* * * . . . Audi is currently evaluating a new R10 model to slot in above the next-generation R8 sports car.
Taking the brand to new heights, the R10 won’t be an up-rated R8, but rather an all-new model, sitting atop a light weight carbon fiber monocoque chassis.
Power would come from a modified version of the brand’s turbocharged 3.0-liter diesel V6 engine making around 420 hp and 515 lb-ft of torque. Add on the two electric motors that will deliver power to the front wheels, while the diesel engine delivers torque to the rear, and the R10 should have a combined output of over 600 hp, as well as 737 lb-ft of torque.
Far from being just a rumor, Audi R&D boss Wolfgang Dürheimer has confirmed the new car is in the evaluation stage with an updated planned for the Frankfurt Motor Show this September, where a concept version is expected to make its world premiere.
Toyota just sent out an advisory to media that there will be an announcement tomorrow morning in New York related to production. With Earth Day on Monday, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Toyota announces US-based production of the Prius family.
For those of you who don't know or remember, Toyota has initially planned for the Tupelo, MS plant to be the home of Prius production. The economy nosedive changed those plans, and the plant now operates at a fraction of it's capacity producing Corollas.
