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Audi unveils A3 Sportback G-Tron with bi-fuel power, 808-mile range

By this time next year, the Audi A3 Sportback will be offered with a variety fuel-efficient powertrains ranging from diesel to the all-electric E-Tron, but perhaps the most interesting is the all-new G-Tron model, which uses Audi's innovative carbon-natural compressed natural gas called e-gas. Previously called A3 TCNG, we first heard about this technology last year, but now Audi has confirmed that this low-emission, sustainable-fuel will debut by the end of this year on the A3 Sportback G-Tron.
To create this e-gas, a plant in Werlte, Germany uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. As hydrogen fuel cell vehicles become more popular, Audi says that this process could also be used to produce hydrogen fuel, but to create CNG, it mixes the hydrogen with carbon dioxide to create "synthetic methane." Since it is identical to the CNG available today, Audi's e-gas can be shipped and stored using the existing CNG infrastructure. Making the whole process even greener, Audi obtains the CO2 for this process from a nearby biogas plant, which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.
Differentiated from the regular versions of the A3, the G-Tron features a pair of tanks under the rear cargo floor holding 15.43 pounds of CNG, which can power the car for almost 250 miles. What's more, the A3's conventional gasoline tank is still in place, giving the car an addition 560 miles of range. In total, that means the A3 G-Tron has a driving range of more than 800 miles. To run on both CNG and gas, Audi made changes to the car's 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine (including the turbo, cylinder head and fuel injection system) and catalytic converter.

Next Audi R8 to be up to 130 pounds lighter

"Simplify and add lightness," as Lotus founder Colin Chapman said. In a world where even supercars are subject to environmental, efficiency and emissions standards, lighter vehicles are being looked on as a sort of panacea - make it lighter, and it's automatically faster, more agile, easier to brake and better on gas.
Knowing this, it comes as no shock that Audi is looking at ways to lighten up its next-generation R8, with the brand's head of technical development Ulrich Hackenberg targeting a 110- to 130-pound diet for the mid-engine rocket. This supports previous reports regarding the focus for the next R8. Motor Trend reports that aluminum and carbon fiber feature heavily in plans for the next R8, which should go a long way toward slimming down even the lightest of R8s, the 3,678-pound V10 Plus model.
There's more over at Motor Trend, including the buff book's attempts to get Hackenberg to discuss powertrain options for the next R8.

Why BMWs are cheaper than Hyundais in Korea

Bloomberg reports shifting tariff regulations have upended the traditional automotive pecking order in Korea. Thanks to cheaper import taxes, foreign brands have seen market share jump from 28 percent to 41 percent over the last two years. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have all capitalized on the shift, with domestics like Hyundai and Kia suffering at the hands of their German rivals.
Taxes on European imports have fallen from 8 percent in 2011 to just 3.2 percent today. Over the next few years, tariffs will all but be eliminated for most imports, and taxes on US-made vehicles are expected to fall to just 4 percent in 2014. By 2016, that number will be zero. Needless to say, Hyundai and Kia are concerned about the shift.
Hyundai has seen profit fall by 15 percent last quarter, and the company says it is on pace to see the slowest sales growth since 2007. The company's shares have fallen by 12 percent. In order to stem the losses, Hyundai has discounted its midsize sedans and started working on diesel engine options.