Audi has already publicly revealed it will be showing two vehicles at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. One it called a “stunning” concept car and the other is a new production car making its world debut.

One of the two cars will reportedly be an Audi R8 powered by the brand’s V12 TDI diesel engine, this according to German mag Auto Motor und Sport.

While the R8 TDI is likely destined for production, it’s probably not the production car that Audi will debut in Detroit. If it’s the “stunning” concept, consider us stunned. Read more »

It’s that time of year where everyone’s prognosticating like Nostradamus about what the coming year will hold. The authoritative ink slingers at Automobile magazine have decided that Audi’s R8 deserves the dual honors of 2008 Automobile Of The Year and Design Of The Year, as well.

While infused with the generous spirit, Automobile named General Motor’s Two-Mode Hybrid rig Technology Of The Year.

The R8 is Audi’s sports/GT that looks like a supercar and radiates a glow across the entire Audi model line. Not only does it have neck-snapping visual presence, with a 420 horsepower V8 between the axles, there’s a deep well of accelerative force to go along with a finely-tuned AWD chassis that doesn’t scramble the occupants. Read more »

Since 1953, thousands of beautiful models have posed for Hef’s Playboy magazine, and yet the R-rated publication prides itself on giving “readers” more than just a bunch of naked women in various poses.

To celebrate its diversity of content, the bunny has penned its hottest new rides of 2008.

If it wasn’t already obvious that Mr. Hefner had a passion for nice curves, his publication’s selections for the best transportation on four wheels hints at broader appeal than the female persuasion. Read more »

The Lamborghini Reventón has been named L’Automobile più Bella del Mondo. Translation: The World’s Most Beautiful Automobile.

It earned this honor in the Special Models category of this annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy.

There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner. Other cats include your various sizes of sedans, coupes, convertibles, station wagons, crossovers, sports cars and concept cars. Read more »

The Audi R8 is apparently a tempting platform for tuners. We’ve seen sketches of the Abt Audi R8, we spotted the APR Audi R8 at the 2007 SEMA Show, and we recently took a look at the carbon fiberized PPI Audi R8.

MTM, those crazy Germans who built the twin-engine, 740-hp Audi TT Bimoto, brought their own version of the R8 to the Dubai Motor Show.

Although visually subtle, a turbocharger system has been added to the 4.2-liter V8 for a total of 888 bhp and 610 lb-ft torque. 0-60 mph can be achieved in 3.0 seconds flat, and top speed is limited to 223 mph. Read more »

You can start the presses again. It was all a big misunderstanding. Autocar said that even though Audi hadn’t admitted it, the RS4 sedan had ceased production. Don’t know where their source came from, but Winding Road’s source, from Audi Communications in the US, calms all of our nerves with a hearty “Have No Fear.”

Even though Audi is getting its larger bahn-stormer the RS6 ready for production and RS models don’t usually overlap, the RS4 will complete its production run through 2008. Thank you, Winding Road, for giving us news that keep our food down today. And a wet haggis for the folks at Autocar.

[Source: Winding Road]

Not many automakers have accomplished as much as Audi at LeMans. Though it only began competing at LeMans in 1999, the automaker has achieved six overall victories from its eight starts, including the first ever win for a diesel-powered car with its R10 last year. This Saturday before the start of the 75th running of the 24 Hours of LeMans, a 12-meter high sculpture will be unveiled in the circuit’s “Village” to honor Audi’s success in what many consider to be the most demanding race in the world.

Fourtitude has pics of the “Audi Tower” as it looks today, which appears encased inside a giant box shaped like, well, a 12-meter-tall tower. According to Audi, the actual sculpture features 24 rotating rings that light up between the tower’s base and its top. There’s also a video wall on the sculpture’s front face, and its glass surface will be etched with the names of every driver to have ever won the 24 Hours of LeMans.

We’re excited to see what this thing looks like, but have enough faith in Audi’s aesthetic taste to expect a finely crafted work of art. You can check out a few more pics of the tower as it stands by clicking the Read link.

[Source: Fourtitude]