There’s no way to tell if these pictures are legitimate, or just very high quality forgeries, but we don’t really care either. Just look at these photos! Its a beautiful vision!

We expect the car to use the same basic underpinnings of the hard top, with the same 4.2L v8 powerplant producing 414 rampaging horses. Audi ultimately plans on equipping the R8 with a Lamborghini sourced V10 engine which will make over 500hp.

[Source: 4Wheelsblog.com]

The bugs are still being worked out of Audi’s 580hp RS 6 sedan, caught testing in Germany on the infamous Nurburgring. Fitted with a twin turbo V10 engine, and a permanent quattro 4 wheel drive suspension, the RS 6 is fast enough to keep up with many supercars, yet the company claims its ride quality is also extremely tame, making the vehicle good for daily driving and long journeys.

[Source: Motor Authority]

The R8 currently in development by Audi is being billed by the company as the slowest car they’ve ever built. At least according to a new ad campaign. Now obviously the supercar, which shares many components with the Lamborghini Gallardo is anything but slow, but in a commercial airing in Britain, Audi demonstrates their lengthy, meticulous, build process. Supposedly the advert cost 6 million pounds, and we’ve got it below for your eyes to feast upon.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Audi’s answer to the BMW Mini comes in the form of the A1 (officially called the Audi metroproject Quattro), and from the looks of things, in exchange for “cutesy” styling, they’ve given it some attitude. You may recall an earlier post in which we pointed out that Audi execs still weren’t sure about the final design of the A1, on the cusp of the Tokyo Auto show. Seems like that’s been taken care of, as you can now see. The A1 offers a much more grown up and demure take on the sub compact segment, and even though this car doesn’t scream for attention, it is still undeniably an Audi.

We now know that power will come from a 1.4L TSFI engine mated to a 41 HP electric motor which is mounted on the rear axle, producing 150 horses and 147 lbs-ft. of torque. Because of the placement of the motor, the A1 can be plugged directly into an outlet. Audi estimates a 100 km range when running solely on the lithium-ion batteries. Choice of transmission is limited. Very limited. An S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox is all that will be available for the A1 at this point.
Despite the relatively low horsepower and torque figures, the A1 is capable of a 0-60 sprint in 7.8 seconds. Not too shabby. Handling should be even more impressive, however, thanks to Audi’s magnetic ride shock absorber technology, found on the Audi TT and R8.

We should have much more information about the A1 after it is presented at the Tokyo Auto show. See below for some high resolution images of the A1, and stay tuned to Driver’s Life for updates.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Hawkeyed photographer types have spied Audi engineers taking a TT-S prototype making its rounds at the Nürburgring. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much of an aesthetic difference between the prototype and current production TT’s, but if you look closely, you’ll see that the TT-S has a much more aggressive appearance. The facia remains relatively unchanged, showcasing Audi’s signature grille, however there are deeper front air-dams and larger front air-intakes. Body lines have been sharpened as well, and there is now a quad exhaust system.

There have been no details released about the powertrain, although it has been widely speculated that the TT-S will produce upwards of 300 horses. Some people have suggested Audi will use a tweaked version of their turbocharged 2.0L fourbanger found in the S3.

Sounds pretty awesome if you ask us. A high powered variant of the TT convertible could be exactly what Audi needs to compete with other German players like BMW’s Z4 and the Porsche Boxter S in the cabriolet market.

(Update! Our friends over at Left Lane News have the exclusive spy photos of the car)

Audi has been slated to show off its new entry level A1 at the Tokyo Auto Show, but according to Automotive News, their design hasn’t even been finalized yet. Audi executives are concerned that the A1’s styling is ‘too radical’ and won’t be warmly received by the public. Hopefully they can hash it out soon, as this vehicle is likely to sell very well. Production may begin as early as the third quarter of 2009 at Audi’s Brussels assembly plant.

The A1 is priced to compete with the Mini Cooper, starting somewhere between $20 - $23k. The little Audi probably won’t be available in all-wheel drive Quattro due to budget constraints, but there should be a number of powerplant options ranging from a naturally aspirated 1.4-liter in the base model, or turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines between 1.2- to 2.0-liters.

BMW is rumored to be working on an entry leveled compact car as well.

[Source: Automotive News via Autoblog ]