Allegedly Official Sketches of Audi e-Tron Spyder Concept with Diesel-Electric Hybrid Drive

These reportedly official sketches showing a drop-top version of Audi's e-tron Detroit concept (see here) have been making the internet rounds in Germany. Named the e-tron Spyder, the new concept model is said to make its first public outing at the Paris Motor Show at the end of September.

The reports from Germany go on to say that unlike the coupe variant which only made use of two electric motors producing a combined output of 204-horsepower, the Spyder model runs on a hybrid (parallel) system incorporating a mid-mounted 3.0-liter V6 TDI diesel engine driving the rear wheels through a DSG transmission and a pair of electric motors turning the front wheels.

Stay tuned to Carscoop as we'll update this story as soon as we find out more.

Source: AMS & Autobild

Mystery Audi Sports Coupe Believed to be "Anniversario" Concept Study Celebrating the Original Ur Quattro

Remember the videos we brought last Saturday of a mystery Audi sports car filmed at a ski resort in the Alps? Well, the videos may have been hastily removed, but we have some news on the car. According to a report from Autobild, the car in question is a concept study called the "Anniversario" and it will make its world premiere at the grand opening of the Paris Motor Show on September 30.

While initial thoughts were that the car could be the R4, the German magazine claims it's a special study to celebrate the original, 1980s Ur-Quattro sports coupe adding that it is based on a shortened platform of the RS5. However, power will not come from the RS5's 450HP 4.2-liter V8, but from a five-cylinder turbo unit, most likely sourced from the TT RS.

We'll have to wait until the Paris show opens up before we get to find out more.

Source: Autobild

Gallery: Audi Sport Quattro

Audi to Begin Fleet Trials of A1 e-tron Electric Supermini

Just six months after the presentation of the A1 e-tron concept car at the Geneva Salon this past March, and Audi has announced plans to begin fleet testing of it extended range electric premium hatchback.

The Ingolstadt-based automaker said that by the middle of next year, 20 examples of the A1 e-tron will take to the streets of Munich as part of a pilot project undertaken by Audi AG in partnership with E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Approximately 200 new charging stations will be installed throughout the Munich city area, including private garages or parking garages. Audi claims all of the charging stations will be supplied with electricity generated from renewable energies.

The goal is to enable experts to address a number of issues ranging from the data transfer between the driver, vehicle and electric filling station to the power grid, to the use of smartphones as the central interface for the driver.

Audi's answer to the BMW Group's MINI-E features a similar setup with the range-extending EV Chevrolet Volt making use of an electric motor to drive the front wheels and a small single-rotor Wankel engine that recharges the lithium-ion battery when its energy is depleted.

The electric motor delivers an output equivalent to 102-horsepower allowing the A1 e-tron to reach a top speed of 130km/h (81mph). The car is said to have a driving range of around 50 kilometers or 31 miles on a fresh charge.

If the range extender Wankel engine is used to recharge the battery, the A1 e-tron can cover an additional 200 kilometers or 124 miles of range. Audi says that according to a draft standard for the computation of fuel consumption for range extender vehicles, this represents a fuel consumption of 1.9 l/100 km (124mpg) with a CO2 equivalent of 45 g/km (72.42 g/mile).

"We are trying to find a concept that requires no compromises," says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, who continues, "Electromobility means more to us than just electrifying conventional cars. Instead we are dedicated to a holistic approach to all aspects of the topic. We hope that this fleet trial will enable us to gain broad insights into the behaviour but also the expectations of our customers regarding their dealings with electric cars. Of course, the data that we will collect are another aspect. This market and technology feedback will enable us to further expand our expertise in electrification."

Mystery Audi Sports Coupe / Spyder (R4?) Filmed at Ski Resort in the Alps

Audi gone viral or someone at the right place, with... almost the right equipment at the right time? Well, we can't answer that, but we do know that a Youtube user filmed a series of videos showing a mysterious Audi sports coupe (or Spyder) in covers being transferred via helicopter to the Olympia Ski Resort in the Tyrolean Alps, close to Innsbruck, in Austria - or at least that's what we understood, so any corrections welcome. The person who filmed the car said Audi was making some sort of a promotional video.

The mysterious Audi sport coupe's shape looks very similar to the e-Tron Concept model shown at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, but that's all we could make about the vehicle from the videos we've added below.

While the possibilities are almost endless, recent reports from Germany suggest that along with the A7 Sportback and S1 hot hatch, Audi will lift the covers off a more production ready version of the e-Tron Concept called the R4 - possibly in Spyder form- at this month's Paris Motor Show.

Could this be that car or is it something different such as a concept version for a new TT? Watch the videos below and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Hat tip to Marcus!