Audi is set to expand the R8 lineup with new members of their garage. They will be pulling the cover off the first addition before 2010 is over. This will be an R8 Spyder variant sporting a V-8 under its hood. The tag price for this one will be starting at $135,000 hitting the showrooms by 2011.

The other version will actually be a sportier model compared to the current R8. The new Audi will draw some DNA from the R8 LMS. Last year, the team developing the Audi quattro gave hits of a lighter TT and R8. Back in 2005, Audi did the same to the TT when a sportier limited edition was released with firmer suspension, Recaro racing seats, stripped interior, and more powerful engine.

An R8 prototype was recently spotted in Germany donning some fixed wing at the rear, bigger brakes, and front bumper with small canards.

There has been no official word if the spied car will get an RS badge or whether will it be called as the R8 Sport.

The R tronic transmission of the current R8 range will be replaced with 7-speed dual clutch. The manual six-speed will still remain as standard.

The carmaker appears to be eyeing a similar strategy of how they marketed the legendary Audi Quattro. So we can expect that the e-Tron brand will have the same angst, power, and distinction when it goes to production two years from now.

The first batch of e-Trons will be assembled in Ingolstadt where they also do their electric car research, testing, and designing. The expected end goal is to produce at least 1,000 units of the e-Trons though it has not been revealed which Audi factory will handle the production.

It is also not yet clear whether the e-Tron production car will have DNA traces from the 2010 R8 mid engine speed monster or will it be based on the two-seater R4 coupe. The production version of the R4 shares some understructure with a future roadster coming out of the Volkswagen garage, and even with the new Boxster and Cayman from Porsche. Audi might even come up with an electric version of the R4 and the R8 down the road.

Like most of the European carmakers, Audi is not looking into large scale production of zero emission vehicles within the next several years. The small number of Audi e-Trons is just in preparation for the eventual fulfillment of the demand for better vehicle efficiency and decreased emission.

The 2011 RS5 from Audi will be uncovered during the Geneva Motor Show this March, and it will have an upgraded powerplant from the RS4 under its hood. The RS5 will have an FSI V-8 engine with a displacement of 4.2L. The engine will have an output of 450 horsepower and will have a torque of 317.15 pound feet between 4000 and 6000 rpm.

The powerful engine of the RS5 will be coupled with a dual clutch gearbox that allows you to shift on 7 speeds with S tronic. The car will also have a center differential for the quattro AWD. The new Audi speed machine can rush from 0 to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds and is expected to have a top speed of 174 mph.

Despite the impressive performance numbers, the car manages to have a fuel mileage of 21.8 miles per gallon.

Audi will also offer styling packages to give the car a matt or black aluminum look. There will also be available upgrades for the exhaust that can be matched with black tailpipes. The engine compartment will have a carbon design pack.

The European market will have the first taste of the Audi RS5 Sports Car when it comes this July. Spy shots of the car in U.S. soils also suggest a possible sale in the region.

The car manufacturer is looking at about 42 different car units being marketed by mid of the next decade. Audi is looking at the A7 4-door coupe, A1 minicar, Q3 Crossover, and even a production of its e-tron concept vehicle.

Other vehicles to beef up the line up will be variations of their existing models. One of the highly awaited units is the next generation of Audi A3 sedan. According to insiders, the 2013 model A3 sedan will be distributed exclusively in North America.

The financial crisis and weakening dollar has forced Audi to cutback on its plans to launch cars like the A3 convertible and A1 minicar in the United States. However, North America will still see the hybrid version of the Q5 before the year ends, A7 by 2011, and the A3 sedan by 2012.

The next generation of Audi A3 will be uncovered in Europe before the end of 2010 in the form of a three and five-door version. Eventually, the carmaker will produce a convertible, wagon, sedan, or even an Allroad variant.

The 2013 A3 will most likely be similar to the size of the B4 Audi A5 which had a good run between 1994 and 1997.

The new A3 variants will help the brand to meet head on competitions like the 1-Series of BMW, and the A and B Class of Mercedes Benz. The sedan will also be a practical design for a market who is never willing to pay more than $30,000 for a hatchback.

Photos look gorgeous – car looks gorgeous. I can’t wait to go on a test drive!

The planned changes are very minor considering that the Audi Q7 is one of the most competitive big SUVs in the market right now, rivaling the BMW X5 and the next-gen M-Class from Mercedes-Benz.

A new tail lamp LED setup will be in place. Audi will also make available options for LED daytime lights and turn signals.

The 2010 Q7 will also have the latest version of Audi’s MMI, joystick control, 3D navigation map, and Sirius traffic data. The driver or occupant can actually say that they are hungry and the system will lead them to the nearest restaurants.

The Q7 has a history of good ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is also considered one of the safest vehicles in Audi’s fleet with Top Safety Pick recognition from the IIHS or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The 3.6L variant has a fuel economy of 14 mpg on city driving and jumps to 20 while cruising the highway. The 4.2L Q7 goes for 13mpg on city streets and 18 mpg on the highway.

The 2010 Q7 rolls out of Audi dealerships this month with sticker price starting at $47,725. The turbodiesel variant goes for at least $51,725. Consumers can get a $1150 tax credit if they buy the Q7 considered as a green vehicle.

The interlocking ring was originally the branding used by the Auto Union when it was formed in 1932. Audi fanatics have nothing to worry about though since the rings will be staying on the grille of their favorite car.

The Audi logo has been updated. Designers gave the interlocking rings more shimmer and clearer cuts to make them more defined. So the rings are staying with Audi only presented with a different lighting perspective to make it even look better.

The font of the Audi name also gets a makeover. It is a lot simpler and more modern as the company decides to use a sans-serif font which loses the curvy look of the previous badge. The letters also get a more intense red for its color.

The revision of the interlocking rings and the Audi name comes in time for the car maker’s 100th year founding anniversary and right on the spot before the resurrection of the Auto Union.

The brand of the Auto Union is owned by the Volkswagen Group and they plan to use the nomenclature to represent their ten-brand fleet. The move will also aid in preserving the independent image needed by Porsche.

The interlocking rings symbolized the union of the four car makers, Audi as being one of the old brands. The other companies were DKW, Wanderer, and Horch. The Auto Union flourished in motor sports during the 1930’s until it was halted by World War II. The transformation of the brand ended up with the 1985 rise of the Audi AG.

The stock Audi TT-RS has a turbocharged 2.5L 5-cylinder powertrain under its hood that can output 340hp and an excellent torque of 325lb-ft.

The first stage of the boost involved some inexpensive adjustment done by Mcchip and the power was raised to about 380hp. The torque jumps to 406lb-ft which can literally outpace other sports cars in the market today. The torque is really impressive given the 2.5L displacement. What Mcchip did for the second stage which takes the figures to 400hp will be revealed in the future.

Mcchip had to modify some settings on the engine management system and increase boost pressure to jack up the performance of the Audi TT-RS. The extra punch makes the top speed of the TT-RS 186mph up from the standard 155mph. Getting from 0 to 62mph was also greatly improved from 4.6 seconds to an amazing 4.1 seconds.

The enhancements are great but the real jaw dropping figure is the price of the chip the Mcchip used to tune the TT-RS. The small chip that unlocked the supercar-like performance is just $1,275.

The car tuning firm also offers other pimping features a lot more expensive than the microchip. A custom alloy wheel goes for $9,357 and adaptive shocks will cost another $1,600.

The latest updated versions of Audi’s MMI and nav system has entered the market and is set to come out with the TT, A3, and R8 models. The updated version can compute the faster route easily due to a new 600MHz processor. The radio-nav technology called RNS-E can be used together with the car’s music system and can read as much as 32GB SD memory sticks.

The biggest upgrade is the higher resolution for the 800×480pixel 6.5inches screen. A split screen view can easily project the speed limits from highways and freeways. Drivers can also scroll the topographic map horizontally or vertically.

For the music lovers, an external storage device, iPods or MP3 players can now be used by attaching them to the car’s media interface. Behind this impressive display are slots for SDHC and SD cards that can store up to 32GB. This can be accessed with just a push of a button.

Another feature on the updated system is the parking assistant that can be combined with the car’s camera that offers a rear view. Acoustic warning signals are also new, and the distance in front of the car as well as the back can be seen optically in the screen.

The new A7 4-door coupe will be rolling of stores as a 2011 model. Audi is beefing up its Neckarsulm factoriy by spending millions of Euros to produce the A7. The production of the new member of the brood will start late next year, so American consumers will most likely enjoy the new car by 2011.

According to an insider, the A7 will get a variety of engines under its hood. There are buzzes that a V10 capable of producing about 600hp will be fitted in. Hybrid versions using the combo of diesel and electric engines are also said to be on the works.

The ordinary A7 is expected to have a V6 engine. The base model may get a 2.8L V6 engine capable of giving out 204hp. A notch higher will be a 3.0L powerplant that gives 300hp to the car. The S7 variant of the car will be equipped with V8 4.0L engine that adds another 94hp to the equation. The RS7 will be the ultimate setup with 600hp.

The high end models will have their engines coupled with a dual clutch system while the lower end models will be coupled with either an automatic eight speed or a six speed manual gearbox.