Report: Bentley Boss Says New SUV to be powered by W12 Petrol and V12 Diesel Engines, Due in 2015

[The above photo is a rendering from the Xenatec Group]

After Porsche launched the Cayenne in 2002, it changed the sport carmakers’ way of thinking. If the world wants a premium SUV by a top brand, why stick to the past and not ride the wave, increasing production volume and profitability?

After all, despite the initial outcry, it is primarily the Cayenne’s success that we have to thank for the continued existence and evolution of the 911.

At the Pebble Beach festival, Bentley’s CEO, Wolfgang Duerheimer, confirmed that the British luxury carmaker will indeed build an SUV. And he recently replaced chief engineer Ulrich Eichhorn with Porsche’s Rolf Frech who has also worked on the Cayenne.

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Bentley CEO Confirms SUV and Smaller Four-Seat Sports Car

The above photo is not the actual Bentley SUV but a rendering from the Xenatec Group

At the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance event in Monterey, California, Bentley boss Wolfgang Duerheimer told reporters that the British luxury carmaker is indeed looking to add an SUV model to its range, confirming earlier reports.

Duerheimer went into more details revealing that the crossover model would utilize the platform architecture as well as other hardware from the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 models.

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Audi Q7 Pickup Truck Photo Begs the Question: Is it Real or Fake?

This photograph of an Audi Q7 SUV turned into a pickup with an aluminum truck bed appeared today on several sites, all pointing towards an Audi fan blog as the source.

Over the years, we’ve seen one too many photo-chops making the internet rounds to take everything we see online for granted. In this case, even though there appears to be an inconsistency in the shadows between the lower parts of the front door and the rear panel, we just can’t be 100 percent sure.

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Audi: 38 Percent of all Models Sold in 2010 were Equipped with Quattro Drive

In 2010, the year that Audi celebrated the 30th anniversary of the quattro, it sold an impressive 437,792 quattro-equipped cars, or about 38 percent of its total production. The brand with the four rings said it sells more all-wheel drive vehicles than any other premium manufacturer in the world.

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MR Car Design Tunes 374-horse Audi Q7 V8 TDI, Brings its Styling in Line with the Facelift Model

The pre-facelift Audi Q7 4.2 TDI is the focus of MR Car Design's latest tune. The German firm starts off with the exterior styling of the large SUV, bringing it in line with the refreshed Q7. The kit includes a front bumper with LED daytime running lights, new headlamps and LED tail lights. There's also a new set of 22-inch wheels wrapped in 265/35-22 rubber, while interior improvements are limited to an available sports steering wheel sourced from the RS6.

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Project Kahn gives the 2011 Audi Q7 a Styling Makeover

Striving to improve the look of the 2011 Audi Q7, British tuner Project Kahn released a comprehensive styling package for the German SUV. While there’s nothing wrong with that, we feel that an engine conversion would’ve been a welcome addition as well, justifying the aggressiveness of the wide body kit.

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Anderson Germany Rolls Out Tuned Audi Q7 V12 Diesel with 550HP

Tuning specialist Anderson Germany has got its hands on the most insane version of Audi's Q7 SUV, the flagship V12 TDI model. In stock form, the 12-cylinder oil-burner generates an output of 500 horsepower and a ludicrous 1,000 Nm (757.56 lb-ft) of torque from six liters of displacement, enough to get the all-wheel drive model to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.5 seconds. A new air filter and software optimizations from Anderson Germany help increase output by 10 per cent to 550-horsepower.

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Project Kahn Tunes into the Audi Q7 for the First Time

Over the years, Project Kahn has presented an array of mods for the likes of the Range Rover Sport and Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe, but now the time has come for the UK-based tuner to unveil its first take on the Audi Q7.

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New Audi Q7 3.0 TDI with 204HP V6 Diesel

A new EU5-compliant diesel engine has been added to the European range of its recently updated Audi Q7. The 3.0 liter V6 common-rail turbo diesel that drives Audi's large SUV delivers an output of 204HP (150 kW) and 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft) of peak torque available between 1,250 and 2,750 rpm.

As with all Q7 models, the 3.0 TDI features a start-stop system that deactivates the engine as soon as the vehicle comes to a stop, and an energy recovery system that stores energy during deceleration, as standard. An eight-speed tiptronic transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive round out the drivetrain package.

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2011 Audi Q7 SUV Gains New V6 Engines Including 333HP Supercharged TFSI and 8-Speed Autos

Less than a year after the world premiere of the facelifted Q7 at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show, and Audi is updating its luxury SUV with the introduction of three new V6 engines and an 8-speed tiptronic transmission.

The two gasoline and one diesel V6 combine forced induction and direct fuel injection, while a high-performance recuperation system that recovers energy during braking is also a standard item.

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Scottish Police Turn Crime Gang's Audi Q7 S-Line to a Patrol Car

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. A £40,000 black Audi Q7 TDI S-Line seized from a criminal gang in the north of Glasgow will now be used as a patrol car by Strathclyde Police, Scotland's largest police force, and one of the biggest in the United Kingdom, in its fight against organized crime.

This is the very first time that the specific police department makes use of a confiscated vehicle for its own benefit.

"This is a first for Strathclyde Police, but it certainly won't be the last," said Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson in a prepared statement.

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Audi Q7 Uber-Stretched Limo with Gullwing Style Doors

Limo builders in the States love going to extremes with their creations. A perfect example is this 2010 Audi Q7 stretch-limousine conversion that can fit up to 16 passengers. Open the gullwing doors and you'll be greeted by an interior that reeks of alcohol disco bling with neon lights, flat screen TVs, alligator and snake upholstery, and get this - a fishtank... Bling yourselves to death in the photo gallery after the jump.

Link: Royaluxury

Audi Confirms Q5 Hybrid (2011) and A7 Sports Sedan (2010)

Audi has published new details on its future product plans that include the introduction of several new vehicles such as brand's first full hybrid model based on the Q5. The Ingolstadt automaker said that by 2015, the brand will have enlarged its vehicle portfolio from currently 34 to 42 models.

In particular, 2010 will see Audi launching a series of new cars like the A1 premium supermini, the A7 based on the Sportback Concept, the new A8 limo and the R8 Spyder. Though no specific details were released, the automaker said that it will unveil the Q5 Hybrid at the end of 2010, with sales beginning in early 2011.

The German company said that it plans to devote around 5.9 billion euros or about 80 percent of its total investment in fixed assets through 2012, to new product development, further optimization of conventional drivelines and the development of electric and hybrid models.

"With our planned investments in new products and mobility concepts, for example electric propulsion, we are creating a basis for our company's future growth," said Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization at AUDI AG.

PS: Standard Q5 and Sportback Concept pictured

ABT Wraps the R8, A4 and Q7 in Mate Black Carbon Fiber Film

Matte colors are becoming extremely popular lately among enthusiasts and this is something that doesn't go by unnoticed from large tuning houses like ABT. The German customization firm not only presented a matte black film for the Q7 SUV but it also took a step further by introducing a new matte black carbon-fiber wrap that's available for the AS4, AS7 and R8 ABT vehicles as well as for the standard factory Audi A4, Q7 and R8 models. In both cases the film covers the bodywork from top to bottom. -Continued

ABT supports that the faux carbon-fiber film is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing as even the texture of the synthetic material has been precisely reproduced.

"When the vehicle is fully wrapped in Carbon Film, it appears more aggressive and dynamic", said Hans-Jürgen Abt, Managing Director of ABT Sportsline. Well maybe for Hans, but seeing R8 dressed in the faux carbon suite in the above picture, we think we'd prefer it in a simple matte black wrap. ABT has yet to announce pricing for its new wraparound matte colored films. (R8 Picture edited by Carscoop)

VW Trims Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 SUV Production as Demand Falls

The deteriorating business environment caused by the financial crisis is forcing car makers on both sides of the pond to proceed to more cuts in production of models that aren't selling as they used to. Volkswagen will reduce its output of the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7 premium SUVs at its Slovakian plant in the city of Bratislava by at least 10 percent for the remaining of the year. -Continued

The German automaker said that about one-third of the Slovakian factory's 8,500 employees will be forced to work shorter shifts until the end of 2008 while the plant will close a week earlier than usual this Christmas.

Audi Q7 V12 TDI quattro 500HP: New Gallery with 36 High-Res Photos

Audi announced today that the new top-of-the-line Q7 V12 TDI quattro that was introduced in production form at this year’s Geneva Show in March (see here) will finally make its way to dealers towards the end of 2008. Equipped with a massive 6.0-liter V12 diesel engine (the first of its kind to be offered in a passenger vehicle) generating an output of 500 HP and an awe-inspiring maximum torque of 1,000 Nm or 737.56 lb-ft, the, Q7 V12 TDI quattro accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 5.5 seconds and has an electronically capped top speed of 250 km/h (155mph). -Continued

In terms of fuel consumption the six-liter TDI, which features a completely redeveloped common rail injection system, requires an average of 11.3 lt/100 km or 20.82 US mpg which is less than the gasoline units produced by the competition. For example, BMW’s X5 4.8i that’s equipped with a V8 gasoline unit producing 355HP and goes from 0 to 100km/h in 6.5 sec has an average fuel consumption of 12 lt/100km or 19.6 US mpg.