Audi

Finally, Audi's prince of AWD luxury has arrived. When the A5 coupe debuted people fell head over heels for its long nose, muscular metal and supple interior. Of course any good coupe worth it's weight in salt needs a performance variant, so naturally there was an S-model, propelled by a 354hp V8. But what people really wanted was to see the A5 get the RS treatment. With a stance and design that looks formidable yet sleek, it was only fair to give it a proper engine and some real performance. The S5 was quick, but could easily fall victim to numerous sport sedans, coupes and imports.

Nothing ruins taking your fellow law buddies for a ride like having a 19 year old kid in a WRX hand you your briefcase. Well at long last, we have the official specs of the upcoming, beautiful, powerful 2010 Audi RS5.  It won't make it's public debut until the Geneva Motor Show next week, but because the brochure was leaked onto the internet last weekend, we can provide all the only data you need to know.

Back in the early 80s, my father brought me back a remote-controlled Audi Quattro car from his trip to Italy. At the time, I thought it was the coolest thing ever but really didn't understand the significance of that particular vehicle. All I knew was that it was a race car and it looked awesome. Since the debut of the Ur-Quattro ("Ur" meaning original)  at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, Quattro (Italian for "four") technology has served as a game-changing platform for performance motoring. The introduction of the Audi Quattro transformed the company from a luxury maker of automobiles to a motorsports and rally car monster, who dominated the sport for many years after its debut.

The original Ur-Quatro sported a 2.1-liter inline 5-cylinder 10 valve SOHC engine complete with turbocharger and intercooler, a first for a full-time all-wheel drive car. With 197 bhp and 210 ft-lb of torque on tap, the Ur-Quattro sprinted from 0-62 mph in 7.1 seconds with a top speed of 137 mpg. All told, 11,452 example of the production “Ur-quattro” models were built between 1980 and 1991. The company also launched two additional versions of the Quattro - A1 and A2 - for competition in FIA's Group B motorsports, pushing the turbocharged inline 5-cylinder engine up to about 350 bhp. 

It was only a matter of time before Audi got into the compact hatchback market, a segment that they have been trying to aggressively go after by downsizing their sheet-metal and powerplants. The A3 has been a big success but after watching MINI Cooper sales take off, they knew they had to go even smaller, much smaller. Back in 2007, the Metroproject Quattro concept was debuted and now we finally have the official word on the 2011 Audi A1 after months of teasers and various concept iterations.

The new Audi A1 follows fairly closely to the visual representations and design studies we've seen. It measures 155.5 inches long, 68.5 inches wide and 56 inches tall, making it more than a foot shorter and 10 inches narrower than the A3. This squat hatchback will be available with a choice of 10 alluring exterior colors and 4 different colors for the roof arches. Some of the options available include LED lamps front and rear as well as Xenon headlights.

While the Super Bowl is a spectacle of grand proportions, the commercials are what many look forward to just as much as the game itself. Automotive companies have big budgets and often produce some of the most compelling, interesting and talked-about ads that run during the big game. This year was no different. Check out the following videos showing the marketing engines at Hyundai, Kia, Audi and Dodge fast at work.

The 2010 Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro Spyder first made its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Sporting the same 5.2-liter V10 engine from the Coupe, power is rated at 525 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. The car tops out at 194 mph and can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 4.2 seconds.

Audi has just released a new promo video for its new supercar convertible and it makes us want to go rob a bank. Check out the ad after the jump along with a full photo gallery.

Here it is: The final 5 Top sports cars in the price range of $40-50k for 2010. Part 1 (click here if you missed it) was a diverse mix of metals from the desert-romping Raptor, to a Caterham that can almost fit in a truck bed. They all provide great fun, or great convenience, and I wouldn't kick any of them out of my garage. For the Top 5, no concessions were made. There's no pickup trucks, hybrids, or bone-shattering go-karts here. Just the best performance cars you can get...

2009 is coming to end, which means it's time to start planning for 2010. Most people's resolutions include working out more, eating less, recycling and maybe saving a few kittens from a burning building. Here at Sub5zero we're planning to have the best automotive year yet. 2009 was an incredible year for cars, but things are only going to get better. For our first Top Ten list, we picked the best performance vehicles for 2010 in the $40,000 to $50,000 price range. Follow the jump to find out what we're looking forward to this year. Who knows, you might even find some help for your next vehicle.

For the last couple of years, CAR magazine has challenged designers from major auto manufacturers to come up with designs that upgrade Santa's sleigh to the toy-delivery vehicle of tomorrow. In 2008, the likes of Bentley, Ford, Nissan and Rolls-Royce all delivered spectacular creations. This year Vauxhall, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Audi and Land Rover came through with some crazy cool concepts. 

Land Rover has created transportation for Kris Kringle that follows their brand aesthetic remarkably well. The particle accelerator propulsion system is a nice touch and we dig the optional CRS (Chimney Recognition Software) technology. But we're not sure how Santa is supposed to see over the big dome of the reindeer in front of him and it looks like every time the animal swivels its head, it would skewer ole Saint Nicholas, but these are just minor quibbles.