Audi is preparing an LMS customer sport programme for its stunning R8 model. The beast is going to feature a V10 engine that will sport nothing less than 500hp/ 373kW and will be mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox. Influenced by renowned racing drivers like Frank Biela and Frank Stippler, and with help from the wacky Germans from Abt, Audi’s R8 LMS racing car will be available for €262,000 to an exquisite clientele. We’d love to take it for a quick spin on the track and pedal to the metal, wouldn’t you?. [via WCF]

The Audi A5 is the latest creation from the boys across the pond. Having enjoyed a total renaissance as of late, the new A5 is all Audi, all new and definitely all coupe. There is nothing conventional about it due to it’s Quattro 60/40 real wheel bias. What does that mean? It means that when you want to haul ass, the car’s all-wheel drivetrain would know to send more power to the rear wheels. With reconfigured rack and pinion steering and a new chassis that mounts the engine closer to the center of the car, the Audi A5 has extraordinary response and stability. A car this bad ass looking should be perfect for maneuvering through a sea of boring looking cars on the road today…  [From $40,700 at audi]

Its no easy task to build a car that will please the market and conserve the health of our planet. However, Audi came out with their latest A1 Sportback Hybrid and presented it during the Paris Motor Show last month. Based on the A1 project Quattro concept that the Germans announced last year in Tokyo, the 5-door plug-in hybrid does 72.4 mpg and goes up to 60 miles with a single charge. With a 1.4 TFSI petrol engine and an electric motor that adds some 27 hp to the total, the luxurious looking A1 Sportback Hybrid plans to take on the renowned MINI Cooper. [BusinessWeek via Inhabitat]