Whenever Audi introduces a new model, chances are that the folks at Abt Sportsline are going to get their hands on one. The German company has been tuning Volkswagens and Audis since the 1970s and has enjoyed success racing the Audi A4 in DTM and more recently the new R8 LMS. Needless to say, Abt knows how to properly modify cars bearing the four rings.

Abt's latest project is the droptop version of the Audi R8. Visually the car gets a new front grille, front fascia with carbon fiber spoiler, side sills, rear fascia, rear spoiler and lightweight five-spoke wheels. Even more importantly, the 5.2-liter V10 has been massaged to provide 600 horsepower, good for 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph. Finally, Abt provides a sport suspension system for improved handling. Follow the jump for full details and browse through the high-res gallery below.



[Source: ABT Sportline]

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Thanks to the Volkswagen Group's strategy to be the leading player in the alternative-powertrain market within the next decade, Audi has announced a rapid expansion of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years. The German automaker wants to improve efficiency of its internal combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel) by 30 percent – and it wants five percent of the brand's model line to be electric. "In the future, our customers will be able to choose from an increasingly broad range of driveline technologies," said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.

Many automakers will build cars for decades and never create a product that can truly be considered a cultural icon. Few that do produce multiple such models. One of those is Volkswagen.The original Beetle/Bug/Type 1 is recognizable almost anywhere and even by people that know nothing about cars. The Beetle itself spawned another icon in the form of the Type 2 (or Microbus), a vehicle that is celebrating its diamond anniversary in 2010.

Like the original Bug, the Microbus had an air-cooled flat-four cylinder engine hanging off the back of the rear axle. The front seats were moved up over the front axle creating a format that was eventually copied by Ford, Dodge, General Motors and countless Japanese automakers.

Over sixty years, the bus became the ride of choice for surfers, hippies and iconoclasts everywhere. Many surviving examples from the 1960s are still hauling surfboards and Deadheads today. In the 1980s, the third-generation bus morphed into the still-loved but less iconic Vanagon, with emissions standards forcing the adoption of water cooling in 1983. The last of the rear-engined VW vans ceased production in 1992. A tip of the hat to Brooks!



[Source: Life]

According to a report from Car Design News, Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe, has resigned his post to join Renault as Vice President of Exterior Design.

Lo has been credited with such interesting and well-regarded concept vehicles as the Saab Aero X from the 2006 Geneva Motor Show and the Opel Flextreme from the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Apparently, he has a thing for unique vehicle entry systems and rear-mounted Segway Transporters.

Shortly after his graduation from the Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program, Lo began his career at Lotus in England. Later, Lo moved to Audi and then Mercedes-Benz before taking his last position with General Motors. Quite a career path, no? And it should be interesting to see what he churns out under Carlos Ghosn's watch.

[Source: Car Design News]

Easy come, easy go. Only it was anything but an easy arrival for USF1, the highly anticipated and much-hyped American grand prix team that was slated to hit the grid this past weekend for the start of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. And in the end, much as Bernie Ecclestone predicted, the team failed to make it.

FIA president Jean Todt had dispatched his technical chief Charlie Whiting to assess where things stood at USF1 headquarters in South Carolina, and reported back on the construction of several cars at the factory. As it turns out, that wasn't enough to get them to the starting grid and joining Virgin, Lotus and HRT which did.

According to reports, USF1's management is still holding out hope that they could join the grid for next season. In order to do so, they'd have to retain a workforce that largely blames the team's two principals – Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson – for misleading and mismanaging the team's entry, re-apply through a selection process which the FIA intends to re-open for next season, and face possibly penalties from its World Motor Sports Council.

[Source: ESPN]

While newly emancipated Saab has some fresh product in its near-term pipeline, it's fair to say that the biggest challenge for the Swedish automaker over the long haul will be the development of costly new technologies and platforms. To that end, Spyker CEO Victor Muller has let slip to Automotive News Europe that Saab is actively looking at technology sharing arrangements with other OEMs – and they aren't just looking in former parent General Motors' direction.

More to the point, Muller says that Saab has already been contacted by around a half-dozen OEMS, including "some German brands," although the unnamed Deutsch companies are said to exclude Volkswagen and Audi. Saab presently has production and intellectual property agreements in place with GM to keep fresh product flowing through the rollout of its next-generation 9-3 in 2012, but after that line launches, it could receive parts developed from outside partners, including things like new powertrains, and potentially down the road, platforms.

In other company news, GMAC has been selected as the preferred source of financing for Saab franchises, providing a bit of continuity to the company's dealer base, as GMAC was also a major source of new car financing under GM. You can read the official announcement after the jump and check out our newly expanded gallery of the soon-to-launch 9-3X below.



[Sources: Automotive News - Sub. Req., Saab]

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Playstation3 gamers: If you were disappointed that only XBox 360 players got the Ferrari DLC package for Need for Speed SHIFT, take heart, because the next one's got your name on it, too. The Exotic Racing Series pack is being released by EA for both platforms (though not for PC, PSP or mobile platforms) on March 18, with some of the most alluring machinery this side of Maranello.

Included in the downloadable content package are the McLaren MP4-12C and SLR Stirling Moss, the Alfa 8C Competizione and Maserati GranTurismo S, BMW M1 Procar, Gumpert Apollo and Acura NSX. The DLC costs $10 (or equivalent points) on either XBox Live or PlayStation Network, and also includes an array of new events and track layouts. Video and press release after the jump, screen shots in the gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Andrey!



[Source: EA via rpmgo.com]

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Toyota walked a fine line this afternoon when it revealed that its own two-day investigation of last week's runaway Prius near San Diego, CA had reached the same conclusion as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation. That is, the brakes on Jim Sikes' 2008 Toyota Prius should have been able to stop the car. Toyota did not, however, go so far as to call Sikes a liar.

The investigation determined that the front brake pads were worn so far down from overheating that the rotors were scraping the pads' metal backings. According to investigators, this could have only happened if the brake pedal were applied lightly (less than 50% or so) for an extended period of time, not pressed firmly to the floor as Sikes claimed he was doing. Only by "dragging" the brakes lightly could they become so overheated and worn, as firmly pressing the brake pedal while the car is accelerating would engage the brake override system that cuts engine power.

Though asked repeatedly if they had concluded that Sykes was lying, representatives for Toyota insisted that was not their judgment to make and they could only say that the investigation's findings were not consistent with the scenario that Sikes describes.

Follow the jump for Toyota's official statement in which it details all eight points of its findings.

[Source: Toyota]

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You've heard of art imitating life? Well how about life imitating war? That's another story entirely, but not so far fetched when it comes to the Hummer. The sport-'ute that met the public eye during Operation Desert Storm has all but completely gone through its entire life cycle in the intervening years: first as a military-only vehicle, the original model became available to the public, then GM bought the rights and started churning out pickup-based H2s and H3s, the U.S. armed forces went back Iraq, the original H1 was discontinued and now GM is preparing to wind down the brand entirely. But not before one last pistol-shootin' hoorah, courtesy of the one dealership that arguably sees the truck for what it is more than any other: Lynch Hummer.

The St. Louis-area franchise made headlines last year when they started filling their emptying showroom with gun racks, selling firearms to make up for dwindling sales in the gigantic SUVs. Now the dealership is connecting the dots with a one-of-a-kind promotion: Buy a Hummer, get a free shotgun.

The Browning Citori White Lightning is worth $2,000, and one will be given away with each purchase of a new Hummer. Fortunately, the same legal measures apply to the promotion as they would to anyone buying a new firearm, but if you're looking for a one-stop shop to jump-start your own private militia, Lynch Hummer is clearly the place. Details in the press release after the jump.



[Source: Lynch Hummer]

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