Audi will be bringing out the little guns when they unveil their A1 compact sized hatchback at the Tokyo Auto Show. After months of speculation and build-up the A1 will be out for the picture taking and analysis. The A1 is slotted to compete against the strong sales of the Mini Cooper and will also find some competition from the recently released Volvo C30.

Not to be out-done by the Mini Cooper convertible Audi will be producing a drop top of their own for the A1. There will also be the first Audi hybrid available in the A1. While the specs for the hybrid system have not fully been revealed it will add a fair bit of curiosity to an anticipated unveiling.

Audi reported that there expections for the first year of production of the A1 are 100,000 cars. With a price equaling the Mini Coopers asking the Audi A1could certainly make for an interesting show in 2008.

Source[MotorAuthority]

BMW does not seem all too interested in sharing their market with Audi. They have their 1-Series aimed at countering Audi’s A1 concept and A3. They have their 335xi AWDtargeted at competing against Audi’s Quattro models. Now BMW appears tired of listening to all the Audi R8 hoop-la. The Z9 will be designated as BMW’s Heavy Weight, high speed combatant against the Iron Man auto of Audi.

To give the Z9 its competitive drive BMW plans to utilize a modified version of the V10 found in the M5 and M6 models. With a target output of 550 horsepower the Z9 will have the muscle to stand up against the R8, but will it have the sleek elegance demonstrated by the Audi super car?

BMW has announced that they will be putting their xDrive all-wheel drive system in the 335i in 2008. The new 335xi is said to have better take-off at zero-to-sixty by .1 and .2 seconds depending on the transmission. But is this choice a response by BMW to the expressed demands of owners looking for the added stability or performance of an all-wheel drive 335 or are they merely responding to added market pressure for a strong Audi Quattro line-up?

BMW does not seem accustomed to competing against other brands as they have been the trend setters and market dominant luxury sport coupe for years. Audi on the other hand has had great rally and race success with their Quattro racers and have recently made strong improvements in their design and interior quality. So much so that many in the auto industry are sitting up to take notice; including BMW.

The BMW 335xi will house the same twin-turbo engine with its 300-hp straight-six as the 335i. The improved sensitivity to the potential loss of traction with the xDrive all-wheel drive system will help manage to keep the BMW snug on its line and just ahead of the Audi Quattro, or so they hope. Look for the BMW 335xi in the 1st quarter of 2008, but you may have a hard time finding one in your local dealers lot. The 335i took work to locate unless you ordered one from the dealership. The 335xi may just require the same.

Source[motor authority]

Ever look at those car company logo’s and wonder where they came from? Well there is a convenient listing out there that provides some of the background for the some of the worlds most recognized symbols.

Take for example the Volvo logo. In Latin the word Volvo means “i roll”. The circle with arrow of the Volvo logo is the symbol for iron, which was used to make Sweden’s main industrial product of the country back in the day: steel.

Audi is blazing into 2008 with a stable of new designs that truly impress. Included in that line-up is the redesign of the TT and the unveiling of the R8 super car. However, it seems that Audi is not yet prepared to rest on the laurels they have been receiving for such striking designs. In fact it seems as though they engineers and designers at Audi are so proud of their work they want to the whole world to see what is inside. So now they are taking their tops off and planning to bring to market a TT Speedster and the R8 Spider.

The TT Speedster retains all the sophistication of the new TT while unleashing the thrill of the road into your face. While what you are seeing is purely a rendering of what is to come this topless TT strikes at you without shame or embarrassment. If they can actually couple the tenacity of the Speedsters design with the TT’s performance and Audi’s usual interior sophistication then they will truly have an automotive gem on their hands here.

But if the TT Speedster is a gem then what can you make of the R8 Spider?

While this simple cartoon-ish sketch is all we have to go on so far, it is easy to build plenty of expectation for what is already a great design. For some people a topless R8 Spider may actually be having your cake and driving it too. You can anticipate plenty of build up as the Spider plans come closer to fruition.

Audi is certainly going full-throttle in their design and engineering department and we approve. To see more sketches of the TT Speedster head over to egmCarTech.

As more and more cars are seeking major movie roles you may see a new style of Hollywood Agent catering to the needs of their high profile auto clients. The latest auto maker to make the leap to movie stardom is Audi and the R8 inparticularly.

For the upcoming Iron Man film the production team was seeking out a line of cars that fit in with the visual theme of the movie. Few cars on the market today could compliment the opulance of the Tony Stark character and the sleek metal body of Iron Man like the Audi R8.

Other Audi’s that will be making appearances in the Iron Man movie set for release on May 2nd, 2008 will be the A6, the Q7 and the new S5. However, unlike most Hollywood actors these professionals actual pay to be in the movies. For their prominent product placement Audi will be pitching in a hefty wads of cash toward marketing and promotions for the film. But do not get your hopes up that you will see a banner advertising “The Great Iron Man Audi R8 Give-Away.” Those things only happen in the movies.

The Audi R8 is a fantastic fit for the duplicity that is the lead character of the film (added to even more by the man playing that lead role, the multi-faceted Robert Downey Jr.). The car is a melding of both heart-pounding performance and sophisticated, luxury accommodations. Both lead roles will be sharing equal strengths in might and intelligence.

Now what is the agents cut from the actors salary?

Source[CanMag]

There are those auto enthusiasts who thrive on the curious speculation of what is yet to come. It is sometimes in the car maker benefit to let certain design notions slip into the hands of the right people to get a feel for the enthusiasts impressions. While it might seem doubtful in many cases the styling desires of the auto electorate (those who buy cars) can have an affect on a cars design. But then there are those other times when the sketched promise of a potential auto can have a profound affect on the wants and desires of we the prideful shoppers. The Audi A1 invokes a fervent desire to see more.

If Ford, Chevy and Dodge were all three unveiling new 2-door mini-cars onto the auto market in the U.S. there would surely be a battle-royale in the marketing blitz to see: 1. who was fastest, 2.who was safest and 3. who could sup’ down the most fuel (And History shows the results would likely be 1. Chevy 2. Ford and 3. Dodge). However, that is not the case here as the players in the new 2-door luxury compact (oops, they don’t use that word anymore) car market are Audi, BMW and Volvo… the ABV’s if you will. Known more for the European refinement and sophistication it seems more likely that these three automakers will rely more on their own reputation to more their new wheels into this new market. The Audi A3, BMW 1-Series and the Volvo C30 express the most recent design attributes that permeate their larger model cars and sporty engines already employed in larger siblings, and that on top of their nameplates helps to build a little excitement for each of them.

So it seems like it is time to do a little visual shopping.

First to bat is the Audi A3 which came out last year to some mild applause. It was the first luxury brand to really test the compact market with a sporty entrant of this caliber. Take a look at the road test below of the A3 to see if it wets your whistle any.

Next up is the BMW 1-series that is finally about to land in North America after receiving its first introduction into the market in Europe. The 1-Series is just not sneaking onto the market with modest support and thrust power.. Oh no. BMW is unleashing its 135i with 306 horses and the capabilities of an M class car minus the badges. So far there have not been too many test drives available for the new 135i so for the time being we will have to be teased by the in-house footage provided by BMW.

And rounding out the selection is the Volvo C30, which may actually be the sleeper of the bunch. It seems odd to call a car with such unique styling a sleeper, but when you are reminded that it is a Volvo some people automatically think of their grandma and her boxy, safe Volvo wagon. Once you are labeled with something it takes a lot of time to break those stereotypes and rebuild an image of dignified excitement, as is the case with Volvo. They are not straying from the safety that built their original reputation, but they are certainly looking to expand their reach in the market. The C30 is just the car they need to strike early at the 20-30 something;s to start rebuilding their brand loyalty at an earlier age customer. To see a bit of what the designers were thinking as they shaped the Volvo C-30 watch the video below.

All three cars above are going to lead to some fun comparison and should definitely give some Mini Cooper buyers something else to think about. I for one cannot wait to get my hands on an A3, a 135i and a C30 as I head deep into my New Car shopping season. Shop Shop Shop!

From the very first glimpse of the Audi R8 supercar you immediately feel the impact of its “catch me if you can” design attitude. Subtlety is not its name. Unlike other auto makers toward which many a jab is made over their lack of design, Audi does not fail to impress. Even with the small V8 engine version of the R8 you are still in-store for a thrilling 415hp excursion. But fill this mid-engined car with the Lamborghini Gallardo V10 with its 610hp and you have just completed the most stylish non-jet car to spread its rubber across the road.
Watch the video test drive below to see what mean.

If watching that test drive on the Las Vegas track does not trigger the preternatural instinct within you to go buy lottery tickets (or go that long route of a solid education and a prosperous career) you might want to check for a pulse.

Source[paultanorg]

If we were to go on what was happening and qualifying and the practices runs for the world famous LeMans 24 Hour race in France, we could have been fooled into thinking that the Audi who have dominated the race since the year 2000, would be looking at a real threat from French car maker Peugeot.

The Peugeot 908 has got some serious speed built into it, which is what made everyone believe that this year would see the Audi’s struggle, yet the race was influenced by some poor weather conditions, which saw one of the Audi’s hit the barrier due to the rain and the other lost a wheel, the race should have been Peugeots for the taking, but one of the two cars had to stop due to a problem with oil pressure.

Finally as the race began to wind down, it was clear that the one remaining Audi being run by Audi Sport North America and that has been driven superbly by Pirro, Werner and Biela was on the road to victory and actually as the clock counted down was in fact over ten laps ahead of the chasing Peugeot.

24 Hours of Le Mans results (Top Ten) :

Pos.- # - Class - Drivers - Team - Car - Laps:
1. 1 LMP1 Biela, Pirro, Werner Audi Sport North America Audi R10 TDI 369
2. 8 LMP1 Sarrazin, Lamy, Bourdais Team Peugeot Total Peugeot 908 359
3. 16 LMP1 Collard, Boullion, Dumas Pescarolo Sport Pescarolo-Judd 01 357
4. 18 LMP1 Short, Barbosa, Hall Rollcentre Racing Pescarolo-Judd 01 347
5. 009 LMGT1 Turner, Brabham, Rydell Team Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 342
6. 63 LMGT1 Fellows, O’Connell, Magnussen Team Corvette Racing Corvette C6-R 6:08.031
7. 008 LMGT1 Bouchut, Gollin, Elgaard AMR Larbre Competition Aston Martin DBR9 341
8. 15 LMP1 Charouz, Yoong, Mucke Charouz Racing System Lola-Judd B07-17 337
9. 007 LMGT1 Herbert, Enge, Kox Team Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin DBR9 1:46.406
10. 54 LMGT1 Prost, Groppi, Belloc Team Oreca Saleen S7R 336

In all, the race had no shocks and defiantly no surprises, how long can the Audi domination of the race continue?

Source [Auto Blog]