If you happen to be in Austria you should go check this out and send me pictures. It’s supposed to be a huge event going on now! Here’s Audi’s press release:

• Audi at the big “GTI meet” in Kärnten
• A3 TDI clubsport quattro concept with 224 hp
• Attractive program with numerous highlights

Audi is again presenting spectacular showcars at the Wörthersee Tour in 2008. The big meet for horsepower-loving Audi and VW enthusiasts runs from May 21 to 25 in Reifnitz (Kärnten), Austria. The brand with the four rings is showcasing its high-performance and highly efficient TDI technology.
The highlight is a showcar, the Audi A3 TDI clubsport quattro, whose two-liter diesel engine churns out 165 kW (224 hp) and 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft) of torque. The concept car is a driving machine loaded with innovative solutions.

The A3 TDI clubsport quattro sprints from a standing stop to highway speed in 6.6 seconds and tops out at 240 km/h (149.13 mph). A six-speed transmission transfers the torque to the quattro all-wheel-drive system; 20-inch wheels deliver it to the street. Sitting behind the front rims are carbon-fiber-ceramic brake discs.

Another highlight is the Audi drive select dynamic control system, which allows the driver to alter the throttle response characteristic, exhaust note, power steering boost, ESP response and the damping of the shock absorbers, which use Audi magnetic ride technology to instantly adjust to current conditions. Numerous modifications to the interior and exterior round out the dynamic image of the A3 concept.
Besides the A3 TDI clubsport quattro, Audi is presenting another high-end showcar in Reifnitz, the R8 TDI Le Mans. Its diesel V12 produces 368 kW (500 hp) and 1,000 Nm (737.56 lb-ft) of torque – enough to accelerate the supercar from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 4.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of well beyond 300 km/h (186.41 mph). The open Audi TT clubsport, whose purist character made it the star of the Wörthersee Tour 2007, is also making a return appearance in a further-developed form. Audi is also showing 24 production vehicles, including the recently introduced Audi TT TDI. The coupe’s 125 kW (170 hp) two-liter diesel delivers sporty performance while setting new efficiency standards in the sports car segment by consuming only 5.3 liters of diesel/100 km (44.38 US mpg) on average.

The Wörthersee Tour, also known as the “GTI Meet,” is a magnet for horsepower-loving fans of the Audi and VW brands and last year drew roughly 200,000 visitors. This was the first time that Audi had taken part in the event – and the response was overwhelming.

This year the brand with the four rings is going full-throttle. The Audi Genuine Accessories division and quattro GmbH have their own stands where they are presenting their accessory, upgrade and customization lines.

The interactive highlight of Audi’s presence is the “quattro mountain.” Paraphrasing the Wörthersee motto “The lake is calling,” the motto here is “The mountain is calling.” The structure is reminiscent of the ski jump in Kaipola, Finland, on which the legendary advertisement with an Audi 100 CS quattro was filmed in 1986. The Reifnitz mountain may only be 12 meters (39.37 ft) high, but it is still spectacular thanks to a 30% slope and a rocker board at the peak for the transition to the equally steep descent. And the fans can experience it first-hand: Professionals drive a series of demo cars over the mountain, and passengers are wanted.

It looks amazing in red! I would break quite a few laws for the chance to play with one of these.

The three liter diesel engine by the Volkswagen group is exactly the right engine for the Touareg and the Q7; the torquey engine gives the elegant 2.5-ton SUVs great momentum. Even more so with Power S by ABT Sportsline, as Power S increases the diesel’s performance from serial 225hp/165kW (Touareg) and 233hp/171kW (Q7) to impressive 300hp/221kW. This plus in power of more than 30% also affects the torque; instead of serial 500Nm, now 600Nm provide for enormous thrust. ABT AS7 and ABT Touareg 3.0 TDI have enough power reserves at any time, and the 300hp of the diesel perform very well even in the low rpm-range: from 0 to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds (Touareg) and 8.5 seconds (AS7) – these Allgäu SUVs are not only strong athletes but also good sprinters. The top speed is 214km/h (Touareg) and 222km/h (AS7).

This makes me wonder how much I could get for those extraneous body parts I don’t use like that second kidney.

From autoexpress.co.uk

Power to the diesel! That’s the message from Mercedes, as bosses prepare to follow Audi into the high-performance oil-burning market.

Auto Express can reveal the firm is closer than ever to launching an AMG-badged diesel model. With Audi unveiling its R8 V12 TDI concept at the Detroit Motor Show and Ferrari taking the wraps off its Biofuel F430 prototype, the pressure is on for Mercedes’ performance division to follow suit.

The Audi A3 Cabriolet

Sporty, elegant, and emotion-packed – the new A3 Cabriolet is set to roll into showrooms in spring 2008. This four-passenger convertible model is the premium product in the compact class. It brings with it the distinctive sportiness, highly developed technology, and uncompromising quality that mark all Audi models. There are four powerful and efficient engines to choose from – two TFSI and two TDI – as well as a broad range of individual equipment options.

By concept, the new Audi A4 is already a dynamic, exciting and powerful car – and therefore this new sedan car made in Ingolstadt offers a perfect starting point for the engineers and designers with Abt Sportsline. With the AS4, the world’s leading tuner of cars from the Volkswagen group succeeded in creating a car which is in every respect harmonic and sporty, as well as elegant: the front skirt, which emphasizes the distinctive headlight area, makes the AS4 look very dynamic and self-confident. Side skirts and fender inlets meet the sporty design and harmonize perfectly with the rear section of the car; the 4-pipe rear muffler, the rear skirt inlet and the rear spoiler form a perfect unit.

• Brand with four rings offers chauffeur service in Davos
• Cars are powered by environmentally sound GTL fuel
• Diesel fleet of 81 Audi A8 3.0 TDI models deployed

Audi will premiere a new fuel concept at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 in Davos, Switzerland, from January 23 to 27. The brand with the four rings, which provides a chauffeur service at the World Economic Forum, will power its complete fleet of Audi A8 models with environmentally sound ‘GTL (gas-to-liquid) Fuel’ for the first time. In combination with efficient Audi TDI diesel engines, the fuel will allow CO2 emissions from the Audi fleet to be reduced by about 13 percent compared to last year. “We develop innovative premium cars that are environmentally friendly to drive. Our highly efficient TDI and TFSI engines are proof of this. The fact that our Audi A8 diesel fleet in Davos will be using GTL fuel also shows that we are working intensively toward achieving sustainable mobility,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG.

Some of the biggest import auto manufacturers are pushing diesel at the Detroit Auto Show, but not much came from the Americans. GM in particular seems to want to be the Sony of the car world, and push E85 while all the rest push diesel.

I have no problem with other ways to be green it’s really just Lutz’s seeming open hatred for diesel. His quote from the Frankfurt show, “We have the gravest of doubts that diesels are the solution. But we’re forging ahead anyway just in case they become easily fathomable or the cost of the hardware drops or with the fuel economy some of the extreme emissions regulations get lowered.”

I just want to know how all the other manufacturers can be profitable, but GM can’t. At least they and Ford will soon be offering smaller diesels in their trucks, but that’s little consolation for the average driver trying to save on fuel costs.

Anyway, below is an article from afp.com talking more about this, difference in opinion, in the industry. I think GM and Ford should take heed from Karl Brauer of edmunds.com when he says if Honda’s going diesel it’s time to pay attention.

Now this is a beautiful diesel. A V12 oil-burning supercar that even Jeremy Clarkson, notoriously impossible to please host of Top Gear, loves (Well he’s only driven the measly 420hp V8 gasser version, but with more horsepower and better economy I’d be surprised if he didn’t like this one too).

From autonews.com

Audi will unveil a diesel concept of its R8 flagship coupe at the Detroit auto show. If built, the concept would be the world’s first production diesel supercar.