Autoblog

Audi's given the A4 an S-Line package for European consumption, and they're pledging that the US won't get stiffed when the fifth-generation A4 lands in America in late 2008. The German word for sport is, uh, sport, and the S-line bits can appease S4 aspirants without the heavy outlay for the über-performing version of the A4. Inside Line has been assured by Audi USA's Christian Bokich that they "won't hold back on the cool stuff from Germany," meaning you won't have to hunt down esoteric Euro part numbers for the bits you really want; nor will you have to go at your Audi with hand tools to get something a little special.

For about $3,000, European buyers will get a lowered suspension by Quattro GmbH, 18-inch cast aluminum wheels, sport seats, special perforated Alcantara and leather, and different accents for the leather wrapped sport steering wheel. While the interior execution will be Audi sumptuous, it certainly won't make the car any sportier or faster. The bolsters on the sport seats are likely to be more snug-fitting, but what it sounds like, the main value is in the Quattro GmbH suspension which would probably be hard to duplicate for a mere $3K aftermarket. The extra finery is de rigeur in this segment, lest you forget you're driving an uprated car.

[Source: Inside Line]

The last racing seat has finally been confirmed for the 2007 Formual One season, as Scott Speed stays on with Scuderia Toro Rosso, Red Bull's back-marker B-team once known as Minardi. Lead by former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, Toro Rosso seemed to have been playing a twisted little game of waiting as long as possible to make the announcement, finally tipping their hand at the bottom of a testing session press release to ensure it gets the least attention possible.

While Speed remains the only American driver in F1, other countries are well represented. British fans have four drivers on the grid to support, plus two test drivers. While Takuma Sato remains the only Japanese driver on the grid, Nippon-backed teams Toyota, Williams and Super Aguri (with the notable exception of Honda) have stacked their testing rosters with four more Japanese pilots. Four German testers join four drivers in the post-Schumacher era. Italy has four on the grid and another in the garage. Two drivers and two testers compete for the attention of Brazilian fans. Even the Dutch are back with one driver and two testers.

With the unstartling revelation, the full grid for the 2007 Formula One season is now confirmed, as every other team has already announced its driver line-up (save for Toro Rosso's test drivers).

Follow the jump for the full roster.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

With the new Saturn Vue crossover utility vehicle due to hit showrooms soon, GM's not wasting a moment: they're hard at work on the Red Line performance version. The intrepid paparazzi at KGP caught this thinly-disguised test mule driving around Detroit.

The shots reveal that the Red Line will get a much more aggressive front end than the standard Vue, with bigger air intakes and integrated fog lamps like on the Saturn Sky roadster, suggesting this could become a new design element for hotter Saturns. You'll also be able to tell the Red Line version from the ordinary Vue by the mesh grille inserts and dual exhaust pipes.

The new Vue Red Line ditches the Honda-sourced engine of its predecessor in favor of GM's latest sophisticated 250-hp VVT DOHC 3.6-liter V6 driving through the General's Hydra-Matic six-speed auto box. A five-speed stick and all-wheel-drive will also be available. That should make for a pretty hot little package from the brand that not long ago was anything but.

[Source: Winding Road]