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Audi shifts to eight-speeds for most models

A formal press conference probably won't happen until this summer, but we hear that Audi dealers have received their 2011 order guides, and it looks as though the company will be going from 0 to about 70 percent of U.S. sales being eight-speed automatic transmissions. Beginning this fall, the eight-speed will replace today's six-speed automatic in the A4 2.0-liter turbo sedan and wagon, the A5 2.0-liter turbo coupe and cabriolet, the Q5 2.0-liter turbo, the Q7 3.0-liter turbo, the Q7 diesel, the Q7 with the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and the all-new A8 and A8L with the 4.2-liter V8.

Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro with 496bhp at Worthersee

Audi A1 Clubsport quattro at Worthersee gets a huge 496bhp It’s Wörthersee Tour 2011 time – heaven on earth for VW Group nutters – and this year Audi has put together a very warm A1 with 496bhp – the Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro – to tantalise and torment Audi-philes. Tease and torment because there’s not much chance the A1 Clubsport will make it in to production any time soon, although it’s always possible something similar could see the light of day as the Audi RS1 – a tempting proposition. But first we’ll have to see the Audi S1 quattro.

BMW readying first M Performance model for U.S.

BMW will introduce the first in what will become a line of M Performance models to North America in early 2014 with the M235i coupe. It will take the place of the 1-series M coupe which recently ceased production after a run of more than 6,000 units, some 600 of which were sold in the United States. BMW is renaming the coupe and convertible versions of the 1-series as the 2-series for the vehicle's second generation.