Audi SQ2 Is So Powerful It Broke Cover Before The Paris Motor Show

This smallest S variant is no watered-down performance offering

Rumors of the hot Audi SQ2 have been circulating for a number of months now and while we had a rough idea of what to expect, its reveal ahead of the Paris Motor Show has confirmed that it will offer a full 292 horsepower and 295 lb ft of torque from its turbocharged 2.0-liter TFSI engine, the same as the one you get in the S3 sedan.

Quattro all-wheel-drive and a dual-clutch DSG transmission are standard fitment, both contributing to the very rapid 0-62mph time of 4.8-seconds. Top speed is still limited to the usual 155mph though.

The standard Q2, like most small crossovers, is more of a slightly raised hatchback than true off-roading SUV and the SQ2 with its 0.8-inch lower and stiffer suspension setup and either 18 or 19-inch wheels is clearly intended for on-road entertainment.

Additional exterior performance cues come in the way of a redesigned grille, quad rear tailpipes, a sporty body kit and brake calipers that can be finished in red instead of the standard black. The SQ2 receives some additional equipment over the lesser Q2 models too and it comes fitted with LED head and taillights, sporty leather-covered seats and can be optioned with Audi’s virtual cockpit display and the latest driver assistance systems.

US fans of fast Audis have the full complement of S and RS sedans to choose from but when it comes to crossovers, the sole option currently is the larger SQ5 model.

There is no news yet about whether this pint-sized rocket will be making it to the states but with the imminent arrival of the similarly quick and powerful BMW X2 M35i, it may well force Audi’s hand. With the possibility of an RS variant on the horizon too, we sure hope it does.

Audi e-tron GT Concept Arrives Before Official Debut

It looks spectacular in the metal.

Set to make its official debut here at the 2018 LA Auto Show, the Audi e-tron GT Concept was revealed to a select few media last night in downtown LA with Robert Downy Jr. doing the honors. Yes, we were there, alas no-one was permitted to take any pictures, but these images of a camouflaged model have now been released. You'll have to wait for images of the car - which looks spectacular - when it premieres to the world tomorrow.

Audi has been teasing what will soon become a Tesla Model S fighter over the past couple weeks, but specific details remain scarce. What we do know is that it shares much of its general underpinnings with the also upcoming Porsche Taycan. Remember, both Porsche and Audi are part of the VW Group.

While the e-tron is an SUV crossover, the e-tron GT takes the shape of a sleek four-door coupe, with a similar silhouette to the A7, sleek athletic lines, a muscular rear end and bags of supercar performance.

We’ve long been huge fans of the liftback body style. It’ll reportedly have a 248-mile range on a single charge and 80 percent of its battery can be recharged in less than 12 minutes as it’ll be the first Audi EV equipped with batteries capable of charging at 350 kWh. In other words, don’t worry about range anxiety because it won’t be a problem. Performance details are yet to be confirmed but Audi told us 0-60 mph will happen in 3.5 seconds.

The e-tron GT, once it reaches production, will be the second pure electric Audi and the German automaker plans to have a total of 12 EVs on the market by 2025.

The few Audi e-tron GT concept images you’re looking at show the vehicle covered in a camouflage wrap of sorts, very similar to what was used to slightly disguise the e-tron SUV concept last summer. The production version is expected to arrive sometime in 2020. We’ll learn a ton of new details starting tomorrow and along with additional images and live shots then as well.

Cars That Sold Out Before They Went On Sale

Some before we even knew what they looked like.

There’s only one thing that can ruin the thrill of watching a hot new machine being unveiled with mouthwatering specs, nearly a thousand horsepower, or a 0-60 mph time of fewer than three seconds, maybe even a top speed north of 250 mph. So many times, an amazing piece of machinery is unveiled, only for a manufacturer to announce, “we’ll be building X amount, and they’re all sold out.” Here at CarBuzz, we hate that line – it’s like giving a wrongly imprisoned captive hope of release, only to tell him he can’t have his freedom. To prove what we’re talking about, here are ten times amazing cars were unveiled, only for them to be sold out before they were even produced or officially went on sale.

Bugatti Divo

Named after French racing driver, Albert Divo, the Bugatti Divo is what happens when the Bugatti Chiron gets remodeled for pure track-driving ecstasy. With reworked aerodynamic bodywork and 1,479 imperial horsepower on offer from the 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16, the Divo is a fierce track machine that any gearhead would love to get their hands on. And yet, with just 40 units set for production, when the car was unveiled this year at Pebble Beach, every single one was already spoken for, sold by special invitation to previous Bugatti owners for $5.8 million.

Porsche 911 R

The Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the stuff dreams are made of, widely lauded as one of the best driver’s cars around. But the GT3 RS had one giant flaw for the mass of internet enthusiasts that pined over it – it was only available with Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch transmission, no manual shifter at all. The limited edition Porsche 911 R changed all that, offering 500 horsepower of naturally aspirated 911 GT3 RS power, with reduced weight, subtler styling, and crucially, a gearbox that required the driver to do the shifting manually, with a clutch pedal! 991 of them were built – correlating with the 991 series code – and by the time the 911 R was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016, all units had already been sold to existing Porsche owners.

McLaren Speedtail

For those who grew up in the ‘90s, the McLaren F1 was likely one of the posters adorning your walls; the world’s fastest car, with a gold-lined engine bay, a BMW engine, and 3 seats with the driver sitting centrally. So imagine our sheer joy when in 2016, 17 years after the F1 went out of production, McLaren announced a successor to the F1, set to be the fastest McLaren ever. Unveiled just last week, the McLaren Speedtail lives up to the hype the announcement created, with 3 seats, a 1,035 horsepower hybrid drivetrain, and a top speed of 250 mph. In keeping with the F1-heritage, only 106 Speedtails will be produced. And all units were immediately snapped up when McLaren first announced the Speedtail in 2016 – most of them to the same people who bought the original 106 F1s in the 1990s.

LaFerrari Aperta

The LaFerrari was the Italian marque’s successor to the Enzo, and also the very first hybrid to emerge – though many more are in the cards. But when the Aperta, the convertible version of the LaFerrari was unveiled, it had already been sold to a batch of select clients, all of whom had received personal invitations to purchase a LaFerrari Aperta.

200 were built for sale to clients, though there was one additional model built to be auctioned for fundraising in support of the Save the Children charity foundation, which sold for $10,000,000. A hybridized V12 with 950 hp, rear-wheel drive, and an open top to enjoy the V12 noise – and us mere mortals have never even gifted the opportunity to try and buy one.

Lamborghini Centenario

To celebrate the 100th birthday of the company’s founder, Lamborghini unveiled the Centenario at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. It made use of an uprated 759-hp V12 from the Aventador upon which it was based, and featured bespoke styling. Later that year, at Pebble Beach, the Centenario Roadster was unveiled. Just 20 of each body style were produced, making 40 in total, and yet at the time each was unveiled, every single one of them was spoken for, making it yet another piece of forbidden fruit from Lamborghini.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

Previously known as the AM-RB001, the now-named Valkyrie is the hypercar collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, designed by Formula 1 genius, Adrian Newey. The road car is set to be one of the fastest ever, with Aston Martin claiming Formula 1 racecar-like performance – something to rival the Mercedes-AMG One. Powered by a 6.5-liter Cosworth V12 with a Rimac-built KERS hybrid system, combined outputs of the yet to be produced hypercar are 1,130hp. Aerodynamically optimized, the Valkyrie is said to be capable of generating 4,000 lbs of downforce. Only 150 road-going units will be produced, priced at $3.2-million apiece, but all of the build slots have been allocated.

Mercedes-AMG One

The Valkyrie’s chief rival comes from Mercedes-AMG, using its own Formula 1 involvement to create the (Project) One. Making use of a hybrid drivetrain, including a road-legalized version of the 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 from the W07 Formula 1 car, power outputs are expected to reach a maximum of 1,231 hp channeled to all four corners. A planned production run of 275 units is expected between 2020 and 2021, but now, two years before production even begins, they’re already sold out for a price of $2.72 million each. The demand was so high that Mercedes-AMG received orders for four times the production volume, but in an effort to maintain exclusivity, it refused to increase production volumes.

McLaren Senna

While it’s nowhere near as bespoke as the Speedtail – the McLaren Senna is no less special, with a design epitomizing the ‘form-follows-function’ principle. It’s designed to be the best of the best on any race track, while still remaining road legal. Based loosely around the 720S, the Senna is powered by a 789-hp version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, driving the rear wheels and aided by a trick suspension and huge amounts of downforce. Named after legendary Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna, just 500 units are being produced, though at the time of unveiling all had already been pre-sold, with the last build-slot auctioned off at a private McLaren customer event. 500 special cars, all sold before we even knew it existed.

Ford GT

Ford announced the new Ford GT ahead of the 50th anniversary of its famous Le Mans victory, announcing that it would race once again – something it did rather successfully. But for the production models, you couldn’t just buy one from the showroom. You had to apply to Ford and go through a vetting process, before being awarded a build slot in the original production run of 100 vehicles promised in 2015. Ford has since expanded the production run by another 350 units, though those orders are sure to be sealed long before you get the chance to even think of applying. With 647 hp from its mid-mounted twin-turbo V6, the all-American supercar’s sold-out status deserves to be crowned a national disaster.

TVR Griffith Launch Edition

British supercar-brand, TVR, has flirted with death for the last two decades. But late last year, a new model was unveiled to spark the revival of the special brand. Using an iStream carbon fiber chassis and a Cosworth-tuned Ford Coyote V8, the rear-wheel-drive supercar generates 480 hp and claims the 0-60 mph victory in less than 4 seconds. The first allocation of the as of yet unproduced Griffith, the 500 unit Launch Edition, sold out within six weeks of its announcement, months before it was ever unveiled.

View the original article here

Every Audi R8 Receives A 25-Mile Road Test Before Delivery

The R8 is the only Audi model that’s subjected to such meticulous quality control testing.

It will be a sad day when the current Audi R8 is retired. While most modern supercars favor forced induction or electrified powertrains, the R8 is decidedly old-school with its naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine. By the time the third-generation model arrives, it will almost certainly utilize a fully electric powertrain to compete with some of the world's fastest electric hypercars as the technology will have evolved significantly by then. Going back to the current model, a new report by Autocar has revealed a fun fact that reminds us how unique the Audi R8 really is.

Technicians told the publication that every Audi R8 that leaves the factory is subjected to a 25-mile test run on the public road before it’s delivered to customers to iron out any potential quality issues. The most vulnerable parts of the car are covered in wrapping to protect it from stone chips and other damage. These tests are also rarely stopped due to weather, so you can be assured your R8 will receive a final evaluation come rain or shine.

No other model in Audi’s line-up is subjected to this meticulous quality control testing, but that’s not surprising considering the R8 is the most expensive car Audi sells. If you’re spending $150,000 you’re going to expect a premium service, but it’s nice to know that Audi goes the extra mile.

To keep the current model fresh, the R8 recently received a subtle refresh for the 2019 model year, incorporating sharper styling and more power. The standard R8 V10 now gives you 562 hp to play with, an increase of 29 hp over the pre-facelift model, while the 5.2-liter engine in the R8 V10 performance now comes with 611 hp, which is 9 more hp than the outgoing model. In the range-topping R8 V10 Performance Quattro, 0-62 mph takes 3.1 seconds before the car tops out at 205.7 mph.

This Tuner Allows Audi S3 Owners To Get A 400 HP RS3 Before It's On Sale

ABT can be a one-stop shop if you have the cash.

Audi's S3 is a wicked compact sedan that has every feature you can think of, and most importantly, it also has that 310 horsepower turbo lump that makes 295 lb-ft of torque. Unless you're in the States and you get the slightly detuned version that makes 292 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. While owners of the S3 had cars so new the transportation protection film still needed peeling off, Audi pulled out the RS3 version with a 400 horsepower 5-potter. We'd be upset at that, and would want more from the S3.

Luckily the S3 owners don't have to sell up and take a bath with the bank to get extra power, there are a few tuners who offer upgrade packages to make cheated owners feel better. One such tuner is the German-based ABT. It has a great new package that won't break the bank too much, and the results are close enough to what the RS3 offers for it to be a good idea. With an ABT Power ECU flash, an ABT sports-style catalytic converter and a full stainless steel exhaust system (ending in four black chrome tailpipes) the tuner raises the S3's output to 400 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque - bang on par with the RS3. Of course owners should refrain from picking on RS3s on the streets, they may also be tuned, and that could suck.

To go with the power upgrade package ABT also offers some visual options too, like a full range of lightweight wheels that are available in 18-, 19, and 20-inches with a choice of either Dunlop or Continental high performance tires. It also has some things to help improve the already great handling of the all-wheel drive Audi in the form of an anti-rollbar kit for the front and rear of the suspension setup. There's no pricing available as yet, but you can expect it to cost a few bucks. While the tuner is based in Germany, we do have ABT Sportline in California, so these upgrades will surely be available to those S3 owners who would have preferred the RS3 but couldn't wait for the release.

Aston Martin Seeks $6.8 Billion Valuation Before Going Public

Anyone interested in buying a piece?

Ever since Ferrari filed for an initial public offering back in 2015, other premium sports car companies have considered doing something similar. Aston Martin is one of them, as we learned not long ago. Today, Bloomberg has provided on update on that. Reportedly, Aston Martin is seeking a valuation for as much as $6.8 billion for its own IPO. The company has been having “preliminary talks” with advisers regarding the valuation including debt. But why aim for this IPO now and not earlier?

Because investors are more interested in Aston Martin now thanks to new models, specifically the DB11 and Vantage, and upcoming new product like the DBX SUV. But perhaps what’s most important is that Aston Martin is now also profitable thanks to strong 2017 sales. The company broke the 5,000-unit mark for the first time in almost a decade. Despite the talk, Aston Martin supposedly has yet to make a final decision regarding the IPO. It’s not a done deal just yet. Not surprisingly, no-one at Aston Martin is even willing to discuss the matter. “As a matter of policy, Aston Martin does not comment about speculation concerning future ownership or capital restructuring,” said company spokesman Simon Sproule.

Ever since Bloomberg broke the IPO news, Aston Martin 2022 bonds have risen as much as 0.2% in London, clearly a good sign. A final decision will probably be made ahead of the UK’s break with the European Union in March 2019, the same year when the production-spec DBX SUV crossover is due to arrive.

Audi e-tron GT Concept Arrives Before Official Debut

It looks spectacular in the metal.

Set to make its official debut here at the 2018 LA Auto Show, the Audi e-tron GT Concept was revealed to a select few media last night in downtown LA with Robert Downy Jr. doing the honors. Yes, we were there, alas no-one was permitted to take any pictures, but these images of a camouflaged model have now been released. You'll have to wait for images of the car - which looks spectacular - when it premieres to the world tomorrow.

Audi has been teasing what will soon become a Tesla Model S fighter over the past couple weeks, but specific details remain scarce. What we do know is that it shares much of its general underpinnings with the also upcoming Porsche Taycan. Remember, both Porsche and Audi are part of the VW Group.

While the e-tron is an SUV crossover, the e-tron GT takes the shape of a sleek four-door coupe, with a similar silhouette to the A7, sleek athletic lines, a muscular rear end and bags of supercar performance.

We’ve long been huge fans of the liftback body style. It’ll reportedly have a 248-mile range on a single charge and 80 percent of its battery can be recharged in less than 12 minutes as it’ll be the first Audi EV equipped with batteries capable of charging at 350 kWh. In other words, don’t worry about range anxiety because it won’t be a problem. Performance details are yet to be confirmed but Audi told us 0-60 mph will happen in 3.5 seconds.

The e-tron GT, once it reaches production, will be the second pure electric Audi and the German automaker plans to have a total of 12 EVs on the market by 2025.

The few Audi e-tron GT concept images you’re looking at show the vehicle covered in a camouflage wrap of sorts, very similar to what was used to slightly disguise the e-tron SUV concept last summer. The production version is expected to arrive sometime in 2020. We’ll learn a ton of new details starting tomorrow and along with additional images and live shots then as well.

Audi e-tron Calls In Sick Before Its First Day At Work

The brand’s first electric SUV gets delayed due to software bugs

The e-tron is the much-vaunted electric SUV from Audi that is positioned to steal market share from EV market leader Tesla and other newcomers like Jaguar’s I-Pace, but first it has to actually reach dealer showrooms.

Reuters cited a report by the German paper Bild am Sonntag that the Audi e-tron was facing delays as it requires regulatory clearance for a piece of software that was modified to iron out some bugs during the development process. The paper went on to say that Audi was also having to renegotiate pricing with its battery supplier, LG Chem.

The South Korean battery manufacturer apparently wants a price increase of 10 percent due to high demand and what we can only assume must be a limited supply.

Clearly, there is more to the negotiations than we are aware of and neither Audi nor LG Chem officials would comment on the discussions when questioned by Reuters. What we do know is that LG Chem are no small concern, they also supply batteries to Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen Group, as well as Daimler.

The battery pricing negotiations may not unduly affect delivery times but the need to get the software issue sorted may mean that the e-tron could reach showrooms a month later than planned.

Bild am Sonntag said that the delay could be as long as several months. In a market that is changing as rapidly as the EV segment, this could count against the e-tron when it does finally go on sale. It will certainly bring some interesting new tech to the segment so let's hope the production delays are short-lived.