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From YourSITE.com Events Coverage It seems 2006 was the year of the muscle car at Detroit, and Audi apparently got the memo, bringing its own take on big displacement muscle cars in the form of the S8, the all-new S6 and a U.S. version of the brawny RS 4. With 10-cylinder engines sitting in both S6 and S8 engine bays, these cars were enough to give the Camaro, Challenger and even the production-ready Mustang Shelby GT500 cylinder envy.
Though the Roadjet’s shape is somewhat androgynous, details foretell the future of Audi design. Was it an indicator of the next A4, A5 Coupe or Q5 SUV? It could be none and it could be all. More important was its hardware, making use of a new longitudinally-mounted 7-speed DSG and a normally-aspirated 3.2 V6 pushing out a healthy 300 bhp thanks to FSI and Audi’s new two-stage cam lift adjustment system called Valvelift. North American Q7
Only 4.2-equipped Q7s sat on the Audi stand in Detroit, though we hear there’ll be a wider array of the engines in this new SUV before too long. 4.2 V8 models will begin to appear in Audi dealers as early as June, followed in September by the 3.6-liter V6. A 3.0 TDI is being considered for this market, and could appear as early as calendar year 2008. Audi is also readying an S-line package for North American Q7 models with all engine choices. The good news is that it will feature the great-looking body changes and 21-inch alloys of the S-line shown at the Essen Motor Show. The bad news is that Alcantara seating surfaces and the German market S-line’s sport seats are unlikely due to crash-test requirements that would mean additional crash-testing for each and every seat variant, including fabric changes. S6 Sedan
That Audi chose North America as the world debut for its S6 is a great indicator of the sincereity with which Audi views its performance image on this side of the Atlantic. The new S6 uses the V10 from the S8, though it is reportedly at a lower power rating of 420-hp. But with a nearly identical torque curve, you have to wonder if most of the power differences between S6 and S8 aren’t mainly on paper. Time will tell once these cars are driven, and better yet, placed on a dyno. Prior to the S6 launch, we had expected the car to use the adaptive air suspension found on the S8. However, this turned out to not he the case, and the car utilizes a traditional steel spring setup. The handsome 19-inch wheel design on the show stand and in all press photos is but one choice for the car. A no-cost option will be an 18-inch version of the 7-split-spoke design found on the S8 and new B7 S4 Cabriolet - a design fast becoming an S-car trademark. For now, the S6 will come to North America as a sedan only. Like the RS 4, Audi’s 10:1 sedan-to-Avant ratio just doesn’t make a good business case for the S6 Avant, especially given the costs of federalization per model in the USA. However, unlike the RS 4, we hear the S6 Avant has not been completely ruled out. It could still happen, though that has yet to be determined. North American RS 4
The RS 4 is not all-new news. Though it debuted in Geneva last spring, the car shown on the Detroit stand is more significant as it is full North American-spec. Market changes already expected include the use of the standard European-spec seats for the RS 4, also found in S4 models. They also include the standard sport steering wheel and North American-specific bumper covers that integrate DOT approved sidemarkers at the front, where they’re stylistically integrated into the gill venting, and at the rear. Though the seats are shared with the S4 sedan and Avant, the Recaros in the RS 4 also feature silver piping as seen on the S4 Cabriolet. Thus far, such piping has not been fitted on the Recaro setup for sedan and Avant, and it’s a unique, if subtle, upgrade to the RS 4 for now. Lamborghini Miura
It was the childhood dream of Audi Brand Group design boss Walter De’Silva to make his own interpretation of “the most beautiful car in the world”, the Lamborghini Miura. De’Silva got his wish this year, and Lamborghini rolled out a Miura design study for wide-eyed journalists in Detroit. De’Silva’s take is modern, though distinctly true to the original’s design - much like the Ford GT and the Dodge Challenger. Not much of a departure, even the wheels were of similar design to the original. Still one of the most beautiful cars shown in Detroit, the swooping rounded fender lines of the Miura looked almost out of place sitting between the angular Murcielago and Gallardo on the Lamborghini stand.
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