Audi cars

2013 Audi RS3 Sportback by Schwabenfolia

SchwabenFolia has been responsible for a pair of tuner projects this past week. Fresh off of its new program for the Chevrolet Camaro, the aftermarket specialist has a new one in the oven, this time for the Audi RS3 Sportback.

As is always the case with SchwabenFolia, important attention was paid on giving the car a new skin, which in this case is the rather fancy matte Gorange Metallic foil. The gold and orange combination works better on the RS3 than the original Suzuka Grey Metallic finish it had. We don’t know about the €2,350 price tag ($3,060 at the current rates) you have to pay to get that work done, but if money isn’t an object, then it’s a pretty slick way to spruce up the sports hatch. In addition to the new body color, the aftermarket company also tinted the RS3’s taillights and put some shine on the black roof, the front lip, and the Audi logo on the grille.

On the inside, SchwabenFolia also dressed up the interior with new bucket seats that carry the driver’s name and, curiously enough, the Nordschleife logo. All of this comes in at only €1,450 ($1,900).

Finally, a performance upgrade, for just €5,450 ($7,100) was also done on the RS3 featuring a RAGE 2.5 exhaust system developed by F-Town Street with dual 80 mm (3.14-inch) tailpipes. The result is an output increase to 425 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, a significant spike from the standard 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque from the car’s 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine.

2013 Audi R8 LMS Ultra

Announced back in 2011, the R8 LMS Ultra is preparing for the 2013 racing season with a series of upgrades that make it even more aerodynamic. The new R8 LMS Ultra made its debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and can now be ordered at a price of €339,000 (about $440,000 at the current exchange rates).

When viewed from the front, you will need to look very careful to notice all the updates the model received. Audi installed a new under-floor element that channels the air even more precisely into the two wheel arches, while the new form of the exterior mirrors will help improve the drag coefficient. At the rear, the diffuser received a new design: it is divided into a center section and two channels running to both the left and right in order to achieve optimum diffusion of the air. Also, on the exhaust system the tailpipes are relocated to exit upwards.

The car’s front suspensions also received a new geometry that helps reduce the tendency to dive excessively under braking. As no surprise, Audi also installed new wheels made in forged aluminum, each weighting 1 kg (2.2 lbs) less than the previous versions. As a weight reduction strategy, the racecar has also been equipped with a Makrolon windshield which weighs 3 kg (6.6 lbs) less than a glass element, plus a three-plate sinter metal race clutch that also helps reduce weight.

With all these updates, the R8 LMS Ultra is now ready to score another 18 championship titles!

Tony Stark Returns to the Audi R8 in Iron Man 3

It was fun, Acrua NSX, but ultimately, Tony Stark is returning to his old love.

With Stark set to return to the big screen this coming May for Iron Man 3, the eccentric billionaire playboy will once again sit behind the wheels of his old flame, the Audi R8. The German supercar has been on the side of Stark since the first Ironman movie, but was left in the garage in favor of the NSX when Stark and his superhero buddies teamed up in the Avengers.

But now that it’s back to Iron Man, the R8, or specifically, the battery-powered R8 e-tron, is back in the loving arms of Tony Stark. You can see some production photos of Iron Man 3 that was released by Audi and clearly see Robert Downey Jr. behind the wheel of the German exotic.

Just like his high-powered suits, the Audi R8, in whatever variant it is, just suits Tony Stark to a tee.

2013 Audi AS6-R by ABT Sportsline

Last month, the German tuner, ABT Sportsline, unveiled the Audi AS6 - a tuning kit that develops a total of 420 horsepower. Still, the tuner thought the car could do better and today it announced a second kit called AS6-R that upgrades the output to a total of 600 horsepower.

In order to get this 180-horsepower increase, the new AS6-R received an ABT Power S kit that includes an optimized engine management and an ABT turbocharger. Peak torque has been increased to 553 pound-feet and the sprint from 0 to 60 mph is now made in 3.9 seconds. The speed limiter has also been removed, which allows the AS6-R to now hit a top speed of 192 mph. ABT also installed a new sport-type exhaust system that significantly improved the engine’s sound.

The car’s exterior has also been modified with the addition of a new front skirt add on, a side skirt add on and a new rear spoiler. All new items were made from carbon fiber.

The AS6-R will be offered with new 21-inch wheels wrapped in high-performance tires.

Audi Boss Says R20 Supercar in the Middle of “Product Evaluation”

Rumors of Audi’s plans to build a Le Mans-inspired supercar have been floating around for the past couple of months. Expected to be called the R20, speculation has run rampant on the technical details of the supercar.

While Audi has resisted from making any comments regarding what it plans on doing with the car, technical chief, Wolganf Durheimer, bared some refreshing news at the Geneva Motor Show. Talking to Autocar, Durheimer commented that the proposed supercar is currently under "production evaluation"

More importantly, Durheimer believes that development of the car will go far enough that we could see a prototype later this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

“We run product evaluation on different ideas, looking at market positioning, brand image, development cost and time to market,” Dürheimer said. “Once this is done we will have a clear decision on what happens next. I would expect an update on this project in September at Frankfurt."

“It is still alive and I’m pushing for it,” he added.

Should the proposed R20 progress to the point that it could be green lighted for production, Audi believes that a lot of people would go nuts for the car, something the automaker is looking for as it tries to align its Le Mans program with a dedicated road car. Should that end up being the case, it’s likely that the R20 will carry some sort of a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain, similar to what the automaker uses on its R18 Le Mans racer.

Ultimately, Durheimer believes that hybrid supercars are becoming an important aspect of a brand’s focus.

“The market for these cars is fairly limited, but they are so important for brand image and perception,” he said.

“I think we need to do this car and show clearly where racing goes.”

Sounds good to us.

2013 Audi RS5 DTM

Audi unveiled its DTM race car for the 2013 racing season — the new RS 5 DTM — at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. There will be eight different RS 5 DTMs entering the 2013 DTM and the driver lineup will include Jamie Green (Great Britain) and two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekström (Sweden).

The new DTM racecar was developed in accordance with the regulations announced by DTM officials for the 2013 racing season. Still, the DTM version offers pretty much the same performance data as the current RS5: a 4.2 liter V8 engine delivering a total of 450 horsepower at 8,250 rpm and a peak torque of 317.15 pound-feet available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm.

Unlike the production version, however, the DTM version will feature a pretty aggressive aerodynamic kit, updated front and rear suspension with double wishbones, and a hydraulic dual-circuit brake system.

The new Audi RS5 DTM will make its racing debut between April 26th and 29th at Barcelona, Spain and from April 9th to 12th at Hockenheim.

2013 Audi A3 Sportback g-tron

Audi’s fifth world debut for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show is the A3 Sportback g-tron, which is based on the A3 Sportback and powered by CO2-neutral fuel, Audi e-gas. The model will be put on sale towards the end of the year.

The model was previewed by the TCNG e-gas project unveiled back in 2011 and Audi promised a production version will arrive in the upcoming years. The e-gas necessary for the new model will be produced at Audi’s plant in Werlte (Emsland district of Lower Saxony), Germany.

The model is based on the 1.4 TFSI version of the A3 Sportback, but with modifications made to the cylinder head, turbocharging, injection system and the catalytic converter. The two tanks under the luggage compartment floor can each hold seven kg (15.43 pounds) of e-gas and they deliver a range of 248.55 miles, plus an additional 559.23 miles when gasoline is added.

Hit the jump to read more about the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron.

2013 Audi S6 Avant by ABT Sportsline

German tuner, ABT Sportsline, has prepared an aggressive offensive for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Alongside the RS5-R and the R8 GT-R, the tuner is also going to unveil a kit based on the S6 Avant. In total, the three packages are delivering an amazing output of 1,860 horsepower, so it looks like ABT’s stand is going to be very crowded.

With its new tuning package based on the S6 Avant, ABT wants to prove that even an everyday car can be transformed into "an invincible super sports car."

The standard version S6 Avant is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 engine that produces 420 horsepower, but ABT managed to increase this output by 180 horsepower to a total of 600 horsepower - an output that makes it even more powerful than the RS6 Avant, which delivers a total of "only" 560 horsepower!

Full details will be unveiled during the car’s official debut in Geneva.

Video: Audi RS4 Avant - Ultimate Paintball Duel

Audi has put together one of the craziest video we have seen the past few months. The company took two different 2013 RS4 Avants and invite them to play. The two RS4 feature hood-mounted paintball guns and the video was filmed in a military aircraft hangar. What happened after is likely the best paintball duel in the history of the sport, as these two Audis went head to head. We are certain any car fan would love to have been part of this game, we certainly would have.

For those of you who don’t remember, the RS4 Avant is powered by a 4.2-liter V-8 engine that delivers a total of 450 horsepower. This engine sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds - an impressive number for a station wagon - and up to a top speed of 174 mph.

Hit the jump for a behind of the scenes video.

2013 Audi R8 GTR by ABT Sportsline

ABT Sportsline always makes some noise at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and this year, you better get ready because the German aftermarket company is prepared to drop the boom.

With a number of programs headed to the biggest auto show of the year, ABT Sportsline is determined to show the gathered masses that it’s one of the best Audi tuners in the world. And what better way to prove that point by bringing a new program for the German brand’s resident supercar: the [http://www.topspeed.com/cars/audi/2013-audi-r8-v10-ar132905.html].

The GTR program for the R8 GT was actually developed sometime back, but the one that’s going to Geneva is a revised version that features new and exciting modifications. With every intention of shaving off some weight to make the R8 lighter and faster, ABT Sportsline fitted the German supercar with a new carbon-fiber aero kit that includes a new hood, front and rear aprons, new side skirts and a rear wing. With all these new components in tow, ABT was able to shave 242 pounds off of the R8, no small feat for a car that now weighs just 3,340 pounds. Rounding out the exterior mods include a set of 19-inch forged alloy wheels a new stainless-steel exhaust system, and a coil-over sports suspension with adjustable dampers.

For the engine - the unquestioned highlight of the GTR program - ABT Sportsline did its usual array of magic tricks on the R8’s 5.2-liter FSI engine, increasing the output from 550 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque all the way up to an impressive 620 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque.

With these modifications, the German supercar is now capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.2 seconds - three-tenths of a second faster than the production model. It is capable of hitting a top speed of 202 mph, a significant job from the standard R8’s 193 mph top speed.