Audi A3 Sedan Concept with 408HP Officially Previews Next Generation Model

It"s been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Its main purpose is to preview both the saloon variant and the styling direction of the next A3, which is scheduled for a rollout in 2012 and will also include the successors to today"s three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and the two-door convertible models.

"The four-seater notchback sedan offers a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family," Audi said in a statement.

The A3 concept measures 4.44 meters (14.57 feet) long, 1.84 meters (6.04 feet) wide and just 1.39 meters (4.56 feet) high, meaning it"s slightly smaller than the new Volkswagen Jetta (4.64 m long).

The sedan study embodies Audi"s latest design language as seen on the recent A8, A6 and A7 Sportback models featuring a single-frame grille with tapered upper corners, angular headlights with LED technology and taut body lines.

The show car is fitted with an upgraded version of the 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine found under the bonnet of the current RS3 and TT RS models, producing a peak output of 408-horses. The five-pot distributes power to all four wheels through a seven-speed S tronic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.

We"ll have more details on the A3 Concept from the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Audi A3 Sedan Concept with 408HP Officially Previews Next Generation Model

It"s been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Its main purpose is to preview both the saloon variant and the styling direction of the next A3, which is scheduled for a rollout in 2012 and will also include the successors to today"s three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and the two-door convertible models.

"The four-seater notchback sedan offers a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family," Audi said in a statement.

The A3 concept measures 4.44 meters (14.57 feet) long, 1.84 meters (6.04 feet) wide and just 1.39 meters (4.56 feet) high, meaning it"s slightly smaller than the new Volkswagen Jetta (4.64 m long).

The sedan study embodies Audi"s latest design language as seen on the recent A8, A6 and A7 Sportback models featuring a single-frame grille with tapered upper corners, angular headlights with LED technology and taut body lines.

The show car is fitted with an upgraded version of the 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine found under the bonnet of the current RS3 and TT RS models, producing a peak output of 408-horses. The five-pot distributes power to all four wheels through a seven-speed S tronic transmission and permanent all-wheel drive.

We"ll have more details on the A3 Concept from the Geneva Motor Show in March.

Audi Presents High-Tech Auto Union Type C e-tron Toy Car Study with All-Electric Drive

At this year?s International Toy Fair in Nuremberg (February 3-8), Audi will showcase a selection of model cars and other products, including the Auto Union Type C e-tron, a concept study with a fully-electric drive based on the firm"s limited edition pedal car, which is sold through is quattro GmbH subsidiary.

The one-of-a-kind Auto Union Type C e-tron boasts a hand-finished body made of aluminum and carbon-look material. Measuring 2.32 meters (91.34 inches) in length and 97 centimeters (38.2 inches) in width, the 1:2 scale model is suitable for children as well as adults up to 1.8 meters (5?11?) tall.

The high-tech toy car is powered by an electric motor delivering 1.5HP (1.12kW) and up to 60 Nm (44.25 lb-ft) of torque, fed by a lithium-ion battery. Power is sent to the rear wheels and the study is also equipped with a reverse gear.

The top speed is a very respectable 30 km/h (18.64 mph) and, depending on the driving style, the electrified Type C can travel as far as 25 kilometers (15.53 miles). Charging takes about two hours at most, using any standard 230-volt household socket.

Audi did not say if it has any plans to introduce a production model of the study in the future.

By Csaba Daradics

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2012 Audi RS6 Sports Sedan Rendered by Photoshop Buff

Talk about a lightning fast response. It"s been less than 24 hours since Audi pulled the veils off the fourth-generation A6 premium sedan, and yet we already have a photoshop rendering of the future RS6 created by an artist from EDL. Granted, the production model would most likely sport blistered wheel arches while it wouldn"t sit so close to the ground, but the "chop gives us an idea of what an RS version of the new A6 would look like.

Rendering aside, we"re still in the dark about the details surrounding the next generation RS6. Despite some rumors of Audi opting for a force-fed V8 engine, we wouldn"t dismiss the possibility of the German firm using an upgraded version of the 5.2-litre V10 engine mated to a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. In any case, expect the horsepower-war between German luxury carmakers to continue with Audi"s proposal moving closer to the 600hp mark.

Source: EDL Design, Via: Autoblog.nl

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Video: Audi Quattro Concept Meets up with 1984 Quattro Coupe

At this year"s Paris Auto Show in October, Audi celebrated the original 1980s Quattro"s 30th anniversary by unveiling the Quattro Concept. Soon after, rumors started flowing around that Audi plans to develop a production version of the sports car, which is loosely based on the RS5 Coupe"s architecture using a modified version of the RS3 Sportback / TT RS" 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with 408 ponies.

Even though we"ve yet receive any official confirmation on the production model, the German automaker continues to release new material on the Quattro concept. This time, the Ingolstadt firm has published a new promotional film showcasing the design study as well as its spiritual predecessor, the 1984 Quattro Coupe. Watch the video right after the break.

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