Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Audi RS6 sedan.

It looks like we won't have to wait for the Paris Motor Show to get our first glimpse of the 2009 Audi RS6 sedan and it's lesser A6 siblings. Audi has released all the details on its new four-door M5-eater, packing a direct-injected, twin-turbo'd V10 putting out 580 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque. The same mill that powers the Avant version allows the sedan to sprint to 60 in 4.5-seconds on its way to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. The duo of turbos huffs 1.6 bars of boost into the dry sump-equipped 5.0-liter V10, with peak torque arriving at 1,500 RPM and maximum horsepower available at 6,250 RPM.

A six-speed tiptronic transmission allows drivers to choose between automatic or manual mode, reducing shift times by one-tenth of second, and sending power to Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Dynamic Ride Control reduces pitch and roll, providing three damper settings – sport, dynamic and comfort – all of which can be activated through the revised MMI system.

The RS6 is fitted with 19-inch wheels at all four corners, wrapped in 255/40R19 rubber, and framing 390mm front discs clamped by fixed, six-piston calipers in front and 365 mm rotors, gripped by single-piston calipers in the rear. Buyers can upgrade the wheels to 20x9.5-inch rollers, which allow the fitment of Audi's ceramic brake system (420mm discs in front and 356 mm discs out back).

The standard A6 sedan and Avant benefits from the new MMI system, along with a new single-frame grille, bumpers, air vents and fog lamps. An S-line package includes 18-inch wheels and a sports suspension that drops the ride height by 30mm. Six gasoline engines and four oilburners will be available, including the 170 hp, 2.0-liter gasoline TFSI four-pot, a 290 hp, 2.8-liter FSI V6, a 350 hp, 4.2-liter FSI V8 and the new, supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Audi's diesel offerings range from 2.0- to a 3.0-liter TDIs.

Sales of both models will begin in mid-October and all the details are available in the two press releases after the jump.

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]

View in hi-res courtesy of Autoblog Chinese

If you're still under the impression that Chinese automakers are only building knock-offs of existing cars and small sedans through joint venture with foreign carmakers, think again. The Chery A6, previewed at the Shanghai show by the A6CC concept, is heading into production.

The car recently completed testing, and is scheduled to go on sale sometime in the latter half of 2008. Based on the Chery A6 sedan, the A6 coupe uses the company's front-drive B2 platform. It will come available with a choice of engines – including a 2.0-liter turbo, a 2.4-liter V6 and a 3.0-liter V6 – mated to either a six-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

With the new A6 coupe, Chery apparently wants to slip unnoticed into foreign markets – the styling is a little bland – but if it plans to sell the A6 range outside of China, the company may meet some resistance from Audi, whose mid-range sedan already uses that alphanumeric designation.

[Source: Winding Road]

The Audi Club of North America puts out a publication aptly titled the Quattro Quarterly that gives Audi owners the inside skinny on everything from future products to how to swap bigger brakes into their B5 S4. One of our intrepid readers, Kevin, sent us a few scans of the QQ's latest issue, where it outlines Audi's product plans for the next five years. While some of it has already been confirmed, other interesting factoids, including the future of the R8, RS-TT and the development of an R4, have long been rumored on these very pages. Follow the jump for the full breakdown on what Audi has in store, but be aware that we're handing out grains of salt below the fold.

Click the image above for a duo of high-res shots of Abt's AS6 Avant.

When we envision the most quintessential European conveyance we normally imagine something diesel-powered with a hatch. The Audi A6 Avant springs to mind immediately, but with only 233 HP and 332 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, it could hardly be defined as sporty. Enter Abt.

The German tuner has done something remarkable to Audi's mid-sized people mover, modifying the turbo on the three-liter TDI and reprogramming the stock ECU to create 300 HP and 443 lb.-ft. of torque. That's 100 HP per liter... from a diesel.

While performance remains relatively unremarkable, with a run to 60 taking a somewhat leisurely 6.9 seconds, we can only imagine the wave of torque that lucky owners will get to experience on the way to taking their collie to the dog park.

Included in Abt Sportline's package is a new front spoiler, rear diffuser and side skirts, along with upgrade brakes, an adjustable suspension and Abt's customer AR20 alloy wheels.

It's a sweet piece of kit that we're hoping we'll have access to soon, as Audi plans on bringing more diesel-powered vehicles Stateside in the next few years.

Abt's full press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Abt Sportsline]

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]

With both Audi and Apple's minimalist design ethos, it was simply a matter of time before they joined forces and offered a way to integrate the new iPhone across the four-ringed lineup. Any Audi model equipped with Bluetooth will allow the iPhone to be paired with the vehicle, giving users the ability to make and receive hands-free phone calls, as well as providing a signal strength indicator, assigning specific names to numbers (Work, Home, etc.) and allowing access to call lists.

On the music front, the addition of the Audi Music Interface will give the vehicles MMI system direct control of all the iPod capabilities of the iPhone, allowing users to navigate everything from playlists to albums. The AMI is available as an optional extra on the A5, A6, A8 and Q7, although we'd expect the full line of Audi vehicles to allow integration sooner rather than later.

[Source: Audi]

The closer we get to the Frankfurt Motor Show, the more excited we are for the arrival of the sinister Audi RS6. Those wonderfully crazy Germans are set to add forced induction to the already balls-out 5.2L V10 that powers the more "pedestrian" S6, and somewhere around 550hp will be the end result. Other changes include oval tail pipes like those seen on the production RS4, a rear diffuser, and a larger front air intake. The changes are still pretty subtle, though, as Audi seems to cherish the role of sleeper.

Brenda Priddy and co. have once again snagged some great shots of the RS6, but this time we get motion picture strait from the 'Ring. Wait till you see this midsize monster absolutely cranking around the Green Hell's many bends -- the sights and sounds are astonishingly good. Hit play above to catch the action.

[Source: StreetFire]

Following up the last post on the subject, Audi TV has launched on the internet, offering up original Audi content 24-hours a day, seven-days-a-week.

Magazine-type shows, from "behind-the-scenes" looks at vehicle launches to interviews with musicians and other Audi partners, pepper the web waves in both English and German for the enjoyment of Audi-philes across the world. Available at www.audi.com/tv and www.audi.de/tv, programming covers not just the cars themselves, but culture, sport, lifestyle and technology.

The effort is spearheaded by a small team at Audi AG in Germany and supported by various marketing, communications, sales, technology and design heads elsewhere throughout the company.

Check out Audi's press release after the jump.

Volkswagen's Phaeton could not exactly be described as a run-away success. The German carmaker planned to make a modest 20,000 units, but only managed to sell a quarter that amount. But someone in Wolfsburg must have gotten an "if at first you don't succeed" fortune cookie, and they're determined to give it another shot.

The next Phaeton, as we've reported previously, will save considerably on development costs by sharing its underpinnings with the next A6 from corporate cousin Audi. This, however, is no mere speculation: it comes straight from the mouth of CEO Martin Winterkorn. The end result will be a Phaeton smaller than the one it replaces, bringing costs down and bringing it slightly closer to the top-end Passat to help close the enormous gap in the Volkswagen model line-up.

The current slow-selling Phaeton cost Volkswagen a bundle to develop, but all was not lost as the platform ended up providing the basis for the more successful Bentley Continental range, with its coupe, cabrio and sedan variations. What will happen with the next Continental, you ask? Sources suggest that it will take its underpinnings from the latest Audi A8.

All in all this amounts to a change of direction for the German auto group, which has a history of investing heavily into new models which compete with offerings from their own subsidiaries.

[Source: Motor Authority]