JEZ SPINKS

New A1 will be sporty and customisable … just like BMW’s iconic British hatch.

Audi has revealed the production version of its new Mini rival.

The A1 will become the smallest Audi on the market when it reaches Australia in late 2010, with the German car maker saying it will feature multiple customisation options and sporty driving characteristics just like BMW’s iconic hatch.

Audi says the three-door A1 is targeted at younger buyers and will feature a high level of individualisation. The company, however, has also warned the hatchback is not going to be cheap for a small car, with pricing expected to follow the Mini with a starting point in the low-$30,000 bracket.

The four-seat interior will offer connections for Bluetooth and portable music players such as iPhones, as well as infotainment and multimedia systems based on those used in the company’s more expensive luxury vehicles.

Different seat colours are one of the options buyers will have to individualise the A1’s interior, while contrasting paint for the car’s roof arches will also be available.

The contrasting roof arches featured on the 2007 Metroproject quattro concept that closely previewed the A1, which is based on the same underpinnings as the forthcoming Volkswagen Polo.

The production A1 hatchback retains the arched shape and short overhangs of the concept, and is easily identified as an Audi by design cues such as the dominant grille, LED daytime running lights and sharply styled head- and tail-lights.

At 3950mm in length, the A1 is 251mm longer than a Mini Cooper hatch. It should also be more practical, with more boot space (267 v 160 litres).

The A1 is also set to be Audi’s most fuel efficient model, launching with four four-cylinder engines featuring both turbocharging and direct injection and ranging in consumption from 3.8 to 5.4 litres per 100km.

Engines include two 1.6-litre turbo diesels with 66kW and 77kW of power respectively, and two turbo petrols comprising 63kW 1.2-litre and 90kW 1.4-litre.

A seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual will be a cost alternative to the standard manual gearbox.

Stop-start and regenerative brakes will contribute to efficiency, while the 1.2-litre engine also benefits from a new temperature management system.

Five-door and convertible versions of the A1 are expected to follow the three-door, as well as S1 and RS1 performance versions.

Autonomous TTS coupe to compete at 2010 Pikes Peak – driver not included.

A remote control car that can drive itself will take part in one of the world’s most challenging – and treacherous – motor races.

Using advanced electronics and a sophisticated internet link the driverless Audi TT is set to compete as a technological showcase in motorsport races next year, including America’s renowned Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

The Autonomous Audi is currently controlled by a computer fitted inside its boot, and from 2010 will run using Java real-time programming updates received via telemetry from up to 32km away.

The German car maker says the aim is for such cars to communicate with a network aerial towers – to send and receive telemetry signals – in a similar manner to mobile phone aerials.

Audi, however, is pre-empting a backlash from motorists by stressing that the Autonomous Audi TTS Coupe is not designed to dispense with drivers in the future.

It says the vehicle “is intended to explore the best capabilities of current and future driver assistance technologies to help Audi enhance the experience behind the steering wheel for future driver generations”.

The executive director of Audi parent company Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Laboratory, which is working on the project in tandem with the US’s Stanford University, says the Autonomous TTS’s technology could help to give motorists the reflexes of a skilled motorsport driver to avoid accidents.

“We believe that developing a car that can perform as well and respond as rapidly as a professional driver, like a race or rally driver, will eventually be able to drive its way around incidents in a way that a ‘normal’ driver couldn’t.

“While a less experienced driver may freeze or make the wrong ‘correction’, the Autonomous TTS would be able to take over or guide the driver to escape from a critical situation. It could also compensate if a driver is inattentive to conditions or distracted, but of course it won’t prevent all accidents.”

The Autonomous TT is based on the TTS coupe that is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

2009 Audi Eora & Espire concepts

A competition intended to show the cars of tomorrow has come up with designs both sleek and hideous.

Remember the time-travelling DeLorean DMC-12 that featured in the Back to the Future movies?

Well, imagine it’s just pulled up in your driveway and the film’s wild-haired scientist, Emmett Brown, has offered to take you on a trip 21 years into the future.

You step inside and with a snap of the gullwing doors and a surge of the flux capacitor you arrive in the year 2030. What do the streets and cars look like? What are young people now driving?

Some of the world’s top automotive designers have tried to answer those very questions (without the use of a time machine) and have come up with some seriously out-there answers.

The LA Auto Show, which this year is being held from December 4, features an annual design challenge in which leading brands are asked to submit visions for how the vehicles of the future will look.

This year the American design divisions of companies including General Motors, Toyota and Nissan were given the theme Youthmobile and asked to create renderings of vehicles that young people would be driving 21 years from now.

At the outset they were reminded of the key role cars played in young people’s lives today and were likely to play in 2030. Vehicles provide freedom and the ability to socialise and they’re also an important means of self-expression.

The designers were asked to consider the impact growing up with mobile phones, online communities and webcams would have on consumers two decades from now.

“Automotive designers have always been fascinated with the next generation of drivers,” the director of the Design Los Angeles segment of the motor show, Chuck Pelly, says.

“This year’s design challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talents to revisit the concept of ‘the car’ with new eyes, using the hottest technologies to both explore and fulfil the needs of young people.”

The submissions from the brands varied widely, although there were common themes. Electric vehicles, cars that were able to morph their shape and cars that leant themselves to clever youth marketing were recurrent motifs.

So too were vehicles that allowed connectivity to social networking sites. A winner will be picked by a panel of experts during the show and while it’s unlikely any will ever go into production, they at least show where designers believe we’re heading.

So what did the individual companies pitch? Honda sees increased interaction between cars and humans in 2030.

“Emerging technologies, such as genetic integration and advanced adaptive polymers, will shatter the current paradigm of what is now considered ‘personally’ unique,” it says in its pitch.

The company proposes shape-shifting vehicles that could modify their size and wheelbase depending on the constraints of the environment around them.

Nissan sees a rosy 2030 in which electricity has replaced petrol as the main propellant for cars and US highways have been electrified to create an ultra-efficient, high-speed network called the GRID.

The company’s electric offering is the crab-like V2G and it suggests consumers would be able to buy access to the electricity grid in the same way they subscribe to mobile phone plans.

General Motors sees a blurring of the lines between gaming, learning to drive and driving. It proposes cars that could drive themselves to destinations when a passenger puts an address into the on-board sat-nav device.

Young passengers would be encouraged to compete with the sat-nav on a driving simulator. When their skills developed they would be allowed control of some features. Advanced drivers would be able to modify vehicles for increased power.

Mazda envisions a 2030 where personalisation and customisation of cars is all-important.

It sees young people designing their own vehicles online based around a platform called Souga, with the company then fulfilling these requirements.

It paints a future where it costs young people just $US2000 to buy the physical car.

Digital communication and information devices, it predicts, will be integrated into fashion apparel, eliminating the need to include these systems in cars.

Toyota’s offering for 2030 takes into account that education levels are rising in the US and young consumers are increasingly well educated and proactive.

It proposes LINK, “an affordable, customisable, mass-transit vehicle for students with high social-networking demands and continuously evolving preferences”.

These small personal vehicles would be kept at central hubs. They would allow users to tap into social networking sites, trade music and compare class schedules.

Finally, Audi went beyond the brief and created two concept cars’ a performance vehicle and an affordable, entry-level car. Both blend lightweight metals and composite materials and feature wheels without hubs.

The company says its low-profiled eSpira would be a “technological tour-de-force” performance car. An advanced logic system would allow drivers to steer the vehicle with body movements and gestures, making motoring a more organic experience.

Perhaps a more realistic option for (typically impoverished) young motorists is the company’s eOra, which it envisages would share the logic control system with the eSpira but be more of a city car with a small footprint and good agility.

V2G
Maker Nissan
Features The company envisages a 2030 in which national highways are electrified (like a dodgem track) to provide power to electric cars.Young consumers would buy access to the system in the way they buy mobile phone credits today.

Hero
Maker General Motors
Features This is a selectively self-driving car that allows new drivers to assume full control only after they have proved themselves on on-board driving simulators. As driving skill increases, so do power options.

Helix
Maker Honda
Features Honda proposes vehicles that can morph to suit their environment. In built-up city areas the vehicle has a small footprint, whereas on the open road it has a larger,more stable platform capable of high speed.

Souga
Maker Mazda
Features Young people are able to design their dream cars online and have them built on the Souga platform. One example is the minimal, lightweight sports coupe (pictured above).

LINK
Maker Toyota
Features Toyota proposes a network of small motorised vehicles, which would be kept at central hubs and personalised by young users.Access to social networking sites is a given.

eOra and eSpira
Name Ora commuter vehicle and eSpira performance car.
Maker Audi.
Features Both incorporate on-board computers that allow them to be driven using subtle body movements and gestures.

BMW Australia says it is ready to repel a local sales assault by rival German car Audi, which has stated its intention to become Australia’s leading luxury brand by 2015.

BMW again considers Audi a competitor, with recently appointed managing director Stavros Yallouridis declaring he would “have to keep an eye” on the ‘third’ German brand that’s been catching its compatriots on the sales charts.

Just months after joining the top job, BMW Australia’s new boss – fresh from a six-year stint as the head of BMW in Greece where he almost tripled the sales of the luxury brand – has gone against the comments of his predecessor, who declared Audi was not on his radar and the only competitors for the brand here were Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

Despite obvious similarities between the two German brands, the then BMW Australia boss Gunther Seemann suggested Audi was heavily discounting, which was not in keeping with a luxury brand.

But as he pushes towards BMW selling more than 20,000 cars in Australia, Yallouridis admitted the ambitious Audi brand – which has declared it will be the best selling luxury brand in Australia by 2015 – is in the competitive mix.

“I think they are a competitor,” he said, adding it Audi was “less important” than the other big German luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz.

“We are the leaders in the world and we are the leaders in Australia. So let them chase!”

Despite Audi’s recent growth spurt – the brand has doubled its market share since 2004 and increased sales by more than 150 per cent – Yallouridis is adamant BMW will remain the most prevalent luxury brand in Australia.

He plans to take “calculated risks” to build sales in a highly competitive segment that’s reliant as much on quality vehicles as it is on brand image.

“There’s no way in the world they’ll knock us off [the number one position],” he said. “We can sell 20,000-plus … I really don’t think that 20,000 [sales for BMW Australia] is too far away.”

Last year in Australia BMW sold 17,263 new vehicles, eclipsing rival Mercedes-Benz (once you remove the commercial vehicles that make up a significant chunk of Benz sales).

BMW will next year further grow its ever-expanding model line-up with the addition of the X1 small soft-roader and the crossover-style Gran Turismo, which aims to blend performance with space and light-duty off-road ability.

The two new models will take the number of BMW body styles to 19, which currently includes a hatchback (1-Series), four sedans (3-Series, 5-Series and short and long wheelbase versions of the 7-Series), three coupes (1-Series, 3-Series and 6-Series), four convertibles (Z4, 1-Series, 3-Series and 6-Series), two wagons (3-Series and 5-Series) and three 4WDs (X3, X5 and X6).

Yallouridis, who says he has not set targets yet for the brand’s growth, is putting the entire BMW Australia business under the microscope, questioning each part of the business with the view to making changes to streamline the operations.
He is even looking at the brand’s sprawling head office – BMW owns the land – in the south eastern suburb of Mulgrave, with the view to relocating it.

“It’s one of the things we’re evaluating … we’re thinking about the whole business,” said Yallouridis, adding a decision had not been made. “Relocation is something that might happen … in three or four years.”

“Logistics wise it doesn’t make sense to be at Mulgrave when people are flying all over the country,” he said, suggesting being closer to the airport may be more logical.

Yallouridis says the head office sends an important message to dealers, staff and potential BMW owners so it was important to have something befitting of the luxury brand.

No doubt he’s noticed Audi’s $50 million head office that doubles as Sydney’s flagship dealership not far from the airport.

Audi has added a V10 to its R8, making it a more respected member of the supercar club.

Three years ago Audi took its first, bold step into supercar territory and introduced its mid-engined, V8-powered R8.
Now the German luxury brand has introduced a V10 version that soars even closer to the rarefied air normally breathed by the likes of Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
Cynics have been suspicious that Audi put the original R8 on a leash for fear of treading on the toes of sister brand Lamborghini. However, the new R8 shows this ambitious marque is clearly no longer afraid.
The R8 is already based on the Lamborghini Gallardo but now the range-topping variant uses a slightly modified version of that supercar’s V10 for elevated performance.
Audi Australia sold 103 R8s in 2008 (to outsell the A8 limo), though the economic meltdown has curtailed sales to 32 so far this year.
The R8 line-up will expand next year with an open-top Spyder model.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
A $73,800 premium over the V8 R8 takes an Audi past the $400,000 barrier for the first time (once on-road costs are added). About a third of that extra cost is for standard equipment that’s optional on the base model, including Bang & Olufsen audio, (world first) all-LED headlights, nappa leather seats with heating, hill-hold assist and folding, auto-dimming side mirrors. Otherwise, the 5.2 FSI shares with the 4.2 FSI the likes of Bluetooth, sat-nav, metallic paint, cruise control and parking sensors with rear-view camera.
You can still spend another $70,000-odd on further options and, surprisingly, the carbon-fibre “sideblades” and engine cover are not a way of distinguishing the V10 from its smaller-engined brother – they’ll set you back another $13,664.
That means besides a small V10 badge on each flank, it’ll take an anorak-cloaked passer-by to notice the 5.2 R8’s wider side air intakes, chrome cross-hatch grille, alternative front and rear bumper treatment and dual oval exhaust exits (though they’re fake – peer through them and you’ll find a similar quad-pipe arrangement to the V8 R8). 

HOW SAFE?
There are front and side airbags to protect the maximum two occupants. Stability control is standard and the V10 gains hill-hold assist over the V8 model.
Super-expensive supercars don’t get slammed into concrete barriers for the sake of NCAP testing, so the R8 has no crash rating.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
You feel cocooned in the two-seater R8 but not cramped (it’s surprisingly spacious). A spot-on low and sporty driving position is complemented by a ring of carbon fibre surrounding the main instrument cowl and steering wheel to form a driver’s zone.
Another optional cabin pack adds further layers of leather to various parts, though the interior is still not without its vices. Many of the switches and dials are generic Audi and hard plastics are used for the centre console.
The latter forms part of the limited storage options available. Audi says the R8 has 190 litres of luggage space, most of which is under the bonnet – though you’ll have to pack economically even for weekend trips.
UNDER THE BONNET
So here we are to the crux: the new V10. And what an engine. The 5.2-litre revs even higher (8700rpm) than the 4.2-litre V8 and delivers its peak power of 386kW at 8000rpm and peak torque of 530Nm at 6500rpm.
It takes just one gear change (first to second) accelerating flat-out from standstill to break Australia’s draconian freeway speed limits. The R8 V10 reached 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds (two-tenths slower than Audi’s claim), according to our GPS-based timing equipment during testing at Eastern Creek in Sydney.
The V10 is always remarkably smooth and refined yet delivers an unrelenting surge through its rev range all the way to that stratospheric red line. An intoxicating exhaust note and guttural roar from the engine bay behind the driver add another thrilling layer to the V10 experience, though the V8’s soundtrack was far from lacking.
The engine is also flexible, happy to saunter along at 50km/h in top gear.
Buyers can option an automatic R-tronic that also includes a launch control function, though we had the standard six-speed manual.
It makes a refreshing change to all the fancy, newfangled dual-clutch gearboxes that are threatening the future of stick-shifts. It’s not the slickest manual around yet the need to skilfully guide the milled lever from slot to slot makes gear changes all the more satisfying when perfected.
While Audi is among those car makers downsizing engines for improved fuel economy, the 10-cylinder R8 is less efficient than the V8 (14.7 litres per 100 kilometres against 13.9L). Our trip read-out ranged from 13.0L to 21.5L/100km, with the lower figure benefiting from some extensive freeway time.
You can even stand and admire the V10 through a rear glass hatch. (It’s illuminated by engine bay lights.)
HOW IT DRIVES
The bigger engine contributes half of the new R8’s extra 60 kilograms, which takes it a bit further away from the perfect 50:50 weight distribution but doesn’t detract from the supercar’s ability to offer finely balanced handling and prodigious amounts of grip.
The R8 5.2 embraces the most challenging of winding roads with its responsive front end and rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. The latter provides limpet-like traction out of the tightest corners, even in first gear, and the steering and pedals are all perfectly weighted. The progressive brakes would welcome some more bite, though hand-of-God ceramic stoppers can be ticked for the price of a Mazda3 ($25,422)!
Standard magnetic dampers give drivers the option of an even firmer suspension, though this is best left for smooth race tracks. The standard set-up is sufficient for road use, while it also shares the V8 model’s very un-supercar-like forgiving ride on all surfaces. Visibility is also good in a supercar context, while the seats guarantee comfort and support.
VERDICT
The R8 5.2 FSI could be considered as an Audi that’s out of its depth price-wise, though an alternative viewpoint is that it’s a bargain supercar still $124,000 more affordable than the cheapest Lamborghini (which is not much faster). Our time with the R8 certainly proved there’s no question it has the requisite jaw-dropping looks that can make pedestrians walk into lamp posts.
One query that does need answering, however, is whether the V10 version is worth $74,000 more than the V8. We’ll leave that one for those with super-wallets. What we will say is the V10 gives the R8 the stunning performance that now makes it the more complete supercar.
Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
Price From $351,000
As tested $384,857.
Country of origin Germany.
Engine 5.2L V10.
Power 386kW at 8000rpm.
Torque 530Nm at 6500rpm.
Transmission 6-sp manual, AWD.
Fuel consumption and emissions 14.7L/100km and 351g/km CO2.
Weight 1620kg.
Safety Front and side airbags, stability control, tyre-pressure monitor.
Pros Awesome engine; rapid pace; easy to live with; forgiving ride; stunning looks.
Cons Still an array of expensive options; should differ more visually to V8 version; limited practicality; does Audi brand have the cachet for a circa-$400,000 supercar?
Stars Rating: 4/5

THE COMPETITORS
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4
Price $475,000.
Engine 5.2L V10, 412kW, 540Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 14.7L/100km and 351g/km CO2.
Safety Front and side airbags, stability control, optional rear-view camera.
Pros Blistering speed; mesmerising engine; quintessential supercar looks.
Cons Restricted visibility; limited luggage space; half-a-million-dollar price tag.
Rating: 4/5
PORSCHE 911 TURBO
Price From $361,100.
Engine 3.6L twin-turbocharged 6-cyl, 353kW, 620Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 12.8L/100km and 311g/km CO2.
Safety Front, side and head airbags; stability control; tyre-pressure monitor.
Pros Confidence-inspiring AWD handling; brilliant twin-turbo engine; relatively frugal.
Cons Updated version here next year; restricted back seats make more sense as extra cargo space; more gear should be standard.
Rating: 4.5/5
FERRARI F430
Price From $434,150.
Engine 4.3L V8, 360kW, 465Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 18.3L/100km and 420g/km CO2.
Safety Front airbags; stability control.
Pros Great looks; terrific performance and handling; clever electronic differential.
Con About to be replaced by 458 Italia; thirsty for a supercar.
Rating Not tested
* Star ratings are out of five.
All prices are recommended retail and exclude dealer and delivery costs. Three years ago Audi took its first, bold step into supercar territory and introduced its mid-engined, V8-powered R8.
Now the German luxury brand has introduced a V10 version that soars even closer to the rarefied air normally breathed by the likes of Lamborghinis and Ferraris.
Cynics have been suspicious that Audi put the original R8 on a leash for fear of treading on the toes of sister brand Lamborghini. However, the new R8 shows this ambitious marque is clearly no longer afraid.
The R8 is already based on the Lamborghini Gallardo but now the range-topping variant uses a slightly modified version of that supercar’s V10 for elevated performance.
Audi Australia sold 103 R8s in 2008 (to outsell the A8 limo), though the economic meltdown has curtailed sales to 32 so far this year.
The R8 line-up will expand next year with an open-top Spyder model.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
A $73,800 premium over the V8 R8 takes an Audi past the $400,000 barrier for the first time (once on-road costs are added). About a third of that extra cost is for standard equipment that’s optional on the base model, including Bang & Olufsen audio, (world first) all-LED headlights, nappa leather seats with heating, hill-hold assist and folding, auto-dimming side mirrors. Otherwise, the 5.2 FSI shares with the 4.2 FSI the likes of Bluetooth, sat-nav, metallic paint, cruise control and parking sensors with rear-view camera.
You can still spend another $70,000-odd on further options and, surprisingly, the carbon-fibre “sideblades” and engine cover are not a way of distinguishing the V10 from its smaller-engined brother – they’ll set you back another $13,664.
That means besides a small V10 badge on each flank, it’ll take an anorak-cloaked passer-by to notice the 5.2 R8’s wider side air intakes, chrome cross-hatch grille, alternative front and rear bumper treatment and dual oval exhaust exits (though they’re fake – peer through them and you’ll find a similar quad-pipe arrangement to the V8 R8).

THE COMPETITORS
LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4
Price $475,000.
Engine 5.2L V10, 412kW, 540Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 14.7L/100km and 351g/km CO2.
Safety Front and side airbags, stability control, optional rear-view camera.
Pros Blistering speed; mesmerising engine; quintessential supercar looks.
Cons Restricted visibility; limited luggage space; half-a-million-dollar price tag.
Rating: 4/5
PORSCHE 911 TURBO
Price From $361,100.
Engine 3.6L twin-turbocharged 6-cyl, 353kW, 620Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 12.8L/100km and 311g/km CO2.
Safety Front, side and head airbags; stability control; tyre-pressure monitor.
Pros Confidence-inspiring AWD handling; brilliant twin-turbo engine; relatively frugal.
Cons Updated version here next year; restricted back seats make more sense as extra cargo space; more gear should be standard.
Rating: 4.5/5
FERRARI F430
Price From $434,150.
Engine 4.3L V8, 360kW, 465Nm, 6-sp manual.
Fuel consumption and emissions 18.3L/100km and 420g/km CO2.
Safety Front airbags; stability control.
Pros Great looks; terrific performance and handling; clever electronic differential.
Con About to be replaced by 458 Italia; thirsty for a supercar.
Rating Not tested
* Star ratings are out of five.
All prices are recommended retail and exclude dealer and delivery costs.

 

 

RICHARD BLACKBURN October 16, 2009 – 12:47PM

Images have appeared on the internet of a new baby brother to the R8 supercar and its electric. By RICHARD BLACKBURN.

Audi will build a production version of its e-tron electric supercar concept.

Web reports suggest the zero-emission sports car, to be called the R4, could hit the road as early as 2011.

And a report on UK website Auto Express says the R4, a smaller version of the R8 supercar, will also have petrol-powered versions.

It says the new car could share a platform with the next-generation Porsche Boxster and Cayman, given that Porsche is now part of the Volkswagen Group, which also owns Audi.

The R4 will slot in just above the TT coupe in the Audi range, and will most likely share some petrol engines with the TT.

Audi’s US boss Johan de Nysschen told US industry journal, Automotive News, that “running examples” of the R4 would be on the road in the next two years.

The low-slung, lightweight e-tron concept, unveiled at last month’s Frankfurt motor show, had electric motors at all four wheels and could sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds.

Its lithium-ion battery pack, which was positioned where the engine would go on petrol versions, could be recharged from a domestic power point in about eight hours and had a range of about 250km.

Audi is developing a rapid-charging option that can recharge the battery in about two-and-a-half hours.

It is also working on a home-based wireless charging system where the car starts re-charging as soon as it is driven into the garage.

The concept car’s top speed was limited to 200km/h, but the production version is tipped to have a slightly higher top speed.

Photos posted on Auto Express show a canvas-roofed Targa version of the R4, although a convertible is also believed to be on the cards.

Audi will use a lightweight aluminium frame and carbon fibre components to keep the car’s weight down, while it will also have regenerative brakes, which capture kinetic energy usually lost when a car slows down.

The e-tron has a similar weight distribution to the R8 on which it is based, with weight split 42:58 front to rear.

By default, 70 per cent of the e-tron’s drive goes to the rear wheels, while 30 per cent is applied to the rear wheels.

But in keeping with Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive heritage, the drive can be sent to the wheels with the most grip to improve traction.

And the car takes advantage of the electric motor at each wheel to enhance handling.

The on-board computer can deliver microsecond-long bursts of either power or braking force to individual wheels to eliminate understeer.

No pricing information is available on the R4, but with the most expensive TT costing about $100,000 and the cheapest R8 going for $260,000, there’s plenty of room for the R4.

The R4 isn’t the only electric German supercar on the drawing board.

Mercedes has an electric version of its new SLS AMG Gullwing in the pipeline, while Porsche has committed to hybrid and electric versions of its sports cars.

Think of an S3 with more power and less mass and you have the 24 Sport – a hot-hatch concept that could go into production. By BARRY PARK.

It’s low, lean, and purposefully mean. Meet the performance-focused Audi that you could soon buy in Australia – the A3 24 Sport.

Audi had rolled out the Sport for its lightweight technology day, giving motoring journalists from around the world a chance to jump behind the wheel of a stripped-out, lightweight car and judge for themselves how shedding all that weight can improve a vehicle’s dynamics.

Its name reflects the scope of the race car on which the 24 Sport is based — developed for the punishing Nurburgring 24-hour endurance-driving challenge.

Incidentally, we’re at the proving grounds about 150 kilometres outside Frankfurt, owned by components maker Bosch. The company lets car makers use the grounds for prototype testing.

Already we’ve had tantalising, close-up looks at the BMW X1, a heavily camouflaged Ferrari 599 with a huge, squared off power bulge in the middle of the bonnet, the next-generation diesel-engined Suzuki Swift, a nondescript-looking Porsche Panamera bulleting around the handling circuit, an Audi A8 lapping the speed bowl, and over at the skid pan a heavily modified X5 is letting out tortured tyre squeals as engineers thoroughly punish it.

At one stage a convoy of Citroen C4s stream in through the main gate, and we wonder why the lead car wears a veneer of gaffa tape in several places.

No cameras allowed, unfortunately.

Where were we? Oh yes, at the moment there are only two of these seriously modified Audi three-door hatchbacks in Germany that we’re trying to concentrate on despite the constant stream crudely fettled prototypes that surround us. They’ve been built as a concept rather than a full-blown production car, but the engineers swarming around it were all hinting at the possibility that the Sport will make it to showrooms.

The car we’re driving uses a standard S3 chassis, utilising the range-topping A3’s extensive use of lightweight aluminium components compared with the steel-heavy models further down the range.

Under the hood is a stock 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine borrowed from the S3, but featuring a few minor add-ons to the anti-pollution gear and air intakes. It puts out 230kW of power – 42kW more than the S3 you can buy today.

The engine is mated to an old-school six-speed automatic gearbox; the one where you push the shifter to the right to lock it into tiptronic mode. No flappy paddles on the steering wheel, unfortunately.

Externally, it sits low on 17-inch rims that for today’s demonstration feature almost-slick race treads. The guards aren’t even plumped, although a huge, speed bump-unfriendly splitter pokes out from under the front bumper, and wind tunnel-tested vents are cut into the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic bonnet and aluminium guards.

Inside the front wheels are a huge set of brake rotors borrowed from the R8 supercar. There ars screws set into the lip of the hatch below the rear window, evidence that at one stage someone has had a big spoiler fitted.

The first obstacles to getting inside the Sport are the doors. The external door handles don’t work, so you need to put an arm in through the permanently half=open window and use the inner door handle to unlatch it. They might want to fix that in the showroom car.

The second obstacle is a full race cage that reduces the amount of space for getting into the car to a letterbox-like slit.

Padding on the roll bars makes contact with the spaceframe a little more tolerable.

Once inside, there are deep Recaro seats and a five-point harness to manage. There are no back seats, partly because the over-shoulder seat-belt straps running to the rear of the Sport would be a tad bothersome for rear-pew passengers.

Rear-seat passengers would also probably baulk at the hoses of the air jacks that snake all across the floor and walls of the cabin.

The dash is very simple, with speedo, tacho and trip computer. However, there’s no radio, sat-nav or other obvious creature comforts, and the front passenger seat is so far back on its rails that it almost seems as though it really might be a back seat.

It drives brilliantly. Admittedly, the ride and handling loop on which we were taking it was billiard-table smooth and incredibly sticky, though it didn’t feel like a race car.

Ride was surprisingly smooth and compliant, without the bone-jarring harshness you’d expect of a race car’s set-up. That’s probably a function of the variable damper control knobs sitting on top of the transmission tunnel rotated to their softest setting.

Acceleration is accompanied by a loud pop from the exhaust as the automatic transmission raced up through the gears, and a snarl under deceleration as the engine automatically blipped the throttle to match the revs needed for the next gear down.

Outside the car, the Sport sounds a little like a race car. Inside the stripped-out cabin it roars with a spine-tingling ferocity as the sound bounces off the bare metal shell that features from the B pillar back.

The R8 brakes bleed off speed at a staggering rate, with excellent feel and not too much assist. Tip the car into a corner, and there’s no hesitation as the Sport willingly changes direction.

Getting out of the corner requires a gentle right foot, as this car has none of the electronic driver aids found in a normal car that would leap in and take control as soon as ambition outgrows ability. Jump on the throttle too early and the Sport will give a little buck as the unloaded inner wheel struggles to find grip.

It’s an intoxicating car, as yet only a concept and with the odds of it coming to Australia fairly well stacked against it.

And despite all its stripped-out insides and totally impractical features, it’s unlikely to be cheaper than the $66,403 Audi S3 that supplies some of the parts for the 24 Sport, despite the Sport losing pretty much all the expensive comforts that the S3 boasts, apart from a radio and air-conditioning.

Australians will have to wait until early next year to get their hands on the magnificent Audi A5 Sportback which is now on-sale in Europe.

The superbly styled Sportback joins the Coupe and Cabriolet to complete Audi’s A5 lineup. Local specifications have not been finalized but Audi Australia says both petrol and diesel versions are heading this way.

Gloriously proportioned, the A5 Sportback features four frameless doors, a long wheelbase and wide track. The long, tapered rear end is finished with flat C-pillars, a subtle rear hatch spoiler and sporty diffuser.

Alloy wheels ranging from 17-inch to 20-inch complete yet another outstanding styling job from Audi.

Inside is the usual array of Audi luxury features and a handy luggage capacity of 480 litres with the rear seats in place or 980 litres when folded.

Currently in Europe, Audi is offering six engines (three petrol and three TDI diesels) with three more powerplants to follow in 2010.

The petrol engines are two 2.0-litre versions (132kW or 155kW) and the 195kW 3.2-litre V6.

For the diesel versions, Audi is offering a 2.0-litre TDI (125kW) – complete with a start-stop system which switches the engine off when stationary in traffic  plus a 140kW 2.7-litre TDI and the 3.0-litre TDI which delivers 176kW and drives though Audi’s S-tronic seven-speed automatic transmission.

All engines have a recuperation system which recovers energy during braking and deceleration, storing it in the battery.

The three petrol engines and the two top TDIs feature the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and there is an optional sport differential which delivers enhanced driving dynamics. Other driving aids available include an electronic differential lock for front-wheel-drive models, adaptive shock absorber control and dynamic steering with variable boost for the power-assistance.

Joshua Dowling

It looks like something out of a science fiction movie… Or the kind of bling West Coast Customs might add to an Audi R8. But it’s actually a concept version of Audi’s supercar that doesn’t have a V8 or a V10 in sight.

In fact, it doesn’t need petrol at all. Instead it’s powered by four electric motors’ one for each wheel.

The e-tron, as Audi has dubbed it, has a combined output of 230kW and 4500Nm that last figure is not a misprint, the torque of electric motors is huge. Not surprisingly it can accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds on the way to a limited top speed of 200km/h and has a driving range of 248km.

Recharge time is between six and eight hours, or less than two hours on a fast charger. Check out the inside info on the car’s internal technology — the way it generates its power is astonishing.

And e-tron has a few other electriconic tricks up its sleeve, including an experimental version of Audi’s car-to-car or car-to-infrastructure technology. For example, if a car equipped with the technology has crashed on the road ahead, it can send a signal to the e-tron to slow down in time to avoid another crash.

The e-tron looks at a glance like an Audi R8 with some chrome, but in fact there are significant changes. The body has been modified to accommodate the removal of the side air vents. And the headlights are an experimental free flow design that follows the contour of the body, possible now thanks to new LED technology. It means that designers can use smaller headlight area to create the same level of illumination as more conventional lamps.

The thin-spoke alloy wheels look elegant but also serve two purposes: they are designed to be more aero efficient, and help cool the brakes.

As with most electric cars, the e-tron uses regenerative braking to recharge the onboard battery pack.

Audi says there are no plans to bring the e-tron into production but clearly the technology could be quickly adapted should the company find enough motivation and enough customers.

Look out for carsales Network’s technical reveal of the e-tron later today and don’t miss the Carsales Network’s Frankfurt show preview and brand-by-brand summaries. Frankfurt show news and first drives will continue in the days to come.