Previously thought to only be released in Europe, Audi just confirmed that they will, in fact be bringing the RS5 supercoupe here Stateside. This also means they’ll definitely be downgrading the S5’s engine to a supercharged V6. That’s a shame.

The upcoming 2012 RS5 features Audi’s fantastic 4.2-liter V8 engine producing a massive 450 hp – a big jump from the S5’s 354 hp – and it’s naturally aspirated. All that power, of course, will be put down to the road by all four wheels via Audi’s quattro AWD system.

Pricing and details are yet to be announced.

Audi displays the e-tron concept car at the Silvretta Rally. Obviously there isn’t an electric R8 and won’t be, but Audi used the R8 as a platform for the powertrain, which is being developed and will be implemented into future cars. Check out the video:

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know when. Audi just officially announced production of the R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI quattro – the latest in the R8 supercar lineup. We already have the R8 Spyder 5.2, featuring Audi’s 525 hp V10, but now those seeking a bit less performance can opt for the excellent 4.2-liter V8 producing 430 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque.

The drop-top R8 is similar to the coupe – standard quattro (AWD) powertrain, available in 6-speed manual or R tronic gearbox, optional LED headlights and seatbelt microphone. The soft top weighs only 93 lbs, controlled with an electrohydraulic system that closes up in 19 seconds.

And for those of you afraid the soft top R8 is for wieners – well, you’re probably right, but it can still scoot. 62 mph from a stop comes in only 4.8 seconds, up to a top speed of 186 mph. That’s with both the manual or R tronic gearbox. And since fuel economy is apparently a concern in a supercar nowadays, the car comes with a regenerative braking system that recoups energy normally wasted while slowing down. This helps the car get an impressive 17 mpg (16 mpg with the manual) combined highway/city miles.

Germany will start seeing the R8 Spyder 4.2 on showrooms within the next few months; no word on bringing the car to the States.
Me, I’ll pass on the silly-looking convertible and head straight for the R8 GT, thank you.

At the risk of reinforcing old school stereotypes, when it comes to cars girls do tend to be a little more interested in colour, interior and accessories, than engine, emissions and handling – with that in mind here’s our specially designed Audi guide for girls, with information on model preferences to suit mood, colour scheme and style.

Soft furnishings – Detroit showcase Audi e-tron

Women excel in the subject of soft furnishings; we love curtains, we love scatter cushions and we love rugs, but we also love style and expect this to extend to our cars. 2010 saw the launch of the Detroit showcase Audi e-tron car – which offers the epitome of sleek interior sophistication, all clean leather lines with a flush gear shift that emerges from the tunnel when the vehicle is started.

Vintage Chic – Audi Quattro Spyder

Proof that true style is timeless; the Quattro Spyder still looks current ten years after its release. Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991, the flat sports coupé Quattro Spyder created quite a stir on the auto scene, but despite massive consumer interest only two prototypes were constructed – which means it’ll be a bit hard to compare car insurance should you ever manage to get your hands on one.

Kid friendly – Q5 and Q7

If there’s two of you in a relationship, women are generally lumbered with the ‘family’ / ‘sensible’ car when you have kids, with the man opting for the ‘almost sports’ car in a bid to retain his sense of freedom and adventure. Fear not ladies, the Audi Q5 and Q7 offer all the space and strength to contain and withstand the battery of small children, without the loss of the leather sports interior, air-con and ten-speaker stereo system.

Cutting edge – R8 TDI Le Mans Concept

It’s a very basic, yet hotly denied, fact that we all judge on first looks – meaning you’ve got to make a good impression immediately or suffer at the hands of consequence forever more. As a woman I want my car to stand out not just because it’s bright pink, but also because it’s god damn handsome – and how much more handsome can you get than the R8 TDI Le Mans Concept which is described as having ‘muscular proportions, accentuated wheel arches and even larger air apertures’…?

Complete coordination – all models

I don’t want a sales man to tell me that a car only comes in one colour – if you’re buying an Audi straight from the factory you can pretty much have whatever colour you want, for a few extra pounds of course. Which means if you really want a pink car – you can, and if you always dreamed of a cool chrome car, dream no more.

WorldCarFans photographers were lucky enough to spot a prototype Audi S7 out in the wild near the Nurburgring test track in Germany. What we can deduce from the photos is fairly typical of what we’d expect – a quad-pipe exhaust, sexy S-type wheels with big brakes, a retractable rear spoiler, and what will surely be a slightly modified, more aggressive appearance.

The expected powertrain, although we’ve been wrong about this before, is a 440+ hp, 4.2-liter V8. Make sure to check out WCF for more details and images.

Oh man, have you ever seen such a specimen of mechanical beauty? “What, the R8?” you say? Not just an R8 my friend…this is the Audi R8 GT. Hot on the heels of our report that Audi is creating a lightweight, faster R8 (the R8 GT3 we thought,) Audi proves us right.

As any car enthusiast knows, the “GT” moniker denotes something special. Something just a step above your standard model. A high-performance version of your favorite car, and the R8 GT delivers.

Not only did Audi manage to shave a significant 220 lbs of the factory R8 V10, but they added an extra 35 horsepower out of the 5.2-liter V10 engine. So, how did they drop the weight you ask? Well, they used polycarbonate for the rear hatch window, a lighter windshield, thinner sheet metal, a fixed rear wing, various cutouts on the front luggage hatch, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the rear hatch, rear bumper, and side blades, along with lightening the brake system, putting in a lighter battery, a new air intake system, lighter carpeting, and lighter seats. Whew! They really went the extra mile here, huh?

Too bad they kept a bunch of useless luxury stuff like automatic climate control, power windows, navigation, and MMI. Power windows I understand, but I certainly wouldn’t want navigation and auto climate control in what’s supposed to be a light version of the supercar. Given, it’s not stripped-down Lamborghini Superleggera-style (I’m waiting patiently for that one.) Still…DAMN that thing looks good. See all that carbon fiber? Check out the images below for more details – all that’s optional extra, sadly, and for a starting price of $255,628 – ouch! What’s even more disappointing is that it’s only available as an automatic. Well, the R tronic, but still, no stick shifter.

So, what’s that extra 35 ponies do for the R8 GT’s speed? From a complete stop, the car scoots from zero to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds – not too shabby – keeps going for 7.2 more seconds when it hits 124 mph, then up to a top speed of 199mph. No 200 mph club for it yet, huh? It’s already on sale in Germany, and don’t expect it in the States any time soon. Now the R8 Superleggera? They better bring that over here when it debuts.

Check out more glorious photos below:

View Photo Album

The hottest hatch of all hot hatches, the upcoming Audi RS3, has been spotted testing on the Nurburgring in Germany, and we have pictures. It may look like an S3 on the outside, but it’s sporting the guts of the high-performance RS3 underneath.

Expect it to receive the same 2.5-liter, five-cylinder turbo engine found in the TT RS, but tuned to more than 330 hp giving it a 0 to 60 time of less than 5 seconds. The engine will be paired with Audi’s S tronic transmission with the quattro system putting down power to all four wheels.

Plenty of interior and exterior changes will give the RS3 a more aggressive look than the S3. We expect Audi to unveil the RS3 officially later this year. Will it make it here to the States? Probably not, unfortunately, but we can always dream.

Check out more info and pictures at AutoExpress

Although the Audi TT has been a winner since its introduction back in 1995, that doesn’t mean there still isn’t room for improvement. And improvement is just what Audi will be imparting on the 2011 version of their much-loved TT.

There are a host of equipment changes for 2011 TT Starting with the 2.0 TFSI Quattro, you will now get chrome dual tailpipes, optional Audi magnetic ride with better differentiation between the ‘Sport’ & ‘Normal’ modes. The sport button program will modify the steering servo boost as well as the exhaust sound and there are new standard bumpers, radiator grille, fog lamp grille and fog lamps in chrome.

Additionally there are interior aluminum optic accents including the steering wheel, center console, and door liner, and the accents continue on the rings, frames, and strips in high-gloss black. There is an aluminum strip above the glove box door that is now brushed grey.

There are new exterior colors for America: nougat brown, titanium gray, and garnet red. Along with the new exterior colors, Audi has added optional Fine Nappa leather that is thermally resistant and reduces the temperature of the seating upholstery up to 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the TTS, Audi has added a new grille, fog lamp grille in honeycomb optic, fog lamps and horizontal cross braces in chrome.

Adding to the existing A4 Driving Challenge game on the iPhone that Audi released in September of 2008 to promote the then-redesigned A4, the company just released a new game called “Audi A1 Beat Driver” to promote the new small car. As with any advertisement/promo-game, it doesn’t cost anything to download and play.

Audi A1 Beat Driver features nine songs to drive to the beat to, if that makes sense. In the game, you drive the A1 down a virtual road, swiping the screen to steer while trying to hit as many blocks as possible to the beat of the music. Imagine Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but with a compact car instead. As with every video game that’s ever existed, you try and collect power-ups and avoid obstacles along the way.

An International list of scores is kept on the leaderboard in-game, and naturally you can share your score via Twitter or Facebook and view more information about the Audi A1 from within the app. I wouldn’t call the game a “keeper,” but it’s definitely worth a download and one play-through.

Just as we hear reports of Audi planning a race-ready but street-legal R8 GT3, MTM comes out with this – a massively fast, supercharged, lightweight, Rear-Wheel-Drive version of the V8-powered supercar called the R8 GT3-2. The “2″ at the end represents its drive wheels, differentiating it from the standard AWD cars.

While the performance enhancements are significant (and we will go over those in the following paragraphs,) what we really need to focus on here is that this is an Audi R8 without its quattro AWD system; it’s only driven by the rear wheels. While that may seem like a disadvantage to some, others (especially racers,) will consider this a godsend and buy one based solely on that fact. Not only does getting rid of quattro lighten up the car, but gives it an entirely new driving dynamic. RWD cars are more fun to drive, for one, but can also be driven more aggressively and can be taken around turns sideways (powersliding, drifting,) whereas AWD cars have trouble doing that.

So, what else has been changed? MTM supercharged the R8, effectively giving the 4.2-liter V8 engine 560 HP – 35 more than the V10 version with significantly less weight. It’s only boosted to 8 psi, so crank up that boost and you’ll get even more power. Zero to 62 mph comes in only 3.9 seconds, up to a top speed of 197 mph. MTM also tacked on a special exhaust to increase performance and make the modified R8 sound unmistakable. A special adjustable suspension is added to the car, along with 20-inch lightweight forged wheels wrapped in high-performance Dunlop tires.

Outside, MTM kept it mostly stock, save for replacing the front spoiler, side skirt and rear wing with their own lightweight (and more aerodynamic) carbon fiber pieces. Inside, MTM gets you some Recaro carbon racing seats.

If you’re interested in an MTM Audi R8 GT3-2 – and who would blame you – you can order one from MTM directly or give them your existing R8 for a conversion.