Autoblog

A new Audi A6 is expected to hit showrooms in 2010, and aside from an A4/A5-inspired facelift, the automaker's new 5-series competitor will be underpinned by an evolution of the chassis technology originally developed for the Audi TT. According to Car, the next iteration of Audi's Aluminum and Steel Spaceframe (ASF II) technology will be utilized on all future models, and uses half the steel of the outgoing platforms while providing 50-percent more torsional rigidity. The passenger cell will be made up entirely of aluminum, with steel and foam reinforcements if needed, and the front and rear subframes will be beefed up units integrated into the structures of the nose and tail. The ASF II system will finds its way into other vehicles, including Audi's CUVs, where it has the potential to shave off over 650 pounds from the Q7's curb weight.

Naturally, Audi will continue to offer front- and all-wheel-drive on the next A6, but the combination of more potent mills mounted further back into the engine bay will lessen its rival's lead in the handling department. Car's sources suggest that a variety of V6 engines, ranging from 2.8- to 3.2-liters will be offered, along with a pair of diesels, the 4.2-liter FSI V8 found in the RS4/R8, the 5.2-liter V10 (S6) and a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V10 for the RS6.

[Source: Car]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS6 Avant

If there's anything the 580-horsepower Audi RS6 Avant isn't lacking, it's power. But according to AutoTelegraaf, Audi plans to launch a "Plus" version of its insane estate towards the end of the RS6 life cycle. According to the Dutch site, Audi insiders said that a new "Plus" version would go on sale sometime in 2011, just as the A6 is about to get a mild facelift. The "Plus" will supposedly receive tweaks to its suspension and engine, with the V10 producing 613 horsepower.

This wouldn't be the first time Audi offered a "Plus" variant of the RS6. The original, C5-based RS6, built from 2002 to 2004, got a boost in output during the last three months of production, netting an additional 30 hp (from 450 hp to 480 hp), through the use of a remapped ECU and two additional radiators mounted behind the intercoolers. The Plus version also benefited from standard DRC, 19-inch wheels and a sports suspension that dropped the wagon 10mm. Production was limited to just 999 units.


[Source: AutoTelegraaf via WCF]

Click the image above for a high-res gallery.

We've all watched the ALMS Porsche RS Spyder in racing, read the reviews about Porsche's track-ready 997 GT3 RS, and checked out the new Boxster RS 60 Spyder. Maybe some of us (Porschephiles?) have even dreamed about someday owning a classic 1973 911 Carrera RS (pictured above). Porsche's "RS" designation stands for "Renn Sport," or racing, and it is reserved for the highest performing models in the company's lineup.

Wait a second. Doesn't Audi also offer a slew of "RS" models too? They have their hot RS4, RS6, and the lightweight RS8. Now they have plans to bring out a high-performance version of the TT to be called the TT RS...

Not so fast, the team at Porsche is saying. Naming it the "TT RS" is stepping over that thin line drawn in the sand. Furthermore, the "RS" suffix is Porsche's, and it won't be slapped on an Audi anytime soon (especially as Porsche continues to increase its ownership in the Volkswagen Group). Audi may continue to use "RS" as a prefix, but that's about it. Well, that was easy, don't you think?

[Source: Winding Road]

Sporting a subtle IMSA-flared look, Audi's new V10-powered RS6 sedan has been caught while testing in Scandinavia. It looks pretty much like a finished car when it comes to styling and packaging - the lack of camouflage really allows you to see the more muscular elements like flared fenders, a more aggressive fascia, and a diffuser in the rear. With the brake calipers carrying RS6 badging outside, and the seats doing the same for the interior, it's going to be tough for anyone to miss the RS6 should they be dense enough to miss the obviously beefed up styling. Perhaps, though, the best place for the logo would have been in the taillight lenses, as that's pretty much all other drivers will ever see of this car. The V10 lays down ridiculous numbers in the RS6 Avant, and we'd expect nothing less from the sedan when it debuts later this year. We won't look for the roof mounted driving light set in the accessory catalog, though.

[Source: World Car Fans]

click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS6 Avant

There are a lot of different figures to get caught up in when discussing Audi's UK-spec RS6 Avant, and most of them concern the wagon's performance. Let's start with power. The RS6 produces 572 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque from a twin-turbo'd V10. That means 60 comes up in 4.6 seconds, the quarter mile is dispatched in 14.9 seconds (at 124 mph) and Audi has to limit the top speed to 155 mph for fear of... well, you name it.

The price on the other hand is just as shocking. £77,625 is the cost of entry for the RS6, but only 380 Avants will be produce this year and they've all been snatched up by enthusiasts with a few kids and a dog to schlep around. Granted, the RS6 Avant comes equipped with Quattro, ESP, 20-inch rollers and Alcantara lining the inside, but that price doesn't include the optional carbon ceramic brakes. Just for some perspective, you can pick up the M5 Touring in the UK for about £10,000 less – even the R8 is about a grand cheaper.

[Source: Top Gear]

The Audi A5 was unveiled at Geneva to much fanfare, and within 30 seconds of pictures hitting the net the elegant coupe was been surrounded by rumors. We knew the S5 was part of the package, but since the newest Audi had two doors, cabrio conjecture wasn't far behind. Perhaps the most anticipated A5 talked about is an RS version, which could include either the high-revving 420-hp 4.2L V8 found in the RS4, or the Lamborghini-sourced 5.2L V10 found in the S6 and S8.

The scribes over at World Car Fans point out that the RS version typically one-ups AMG and BMW M cars, and with a 480-hp CLK out there, the Gallardo V10 would make a nice trump card. We're inclined to agree with that hypothesis, since Audi already has the powerplant in the corporate parts bin, and there isn't much tuning necessary to get it back up to 500 HP. Audi has also shown just how serious it is about keeping a power edge against RWD competitors after it had the lug nuts to slap twin-turbochargers on the V10 destined for the RS6 Avant. Either way, Audi is no longer interested in being an also-ran in the luxury market, and big-horsepower coupes will only make the brand that much more appealing to enthusiasts.

[Source: World Car Fans]

click above image to view high-res gallery of the Audi RS6

When Satan is going to have some friends over and needs to go shopping, he grabs the keys to the Audi RS6 Avant. Why? Because it's a station wagon -- and it will only come as a wagon to begin with -- that costs more than 101,000 euros, which is nothing short of hellish. It also has 580 HP, though some claim that's a bit of false modesty and the car actually has 600 HP. Then there are the ceramic brakes riding massive rotors, the perfect cure for The Nefarious One's hot foot. Inside, curvaceous buckets taper upward to curved horns for headrests. And finally, while it has a face and a mien that many people could love, it takes a demon -- speed or otherwise -- to truly appreciate.

Inside is stitched leather and carbon fiber and alcantara for days. The car only comes as a tiptronic, but it's been recalibrated for very short shift times. There is absolutely no reason for a supersonic station wagon, especially one that doesn't come with helmets and re-entry suits, but who cares? It's hot enough for Hades, and the guy who runs it.

Click Read for the Audi press release, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos.

We see a lot of rumors here at Autoblog, but this one just has to come true. Word around town is that the same engine that powers the 580-hp 5.2L twin-turbo V10 in the recently announced Audi RS6 Avant could also find its way to the back hatch of the Audi R8. We first reported on the possibility of a twin-turbo V10 back in February, and it seems the stat sheet on the RS6 has merely stoked the flames.

With 580 (or more) ponies in tow, the R8 should beat most anything on the road, including its current competition like the Porsche 911 that offers more powerful models in its lineup. Throw in bigger brakes and wheels with a modified suspension, and even the vaunted GT2 should begin to worry.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

And now, we bring you the sad cap to the whirlwind 24-hour saga that has been the official announcement of Audi's sublimely monstrous RS6 ahead of its physical debut in Frankfurt. The Car Connection reports that like so many appealing cars offered to happy drivers in markets outside the US, the Audi RS6 is staying home. Apparently, a US version was never considered. As such, we're left to look longingly at photos and a very inviting spec sheet.

Late-night emergency diaper runs will have to be made with something less potent, and the satisfaction of dusting off that guy next to you in a Porsche 911 will be left to others for whom English is probably a second language. We don't get to hear what the V10's already-intoxicating noise sounds like with the addition of a couple of turbos. No, the car that would supplant its S8 cousin as perhaps the ultimate sleeper will remain an ocean away. More ghost ship than Q-ship, RS6 will be the stuff of legend that few of us ever get to experience firsthand. What a shame.

[Source: The Car Connection]

The details surrounding the Audi RS6 are out, but that doesn't mean that testing has ended. The RS6 has been sighted donning heavy camo all over the free world, and after the jump we have video of a virtually undisguised RS6 Avant doing a powerslide at a bend of the famed Nürburgring Nordshcleife. The video is almost as quick as the RS6, but if you like screaming engines and squealing tires, it's worth a watch. Heck, part of the reason we're flying all the way over to the Frankfurt Motor Show is to see Audi's fastest ever sedan and wagon.

[Source: Carscoop]