Mercedes Wants To Squeeze Over 400 Horsepower From The Next AMG A45

That is a ton of horsepower for a 2.0 liter.

The Mercedes A45 has been the most powerful hot hatchback in the world since it was revealed back in 2013. When first introduced, the car's 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine produced 355 horsepower. The A45 was never sold in the US, but the sedan and SUV versions called the CLA and GLA were designed with the US in mind. In 2015, AMG gave all of these cars a power bump to 375 hp. Auto Express sat down with AMG boss Tobias Moers who has revealed that the next-generation A45 could make well over 400 hp.

Moers said that he has given his engineers a “blank piece of paper” to develop an all-new engine because the current engine is at its limit. He explained that "the limiting factor is the heat management in the cylinder head, so we’re not moving forward with that engine any more.” When asked if this new engine would produce over 400 hp, Moers said "Yes, I think so." AMG has likely been given a lot of freedom on this project because the current A45 has sold very well. Mercedes was unsure if a hatchback at this price class would sell well, but the average A45 transaction price for the car in the UK is 50,000 GBP ($61,500).

Giving the A45, CLA45, and GLA45 over 400 hp would be a great way to make them competitive against the current crop of cars in this segment. Volkswagen may have killed off plans for its badass 400 hp Golf, but the new RS3 will pack 400 hp from its 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine. The Ford Focus RS and Civic Type R will be interesting competition as well, but the Mercedes will have those cars beat on everything except price. Moers was also asked if there would be a model between the base 250 models and the 45 AMG models much like the recent 43 AMG models. He only replied with a "maybe," but we think that a mid-tier model would stack up perfectly against the Audi S3 and BMW M240i.

You Can Already Buy A Tuned Audi RS5 Coupe With Over 500 Horsepower

450 horsepower not enough for your Audi RS5? ABT Sportsline has the solution.

The 2018 Audi RS5 was only revealed a few months ago at the Geneva Motor Show as a rival to the BMW M4, but it hasn’t taken long for tuners to work their magic on the potent German sports coupe. Considering the RS5 already packs 450 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque courtesy of its new twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6, you would think that most owners would be satisfied with its performance. German tuner ABT Sportsline strongly disagrees, however, and has released its first performance package which cranks up the power considerably.

With the package installed, ABT has managed to extract an additional 60 horses and 59 lb-ft of torque, resulting in an RS5 that now cranks out 510 horsepower and 502 lb-ft. ABT is charging 4,760 Euros including assembly for current owners of the RS5 to have the package installed, which works out at around $5,600. No performance figures have been supplied, but the increase in power should make the upgraded coupe quicker than the standard model. For reference, the standard RS5 needs just 3.9 seconds to sprint from 0-62 mph and maxes out at an electronically limited 155 mph, or 174 mph with the optional R5 Dynamic Package fitted. ABT isn’t only offering a performance bump, either.

Those who want their RS5 to stand out from the crowd can choose from a range of distinctive 20-inch alloys and integrated LED entrance lights mounted in the front doors that project the tuner’s logo onto the floor. If that still isn’t enough for you, ABT hinted that it’s working on "an even more powerful and limited model." Watch this space.

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2019 Audi Q3 Looks Amazing Rendered As 400 Horsepower RS Model

Hopefully, the RS Q3 makes it the US this time around.

Audi just pulled the wraps off of the all-new 2019 Q3 SUV, which will be the brand's smallest crossover in the US. Europe will have the option to buy the Q3 with a diesel engine, but a 2.0-liter turbo-four will be the only engine option in the US. Power will range between 190 and 230 horsepower going out to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Though Audi has yet to announce faster versions of the Q3, a new RS Q3 is likely on the way.

The previous generation RS Q3 was powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo producing 367 hp, though it was never sold in the US. Audi has been spotted testing a faster version of the new Q3 around the Nurburgring, so we hope the US is on the list to receive it this time around. While we anxiously await an official announcement from Audi, rendering artist X-Tomi Design has taken a stab at imagining what a new RS Q3 could look like.

The next RS Q3 would likely use the RS3/TT RS's 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine producing 400 hp. We love the way this rendering looks, taking styling elements from the RS4 Avant and RS5 Coupe. The RS3 and TT RS are among our favorite RS models, thanks to that wonderful-sounding five-cylinder engine. A high-powered Q3 is high on our wish list for more RS models in the US.

The Audi e-tron Produces Up To 402 Horsepower – But There’s A Catch

Ahead of its official reveal in September, Audi has released technical specifications for the electric e-tron SUV.

The long-awaited reveal of the Audi e-tron was originally supposed to happen in just a few weeks on August 20, but the event has been pushed back until September 17 after Audi’s CEO was put behind bars for tampering with evidence relating to the VW Dieselgate scandal. With the reveal date now set, Audi has released the all-important technical specifications for its first-ever electric SUV. Two electric motors combine to produce an output of 355 horsepower 414 lb-ft of torque. These motors can deliver this peak performance for up to 60 seconds, enabling the e-tron to accelerate from a standstill to an electronically limited top speed 124.3 mph several times without a loss of power.

There’s also a boost mode, activated by shifting the gear lever from D to S and fully depressing the accelerator pedal, that increases the output up to 402 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque, but it’s only available for eight seconds. According to Audi, 0-62 mph takes less than six seconds.

But EV buyers are more likely to be concerned with range than performance. As such, Audi claims the e-tron will deliver a driving range of more than 248.5 miles on a single charge based on the WLTP test cycle. This doesn’t offer much of an advantage over its key competitors, the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, that offer similar ranges, but Audi is hoping the e-tron’s innovative recuperation system will make up for this by being more efficient than its competitors.

The recuperation system contributes up to 30 percent of the electric SUV’s range and uses the two electric motors and an electrohydraulically integrated brake control system. Three different recuperation modes are combined: manual coasting recuperation using the shift paddles, automatic coasting recuperation via the predictive efficiency assist, and brake recuperation with smooth transition between electric and hydraulic deceleration.

To demonstrate how this works, Audi tested the e-tron prototype’s recuperation system at Pikes Peak where the SUV went downhill for 19 miles and fed “so much energy back to the battery that it can cover approximately the same distance again.” The Audi e-tron prototype recuperates energy with up to 221.3 lb-ft of torque and 220 kW of electric power – more than 70 percent of its operating energy input, which “no series production model has achieved such a value up to now” according to Audi.

The Audi e-tron Produces Up To 402 Horsepower – But There’s A Catch

Ahead of its official reveal in September, Audi has released technical specifications for the electric e-tron SUV.

The long-awaited reveal of the Audi e-tron was originally supposed to happen in just a few weeks on August 20, but the event has been pushed back until September 17 after Audi’s CEO was put behind bars for tampering with evidence relating to the VW Dieselgate scandal. With the reveal date now set, Audi has released the all-important technical specifications for its first-ever electric SUV. Two electric motors combine to produce an output of 355 horsepower 414 lb-ft of torque. These motors can deliver this peak performance for up to 60 seconds, enabling the e-tron to accelerate from a standstill to an electronically limited top speed 124.3 mph several times without a loss of power.

There’s also a boost mode, activated by shifting the gear lever from D to S and fully depressing the accelerator pedal, that increases the output up to 402 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque, but it’s only available for eight seconds. According to Audi, 0-62 mph takes less than six seconds.

But EV buyers are more likely to be concerned with range than performance. As such, Audi claims the e-tron will deliver a driving range of more than 248.5 miles on a single charge based on the WLTP test cycle. This doesn’t offer much of an advantage over its key competitors, the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, that offer similar ranges, but Audi is hoping the e-tron’s innovative recuperation system will make up for this by being more efficient than its competitors.

The recuperation system contributes up to 30 percent of the electric SUV’s range and uses the two electric motors and an electrohydraulically integrated brake control system. Three different recuperation modes are combined: manual coasting recuperation using the shift paddles, automatic coasting recuperation via the predictive efficiency assist, and brake recuperation with smooth transition between electric and hydraulic deceleration.

To demonstrate how this works, Audi tested the e-tron prototype’s recuperation system at Pikes Peak where the SUV went downhill for 19 miles and fed “so much energy back to the battery that it can cover approximately the same distance again.” The Audi e-tron prototype recuperates energy with up to 221.3 lb-ft of torque and 220 kW of electric power – more than 70 percent of its operating energy input, which “no series production model has achieved such a value up to now” according to Audi.