that would sadly not prove to be prophetic for our first day’s mileage.

Throughout our day’s journey we remained at higher altitudes, a factor that inevitably came into play even with forced-induction engines like our fleet of Audi TDIs. That said, our mileage struck us as very impressive, as we eeked out an unofficial figure 29 miles per gallon—this, despite basically spending the entire day above 6000 feet and as high as about 11,000 feet. Although official mileage results have not been tabulated through the use of the mysterious black boxes mounted beneath the load floor in the cargo hold (we’ll learn our day’s ranking later this morning), we hear that others have garnered average highs of as 30-31 mpg on their dashboard readouts.

(Click through to read on)

Hard at work racking up high mpg numbers on Audi’s epic TDI drive across the country, our own Chris Paukert has managed to sniff out some juicy details regarding a new derv-burner that’s headed State-side.

Audi officials have confirmed that the A3 2.0 TDI, in front-drive configuration only, will be headed to the U.S. market as soon as next fall for the 2010 model year. The A3 diesel will run the same basic engine as can be found in the current Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which manages to get away with not using urea injection technology because of lower NOx emissions.

We’ve also been hipped that Audi may be bringing the A4 TDI to our market, though that deal hasn’t yet received final approval. Both the 3.0-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines could be in play for this application, though the higher loads on the smaller powerplant could necessitate urea to clean up the NOx. Having spent some time with a European specification A4 3.0 TDI, we can safely say that we’d be in favor of having that sedan in the States – A3 diesel sure sounds like a winner in today’s car buying climate as well.

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This was indeed a nice surprise. After spending the past four days behind the wheel of a Q7 3.0 TDI in the Audi Mileage Marathon, we were given the opportunity to drive around in the not-for-America TT 2.0 TDI.

Audi has talked a lot about how they want to convey the message that diesel-powered cars can be sports cars, too. If the TT isn't enough proof for all of the nay-sayers, just look at the R10 TDI Le Mans car which takes home win after win. In fact, the Audi folks are running the R10 on pure bio-diesel these days.

The 2.0-liter turbo-diesel is the same engine found under the hood in our long-term Jetta TDI which just arrived. This powerplant is good for 170 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. In our test TT, the power is routed through a six-speed manual transmission and is put to the pavement via Quattro all-wheel-drive. The Audi folks claim that the TT TDI will go from a stand-still to 60 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds and that observed fuel economy will be somewhere around the area of 44.3 miles per gallon. Judging by the numbers we've seen in the A3 2.0 TDI this week during the Mileage Marathon, we think that under conservative driving, MPGs could rise up to as high as 50.

(Click through the post to read more.)

It's a cold, windy, rainy day as we head out of Amarillo on our way to Denver -- the final leg of Wave 2 of the Audi Mileage Marathon. After our stop in the mile-high city in Colorado, Editor-in-Chief Chris Paukert will take over for the NextAutos team, while my co-driver (Sam Abuelsamid from AutoblogGreen) and I head back home.

Yesterday's stint was a mostly uphill drive from Dallas to Amarillo. In fact, we climbed nearly 2000 feet, but surprisingly, overall fuel economy wasn't hurt too much. The leading Q7 driven by Jim McCraw and Kevin Kelly took the top ranking of the day, with 29.5 miles per gallon at 62 miles per hour. The NextAutos Q7 wasn't too far off, though, averaging 29.1 mpg at 60 mph. The top A4 team achieved 40.6 mpg, the best Q5 got 35.3 mpg, and the sole A3 came in at 48.4 mpg.

Today's drive from Amarillo to Denver is also an uphill adventure, so we'll see how the teams' fuel economy numbers are affected by this. As always, stay tuned for more updates.

Yesterday's drive took us west from Memphis, passing through Arkansas and making our way into Texas. After a night at The Joule hotel in downtown Dallas, we're back on the road. This time, however, we will not be following major interstate expressways, and will instead be driving on rural highways to get to our final destination in Amarillo.

Yesterday showed some pretty impressive numbers from all vehicle classes. The leading Q7 was able to obtain fuel economy numbers of 30.3 miles per gallon with an average speed of around 59 miles per hour. The NextAutos Q7 didn't do quite as well, only managing to get 28.6 mpg with an average speed of 58 mph. When we asked the winning team what their secret was, they mentioned that driving the Q7 in manual mode and using the wheel-mounted paddle shifters let them keep low revs in each gear. Also, they were fortunate enough to find a semi truck driver who was willing to play along and let the team draft behind them for over 100 miles.

For the rest of the cars, the winning A4 achieved numbers of 43.3 mpg at 58 mph with the number one Q5 observing 37.9 mpg at 60 mph. The little A3 made the trip at an average of 60 mph, averaging 48.4 mpg along the way.

As always, we'll have more updates later. We've got a few tricks up our sleeve which might make today's drive a bit more interesting (and efficient), so we'll be sure to let you all know how everything works out.

After a lovely dinner at B.B. King's in downtown Memphis and a good rest, we're back on the road with the Audi Mileage Marathon. Today's drive will take us from Memphis to Dallas by way of Little Rock, where we will stop for lunch.

So far, our Q7 has averaged fuel economy numbers of 28.8 miles per gallon. One other car got the same readings, so we're tied for best fuel economy. Our average speed, however, is a bit below the curve. We've averaged 60 miles per hour thus far, though our attempts at drafting behind semis and using the adaptive cruise control have indeed aided our MPGs.

As for the other cars, the leading A4 is averaging 44.8 miles per gallon at 61 mph, the leading Q5 is averaging 38.5 mpg at 59 mph, and the (only) A3 is getting readings of 41.1 mpg at 59 mph. Stay tuned to see how these numbers change throughout the rest of our drive.

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Audi is hard at work on a pair of new TT models that are bound to give a major uptick in performance to the attractive German coupe. Spotted in both hardtop and convertible configurations, the RS varients of the TT are expected to produce as much as 350 horsepower, transmitted to the pavement through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The new cars have been fitted with lower and fatter front spoilers, as well as bigger air intakes to keep the high performance machine breathing freely. Oval exhaust tips, a standard feature on all of Audi’s RS line cars, are also in evidence here.

Both cars have also seen upgrades in the wheel/tire package, with larger rubber on hand to offer adequate grip for the huge power. The TT-RS coupe also seems to have been fitted with impressive ceramic composite brakes, likely optional equipment on both cars. Scroll down below to read the spy shooter’s own words or check out the cars in our galleries above.

We've landed in Chicago and are eagerly awaiting the start of the second leg of the Audi Mileage marathon. So far, the Q7s, Q5s, A4s, and A3s have traveled from New York to Chicago by way of Washington, D.C. and Cleveland. We depart tomorrow morning for our first stint of the drive which takes us from the Windy City into Memphis, Tennessee.

We'll be sure to post more updates from the road about our time in these Audi diesels, including how our fuel economy figures are holding up. Stay tuned.

Now that Audi's RS4 sedan has dropped out of the North American lineup, the quad-rung automaker is now turning its focus to the RS5 coupe, expected to debut next year in Geneva.

Our friends at Motor Authority have captured the RS5 testing at the Nürburgring. New wheels and a reworked front air dam indicate that this car is near production-spec, though no final word has been given on powertrain. Sources claim that the 4.2-liter V-8 from the RS4 will be used, though power would be boosted to 450 horsepower. Others speculate that the V-10 from the RS6 will be featured, though this seems like a rather costly decision for car meant to battle with the BMW M3 Coupe and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Click on over to Motor Authority for more details and images.

+ Motor Authority

Today marks the start of the 2008 Audi Mileage Marathon, a cross-country drive featuring the latest clean diesel offerings from Audi, including the U.S.-bound Q7 3.0 TDI set to hit dealerships next year. This drive will cover more than 4800 miles between October 6th and 20th and twenty-three Audi TDI vehicles will participate in the rally.

Other vehicles included in the Mileage Marathon are the new Q5 3.0 TDI, A4 3.0 TDI, and A3 2.0 TDI Sportback. While it's not confirmed if any of these models will be making their way to the States, we're looking forward to experiencing the performance and fuel efficiency that these TDI cars offer.

The NextAutos team will be jumping on board the Mileage Marathon later this week. We'll be posting pictures and impressions live from the road, so stay tuned for further updates. In the meantime, click through the post to read Audi's official press release -- and check the list of towns we'll be stopping through, as well.

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Audi dropped the curtain on the rollicking S4 variant of its new A4 today, giving us a digital taste of the car before its live preview at the Paris Motor Show in a few weeks.

The S4 will be the first home for an exciting all-new engine from Audi, a 333 horsepower, supercharged 3.0-liter TFSI V-6, which will not only scoot the smoldering sedan from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds, but also return a decent 24 miles per gallon on average. A six-speed manual or seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission will be available and each car will naturally be equipped with Audi’s 40/60 front/rear torque-splitting Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The standard A4 is a pretty good visual starting place for the angrier S4, which adds larger 18-inch S-Design alloy wheels, quadruple exhaust, and a muscular yet restrained body kit. Lighting has also been revised at both ends of the car, and interior modifications include “S4” emblazoned front seats, grey-backed instruments with racy white needles, and a selection of high end inlays that include birch, carbon fiber, brushed aluminum, or stainless steel mesh.

Audi says that it plans to start European deliveries of its new sports car in March of next year. U.S. pricing and specification is still up in the air, though we know that the S4 Avant will not be headed our way. Look for the American version of the sedan to start in the upper $40,000 range as per the current model.
 
Have a look at Audi’s full-bodied press release below and peruse the gallery of manufacturer photos in our gallery above.

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It seems that Audi is working on a smaller version of its popular and sure-footed A6 Allroad, the pumped up, quasi-SUV lifestyle wagon.

The new Allroad will be based on the A4 and may come in both sedan and Avant varieties – though the actual configuration has yet to be disclosed. The A4 Allroad is also likely to be a simpler beast than its A6 brother, eschewing the tricky air suspension of the larger model. Look for the engine range to stay unchanged from the standard A4 spec sheet.

In this set of spy photos we’re treated to a first glance at the Allroad sedan, which has obviously been properly beefed up for its role as a newly capable off-road vehicle. The Audi is sporting revised bumpers, wider fenders, and a new set of fog lamps, while also boasting a higher ride height. The adds may not turn the Quattro-equipped A4 into a serious rock-crawler but the car will no doubt be quite confident in lairy weather conditions – and will look mighty fine in the process. Scroll down to read the shooter’s own words and check out the A4 Allroad mule in our gallery above. 

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We are solidly on record at Winding Road as having a penchant for many of the succulent automotive fruits readily available elsewhere in the world, but not available to American consumers. So when the opportunity arises for us to sample one of these exotic flavors – despite being uniformly quick to agree to the offer – we remain well aware that the sweeter the taste is, the longer we’ll spend with a resultant bitterness malingering on our automotive palates.

It’s a good thing, then, that Audi is at least flirting with the idea of bringing its newest 3.0-liter V-6 TDi A4 sedan to our shores, as want for this able diesel could otherwise make us surly drivers indeed.

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Some weeks are just better than others.

The NextAutos staff is lucky enough to have access to a rotating weekly fleet of press vehicles that run the gamut from entry-level budget wheels, to hyper-expensive exotic sports cars. And while on most weeks there are a few cars whose keys could cause a scuffle, every now and again the fates align to make us truly spoiled for choice.

Audi has given up the dirt on its new Q5 SUV set for launch in front of the teaming throngs at the Beijing Auto Show.

To say that the Q5 takes a page from its Q7 older brother would be mildly understating the case. The SUV essentially takes the Q7 and shrinks it to four-fifths scale, retaining the proportions, silhouette and overall demeanor of the lager vehicle.

Our Audi US moles at the New York show are telling us today that when the latest A4 sedan and Avant arrive here in October of this year that the latest-generation 2.0-liter TFSI engine comes with it.