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Audi has been trying to show off its green credentials for quite some time now with a variety of plug-in hybrid and pure electric concepts, all sporting the e-tron nameplate, such as the 2009 e-tron Concept Coupe, the 2010 A1 e-tron, and more recently, the e-tron Spyder. Now, the brand with the four rings has prepared a new e-tron study, this time based on the A3 sedan concept shown at the Geneva Salon this past March.

The new A3 Sedan e-tron is a compact sized four-door saloon study featuring a gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain, and it will receive its world premiere at this week’s 2011 Shanghai Auto Show in China.

Audi’s engineers replaced the Geneva concept model’s 408HP 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with a hybrid powertrain comprising of a 211HP 1.4-liter TFSI gasoline unit with turbocharging and gasoline direct injection, and an electric motor with an output of 20 kW (27HP), for a combined system output of 238HP. A seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission is linked to the gasoline engine.

The 2012 A3 Sedan and Hatchback weren't the only future Audi models to be teased today, as another set of drawings previewing the R8 GT supercar in drop-top guise also hit the internet. Scheduled for a reveal in early 2012, the R8 GT Spyder will be the roadster version of the lightweight R8 GT Coupe. Read more »

Audi released a set of sketches portraying the next-generation A3, which is expected to go on sale in late 2012. The officials drawings show the three-door hatchback and sedan versions, plus a view of the interior.

The A3 Sedan sketch does not come as a surprise, since it shows a car very similar in design with the A3 Concept premiered by Audi at the Geneva Motor Show. The three-door hatchback, however, is more interesting, as this is the first time Audi offers a sneak peak at the design of its future compact model.

The three-door version looks sharp and dynamic, sporting a narrow glasshouse, massive wheel arches and an interesting crease in the lower part of the door.

Back in November of 2009, then 23yo Swedish industrial design student Marouane Bembli brought us an impressive design study for a proposed halo model for Audi to sit above the R8. With its sharp lines, centralized cockpit and Rolls-Royce Phantom rivalling proportions, the R10 was a pretty if unlikely proposal for a next generation Audi supercar.

Now, two years older and presumably a little wiser, Bembli has once again tackled the R10 in what I call the R10 v2.0. Though the concept of a low roofed, widebody coupe with a mid-mounted V10 remains the same, Bembli’s new-for-2011 R10 features a more aggressive front-end treatment, larger rear view mirrors and cabin windows and the addition of fighter jet-inspire side intakes.

Audi has officially unveiled its new A3 concept sedan at the Geneva motor show, teasing us with a new, attractive, entry-level AWD four-door to complement its A3 lineup and put Mercedes' small cars in the closet. The concept measures 4.44 meters long, 1.84 meters wide, and 1.39 meters high, and makes use of a lot of CFRP.

That carbon fiber-reinforced plastic finds its way into the grille, front air intakes, 20-inch wheels, side mirrors, and rear diffuser, while aluminum highlights can be found inside and out.

Under the hood are a 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder (300 kW / 408 horsepower ; 500 Nm / 369 lb-ft) and 7-speed S tronic transmission which help hurl the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.1 seconds on its way to a limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). Efficiency figures go like this: 9.1 liters/100 km (25.85 US mpg), with 212 grams CO2 / km (341.18 g/mile) in emissions.

We've already seen teaser sketches of Audi's new A3 Sedan Concept, but tonight, the first real life photos of the design study started circulating around the web ahead of its world premiere at the 2011 Geneva Salon . While Audi prefers to call the concept the A3 Sedan, the RS3 Sedan moniker sounds more appropriate given the RS3 Sportback-sourced 2.5-liter turbocharged five-pot with 408 ponies lurking under the bonnet.

It's been rumored for a while now that Audi was exploring the possibility of adding a four-door sedan body style to its A3 range, but today, the German firm officially confirmed the news with the release of the first official sketches of the A3 Concept ahead of its world premiere at the 81st International Geneva Motor Show in early March.

Its main purpose is to preview both the saloon variant and the styling direction of the next A3, which is scheduled for a rollout in 2012 and will also include the successors to today's three-door hatchback, five-door Sportback and the two-door convertible models.

"The four-seater notchback sedan offers a glimpse of the future expansion of the A3 family," Audi said in a statement.

It seems that the VW Group will do just about anything to become the world’s biggest automaker by 2018. After announcing a €51.6 billion (US $70.3 billion) investment plan last November, the Germans also want to showcase their future intentions at the Geneva Motor Show in March, by displaying up to seven concepts.

At this year’s International Toy Fair in Nuremberg (February 3-8), Audi will showcase a selection of model cars and other products, including the Auto Union Type C e-tron, a concept study with a fully-electric drive based on the firm's limited edition pedal car, which is sold through is quattro GmbH subsidiary.

Talk about a lightning fast response. It's been less than 24 hours since Audi pulled the veils off the fourth-generation A6 premium sedan, and yet we already have a photoshop rendering of the future RS6 created by an artist from EDL. Granted, the production model would most likely sport blistered wheel arches while it wouldn't sit so close to the ground, but the 'chop gives us an idea of what an RS version of the new A6 would look like.

At this year's Paris Auto Show in October, Audi celebrated the original 1980s Quattro's 30th anniversary by unveiling the Quattro Concept. Soon after, rumors started flowing around that Audi plans to develop a production version of the sports car, which is loosely based on the RS5 Coupe's architecture using a modified version of the RS3 Sportback / TT RS' 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with 408 ponies.

Even though we've yet receive any official confirmation on the production model, the German automaker continues to release new material on the Quattro concept. This time, the Ingolstadt firm has published a new promotional film showcasing the design study as well as its spiritual predecessor, the 1984 Quattro Coupe. Watch the video right after the break.

If we are to believe a report from Britain's Car magazine, Audi is planning to introduce a mid-engined sports car called the R5. Said to be positioned between the more mainstream TT and the flagship R8, the R5 is believed to be based on the VW Group's forthcoming MiMo (as in "MittelMotor") mid-engine sports car platform, which will also be used on future Porsche and VW models.

If you thought we'd had enough of 'malignant rumors' with our last article reporting that Jaguar was seriously considering putting the C-X75 hypercar into limited production, you were wrong.

British magazine Autocar reports that a team of engineers at Audi's Ingolstadt headquarters are advancing plans to put the Quattro Concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show into limited production. If approved, this would see the nouvea-Quattro being built in limited numbers at ItalDesign's plant near Milan.

In order to keep its e-high rolling, Audi has created yet another pretty and efficient vehicle for Paris: the e-tron Spyder. Audi's latest plug-in no-top is powered by a 300-horse 3.0-liter V6 TDI outfitted with two turbochargers and two 88-horsepower / 64 kW electric motors; the results are impressive, to say the least.

The e-tron system in this car will help it hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds on its way to a limited 250 km/h (155 mph), provide an all-electric range of 31 miles, return a combined 128.4 mpg, and only pollute your air with 59 g of CO2 per kilometer. Total range is 621 miles for the 1,450-kg car.

Well surprise, surprise. Do my eyes deceive me or did Audi just take a swing at the WRC? Hidden at corner at Audi's Paris Show stand, is this scale model of the Quattro Concept in rally guise hinting at the possibility of Audi returning to the dirt/snow/tarmac stage that made the four rings what they are today. Who knows, maybe it's just there to look cool (but my fingers and toes are crossed).

Interested in seeing vids of the new 'anniversarious' Audi quattro concept? You know you are, and we aim to please. As a brief recap, you should know that this RS5-based concept is powered by a 408-horsepower inline-five displacing 2.5 liters that spins all four wheels through a 6-speed stick.

Audi has finally revealed its 'quattro concept' in Paris to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original car's 1980 debut. The new quattro, much like the original, gets driven around the rally stages of your dreams by a turbocharged 5-cylinder.

In this case, though, the 2.5-liter unit makes 408-horsepower / 300 kW and uses a 6-speed manual transmission to drive all four 20-inch wheels with 480 Nm / 354 lb-ft. Behind the center-locking dubs are carbon-ceramic discs wearing 6-piston grippers.

With its high-output 5-pot and diet, the new quattro is said to be able to spring to 100 km/h / 62 mph in a scant 3.9 seconds and return a fuel economy of 8.5 liters/100 km (27.67 mpg US).

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.

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.

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).