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Wild thing: Audi A1 clubsport quattro unveiled

Audi has created a 496-hp version of the A1 small car to celebrate the 30th anniversary of an Austrian festival for Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen fans. Called the A1 clubsport quattro, the one-off show car gains a heavy dose of rally-inspired styling that is said to preview the appearance of a hot new all-wheel-drive S1 quattro model being developed by Audi as a rival to the likes of the Renault Clio Sport. At the heart of the hatchback is a heavily modified version of Audi's turbocharged 2.5-liter, five-cylinder powerplant shoehorned transversely into the A1's compact engine bay.

Audi shifts to eight-speeds for most models

A formal press conference probably won't happen until this summer, but we hear that Audi dealers have received their 2011 order guides, and it looks as though the company will be going from 0 to about 70 percent of U.S. sales being eight-speed automatic transmissions. Beginning this fall, the eight-speed will replace today's six-speed automatic in the A4 2.0-liter turbo sedan and wagon, the A5 2.0-liter turbo coupe and cabriolet, the Q5 2.0-liter turbo, the Q7 3.0-liter turbo, the Q7 diesel, the Q7 with the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and the all-new A8 and A8L with the 4.2-liter V8.

Hot turbo engines for BMW's 3-Series

By Angus Fitton Motor Industry 11 August 2006 10:36 Three new six-cylinder engines are joining the BMW 3-Series range. Top of the pile – until the V8 M3 arrives – is the 335d, which runs the twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel engine offered in the 5-series. An explosive 428lb ft of torque (that's more than the V10 M5) and 286bhp means it can surge to 62mph in only 6.2sec.