Last March, Peugeot brought its diesel-powered 908 HDi LMP1 prototype to Sebring for its first race outside of Europe as a warm up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Peugeot demonstrated some amazing speed compared to its German rival - the defending champion Audi R10 TDI - but wasn't quite robust enough to last on the bumpy Sebring circuit. Peugeot has decided to return to North America in October for the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Peugeot is bringing two cars this time around and they will be challenging Audi, Porsche and Acura, not only for the overall victory but also for the Green Challenge. The Atlanta race will be the debut of ALMS' Green Challenge which will award points on formula based on fuel efficiency, and total net carbon emissions. The car with the best combination of low carbon footprint and performance will win. Next year ALMS will run the Green Challenge throughout the entire season. In the meantime, this race should prove to be another epic between the French and German diesels.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

For many motorists, V8 means the quintessential type of engine. Power and a beautiful roar from under the hood are its typical signatures, but it's also a synonym for high fuel consumption and a general sense of being dirty. Nevertheless, there are a certain number of V8 engines, and not only diesels, which spot decent fuel consumption and German site Auto-News has gathered them. Coming from a German source, it doesn't spot any small-block Chevy but besides Teutonics, there are three members from the Toyota family and a Briton. Curious? Follow us after the jump for the complete list.

[Source: Auto-News.de]

Last spring at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi introduced the first diesel powered version of its TT sports car, but so far has they have given no indication that they will ever bring it to the US market. Over in Europe the TT TDI is rated at a combined 44.3 mpg (US). The TT is using the same 168 hp 2.0L TDI four cylinder VW is using in the Jetta TDI cup race cars (the US spec Jetta TDI road cars use a 140 hp variant of the same engine). The folks at Popular Mechanics got to go over to the UK and take a TT TDI for a spin and came home impressed by the performance and fuel efficiency. In the course of some aggressive back road and inner city driving, they managed 39.1 mpg (US). The diesel engine easily revs to its 5,000 rpm redline and as with other diesels it exhibits strong acceleration at speed. The TDI rides a little harder than the gas powered version to compensate for the heavier engine. Now if Audi would just bring this one to the US we'd be all set.

[Source: Popular Mechanics]

Audi's first mass-production hybrid model was to have been the Q7 SUV beginning in early 2009. As Audi officials told ABG back in April, that program has been effectively canceled. Audi had been working on the development with VW and Porsche, whose Touareg and Cayenne share their platforms with the Q7. Audi R&D Boss Michael Dick has confirmed to Autocar that development of hybrids with nickel metal hydride batteries has been put on hold. Instead, the company will focus on lithium battery hybrids expected to debut with the Q5 in 2010. Audi explained that they were not satisfied with the poor cold weather performance and limited capacity of NiMH batteries. When the batteries are low, the vehicle loses a significant amount of performance and Audi engineers wanted to ensure that the performance was consistent. They don't want a driver to pull out for a passing maneuver and have less acceleration than expected due to a cold or flat battery. VW and Porsche are proceeding with their nickel metal hydride battery hybrid plans.

[Source: Autocar]

Cleangreencars.co.uk has awarded BMW as the "cleanest premium manufacturer" in Great Britain. Their report found that total model range CO₂ emissions from January 2008 to June 2008 at BMW averaged 161.64g/km. BMW's competitors all achieved worse figures. For instance Audi and Mercedes were 177.36g/km and 192.85g/km respectively. Lexus, with its hybrid-based model line-up, managed an average of 194.85g/km, while Jaguar topped 200g/km and Porsche recorded 275.64g/km. BMW's MINI brand had an average of 139.64g/km.

According to BMW's press release (which you can find after the jump), both the EfficientDynamics and the MINImalism program have reduced emissions while keeping up driving dynamics. BMW also said that it's preparing NOx storage capability within a catalytic converter on certain models in the near future and that it was finalizing drivetrain configurations to meet the likely EU6 legislation due to come into effect in 2014.

[Source: BMW]

Last week, Volkswagen of America announced it would build it's first US factory since it's Pennsylvania factory closed in 1984 in Chattanooga Tennessee. The new plant will build a new mid-sized replacement for the Passat. What CEO Stefan Jacoby didn't announce was where powertrains will come from. The new car will be available with gasoline, diesel and hybrid power-plants. The power-train is one of the most expensive components in the vehicle so getting the most out of building cars in the dollar zone means building them here as well. The gasoline engines will likely be sourced from the Puebla Mexico factory that also supplies the assembly plant there. The Mexican factory doesn't currently produce transmissions. VW is apparently waiting on Audi's decision on a US factory before finalizing plans for new engine and transmission plants. Audi and VW share powertrains, so the two brands will likely want to build in a location convenient to both assembly plants. If VW does decide to build hybrid transmissions in North America they may even end up exporting some of those back to Europe as well.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Audi's new Q5 crossover goes on sale in Europe this fall and in North America next spring, but Britain's CAR magazine has already had an opportunity to sample it. The Q5 is a mid-sized CUV based on the platform of the new generation A4 and will offer a choice of three engines. The 2.0L TFSI four cylinder is fueled by gasoline while the the other two engines eschew spark plugs in favor of diesel fuel. The 2.0L four cylinder diesel churns out 170 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The 3.0L V6 is the same one that will come to North America at the beginning of 2008 in the Q7. It generates 240 hp and 359 lb-ft of torque.

CAR gave a somewhat mixed review of the Q5 feeling that the even the standard 18" wheels looked small on the Q5. The magazine thought the Audi's styling was rather tame. The Q5 is about the same size as the Acura RDX. Having seen the Q5 in Germany just prior to its debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April, I have say that I thought the Q5 is quite a handsome vehicle and wears Audi's current design language well. One element CAR didn't complain about was the mileage of the Q5, especially with the 2.0L TDI they drove. In the Q5 with the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and a 7-speed S-Tronic dual clutch transmission, it gets 35 mpg (US) in all around driving. The torque of the 2.0L diesel was found to be more than adequate to move the Q5 capably. Unfortunately American drivers will likely only see a 3.2L FSI gasoline V6 when the Q5 launches here so we won't get anywhere any of these mileage numbers.


[Source: CAR]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi Metroproject quattro concept

Volkswagen had been expected to make a decision this week on where it would build its new US plant,and an announcement should come soon. And what of Audi? Rupert Stadler, the division's CEO, told a German newspaper this week that it would not make a final decision on building a dedicated US factory until next spring. Audi could end up just building cars at the Volkswagen factory, since some of its cars share their underlying architecture with VW models.

One new Audi that won't be coming to the US is the upcoming A1, a premium small car meant to compete with the MINI. Unfortunately, building such a car in Europe and exporting to the US is apparently not an option. Thanks to the weak dollar, the car would likely be too expensive. Even the current entry level Audi, the Golf-based A3, is proving a tough sell with its $26,000 starting price. Instead, Audi will focus on larger cars like the A4 and Q5, which can be sold at prices that allow them to be profitable. Stadler did say that the company plans to join VW in offering an electric car early in the next decade, but he gave no further details.


Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

A group of 22 drivers has completed the second stage of Audi's efficiency marathon run between Basel, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria. While the winning team in the first round managed a "mere" 68.4mpg (U.S.) in a 120hp Audi A4 TDI, the top team in the second round managed an even thriftier 70.85mpg (U.S.). That equates to the same 88g/km CO₂ emissions as the tiny Smart ForTwo CDi. Over the 22-hour course of the journey the winning team averaged 46.35mph and if they had continued until the tank was dry they could have covered over 1,242 miles. Five of the eleven teams in the second round achieved better than 68.18mpg (U.S.) and even the most "lead-footed" drivers got 67.2mpg (U.S.). With an official combined rating of 46.12mpg (U.S.) for the A4, the 44 drivers on the two stages of this event demonstrated again that driver behavior can significantly influence, the efficiency of a vehicle. The Audi press release is after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

With the new series of Top Gear having started recently over in England, the team decided that it was again time to look at fuel economy. A few years back, the show made the round trip from London to Edinburgh and back in an Audi A8 TDI on a single tankful of diesel fuel. Now, with fuel prices above $9 a gallon, they have decided to see which cars provide solid fuel economy numbers. This time around they are working on the premise that even those with lots of money to spend on a car might still want to get better mileage. Sure the premise is thin but we're talking about Jeremy Clarkson here. Rather than the usual Prius vs, everybody else routine, Clarkson and Crew decided it would be better to test some of the fastest cars in the world to see which could go the furthest on a gallon of gasoline. Literally a single gallon of gas. They took a Ferrari 599, Audi R8, Lamborghini Murcielago, Mercedes Benz SLR and an Aston Martin DBS and put in a gallon of fuel each. Then they raced them around the Top Gear track until they were empty. You can watch the video after the jump to see which was the thriftiest with its gas allotment. Be forewarned however, that none made it into double digits.

[Source: YouTube]

Twenty-two teams of drivers this week are attempting to demonstrate the efficiency of the new Audi A4 with the 2.0L TDI diesel engine. The teams are driving the cars over a 1,025-mile course between Basel, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria while consuming less than 4L/100km (59.9mpg (U.S.)) of diesel fuel. The 120hp 2.0L TDI is normally rated at 46.12mpg (U.S.) but these crews will be light-footing it all the way. The goal of the teams competing in the two round trips that go through Switzerland, German and Austrian (and back again) is to complete the journey on a single tank of fuel.

In the first round already completed, the eleven cars all made it back to Basel with 5-9 liters of fuel left in the 65L tank. The winning team managed 68.3mpg (U.S.) and even the worst car managed 64.4mpg (U.S.). Not to shabby for a very nicely equipped mid-sized sedan. Most of the route is on motorways although some lesser roads and in-town driving is included. Audi organized the event with German car magazine Auto Bild and the second group of eleven teams is not preparing to set out on the same journey.

[Sources: Audi, Auto bild]

So, how do you prove that your car saves a lot of fuel in real-life conditions? You drive it around and you publish the results. We've seen a few of these tests lately, like one driving a Skoda around Germany and Austria, or a Peugeot 308 around Australia or the 50-liter test in Canada. Now, Audi has decided to show off the new base powertrain for the Audi A4 TDI, the 2.0 liter, 120 HP, 6-speed manual.

Eleven A4s started a trip yesterday that will see them go for 1,650 kilometers (1,025.26 miles) around Germany, Switzerland and Austria to prove that the official consumption figures of 4.1 liters per 100 km (57.37 U.S. mpg) for the extra-urban cycle, 6.7 liters (35.11 U.S. mpg) for the urban cycle and 5.1 liters (46.12 U.S. mpg) combined are accurate. The A4s are fitted with a fuel consumption gauge to help the drivers will know when they're light on the foot and can maybe stretch a few more miles from the tank. Find the complete details after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

The on again/off again story of whether the Porsche Cayenne will get a diesel engine seems to be back on again this week. Automotive News Europe is again reporting that a diesel-powered Porsche SUV is set to debut in March 2009. As previously reported, the Cayenne will use the VW group's 3.0L V6 TDI that is also coming to the U.S. late this year in the Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg. The 240hp diesel has an ample torque output of 369 lb-ft which is more than enough to motivate the Q7 and should have no problem in the smaller Cayenne. Audi, of course, is part of the Volkswagen group which Porsche has been steadily taking over. Previous reports suggested that the Porsche SUV, which was co-developed with Volkswagen's Touareg, might get a more powerful version of the engine. However industry insiders expect the engine to carry over from Ingolstadt (Audi's headquarters) to Stuttgart (Porsche's) largely unchanged. Porsche executives that have previously stated that a diesel engine would be out of character for a Porsche clearly have forgotten how out of character the Cayenne remains to this day. In the Cayenne, the diesel V6 should be able to achieve real world mileage numbers in mid-20s with ease.

[Source: Automotive News sub. req'd]

It has been said numerous times that German automakers are upset with European proposals which would limit CO₂ output to around 120 grams per kilometer. Perhaps we shouldn't be lumping Volkswagen or its subsidiaries into that category. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of VW, has admitted that the VW brands, including luxury carmaker Audi, can achieve those low carbon standards. In fact, Winterkorn believes that the standards are achievable today, not by 2015 as proposals would require. Technologies which would allow the low carbon output are already being used. Direct injection and turbocharging are quickly becoming a staple of automakers like Volkswagen and Audi since those technologies allow the production of more power and the reduction of fuel consumption.

Another interesting tidbit from Winterkorn is that he believes that plug-in electric vehicles will become the fuel-saving technology of choice in the coming years. As you may be aware, Germany gets the vast majority of its power from coal, which is an extremely dirty process. For this reason, the VeeDub leader suggests that the country take a look at nuclear for its power needs.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req'd.]

If you have the 24 hours of Le Mans on your DVR and don't want to know which diesel crew landed at the top of the podium then don't follow the jump. If you want to know who covered the most distance today go right ahead.