Car Throttle

One of the best niche body styles out there has to be the four-door coupe. First invented by Mercedes back in 2004, the idea was to make a car that looks as elegant as the CL but gives it the practicality and comfort of the E-Class and the resulting car was dubbed the CLS. There have been others since from Team Germany such as the Audi A7 and the up and coming BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. They're great if you have executive car money but what if you're bored of your humble Passat? The people's car manufacturer had this problem in mind when they created the Passat CC back in 2008 and now there's a new one. This time they've ditched the 'P' word for us

Some manufacturers would choose to space their introductions of performance cars out a bit.  Maybe one or two at Frankfurt, and another at Detroit.  Not Audi - they're bringing four all-new S models to the Frankfurt show this fall: the S6, S6 Avant, S7 Sportback, and the S8. The big trend with performance cars is obviously engine downsizing.  The BMW M5 went from 5.0L and ten cylinders to 4.4L and eight (gaining two turbos and 60 horsepower or so in the process.)  Mercedes' AMG Division has shrunken their thundering 6.2L V8 down to 5.5L, but added twin turbochargers.  The new Focus ST is dropping a cylinder and gaining direct injection for more power.  This comes from a seemingly contradictory pair of needs: meeting rising fuel economy

340 horsepower turbocharged engine.  Four wheel drive. 7-speed twin clutch automated manual gearbox.  0-60 in 4.6 seconds, and a top speed of 155 miles an hour, electronically limited.  They sound like the specifications of some exotic low slung sports car, don't they?  How about all of those things in a practical five-door hatchback? Meet the Audi RS3 Sportback, the latest and greatest car from Audi's RS division.  It slots into the model line above the already-rapid S3 Sportback, and it's - to put it plainly - the fastest hot hatchback the world has ever seen.  Sure, Ford's Focus RS500 has more power - 345bhp - but it's not as rapid, owing to the limited traction of front wheel drive and having to shift your own gears. The

It's sad, but it seems that Audi has finally figured out how to make a proper Saab. What am I talking about?  Alright, if I told you that there was this really nicely equipped car with four doors and a visible hatchback, tons of grip, lots of safety equipment, refined and modern design, and an engine that combines tons of power with surprising fuel economy...  You'd probably think it was a Saab. But sadly, this is the real world, and modern Saabs continue to disappoint.  Hey, something had to take the spiritual place of the 9000 Aero.  I suppose I'm fine with the fact that it's an Audi.  And why am I whining, then?  Well, mainly because Audi hasn't see fit to stamp "export to USA" on

The recent Porsche-Volkswagen debacle has resulted in a high-concentration of brands under one roof, and luxury/performance ones at that.  Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Porsche are all under the same roof. How they will all be managed and what kind of sharing will go on will be interesting to see. A balancing act for sure! One thing that we have heard is that the new VW board has opted to axe the Porsche Cayenne SUV and recently-introduced Panamera. I remain highly skeptical about that possibility, but something that has been floated around is a high-end Audi based on the car's platform. Voila, Audi R7! The R7 would be a "4-door coupe" in the vein of the Panamera, Rapide and CLS, but with a different twist on the

"Hans," one Audi employee says to another, "BMW is beating the schnitzel out of us with useless niche products. Ve must catch up!  Mach schnell!" At least, that's sorta how I see the conversation that lead to the creation of the A5 Sportback going.  What other explanation is there for such meaningless niche-stuffing drivel? What Audi claims to have done here is taken an A5 coupe, which is a gorgeous car by most people's definition, and simply "added two door and a hatchback."  At least they're not trying to call it a C0upe any more?  What they've really done, though, is created the answer to a question that approximately 0 people were asking.  Still, the A5 Sportback is not a car entirely without merit.  Even though it's

While BMW overpopulates it's lineup with segment-melding, identity-confused vehicles like the X6, 5-Series GT and X1, Audi is taking a different tack in it's goal to hit 1.5 million sales by sometime around the middle of next decade. Audi is diving head first into the emerging "4-door coupe" with it's new segment line Sportback. I think the blending of sedans with a coupe-roofline is a good idea. Audi debuted the Sportback Concept at Detroit 2009 that previewed what to expect from future Sportback models and more specifically, the upcoming A7 Sportback. The teaser is pretty standard; offering a good view of the back but not showing any of the side or front in actual pictures. Audi is trying to build excitement for the vehicle. But along