The Audi A1 Sportback looks great, but it looks even better in reality. Here are some live impressions!

The Audi A1 Sportback – designed to fill the slot left by the discontinued A2 – lacks the MINI’s wistful sensibilities, but it comes packing an extra set of doors, four usable seats, some handsome sheetmetal and an multimedia interface that ties in with the driver’s mobile phone to provide navigation, music and an internet connection. Oh, and it can make calls too.

A 1.4-liter TSI engine equipped with both a turbo and supercharger puts out 150 hp to the front wheels through Audi’s S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, and a 27 hp (and 111 lb.-ft.) electric motor drawing power from a lithium-ion battery pack can motivate the A1 in start-and-stop traffic. Look for the production A1 to debut early next year, with sales beginning in late 2009.

Whenever a road test review of the Bugatti Veyron is published you should listen what they have to say.

It is important to stress that the Veyron is not fabricated or built here; no painting, welding or stamping is done on premises, but rather off-site before assembly. Like a giant, fully-operational model, the finest materials and products that Europe has to offer are fitted into a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque. The carbon fiber and aluminum body panels come pre-painted and shipped from Italy, the seven-speed DSG transmission from Britain’s Ricardo Engineering and the massive sixteen-cylinder engine from Germany. Even the tires are built to spec, they are the widest fitted to any production car and were developed specifically by Michelin for the Veyron to cope with its 253 mph top speed.

From a mechanical standpoint, the Veyron’s engine is a masterpiece. At eight liters in displacement, with sixteen cylinders arranged in three banks of eight, the compact engine is shorter in length than a traditional V12. And yet, it packs the mightiest of punches, as the engine is boosted along with four turbochargers with variable vane geometry for lag-less thrust. Aside from cooling purposes, the engine is out in the open for all to see, its magnesium detailing a work of art.

Here are some live impressions of the new VW Golf GTI from the Paris Motor Show. Enjoy!

As reported previously, the new GTI is packing a revised 2.0-liter TFSI four putting out 210 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque through either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox and on to the front wheels through a new electronic limited-slip differential (XDS).

After spending some time inside we were reminded that VW (and Audi) still make some of the best interiors in the biz, with suitably supportive seats, confident switchgear and a small diameter steering wheel that we want to put under our pillow at night.

We found the promotional trailer of the new Audi S4 and Audi S4 Avant. What an awesome car! Definitely on top of our wish list. Nice sound!

What’s better than photos of the VW Golf GTI? Right, video! Here’s a cool video of the VW Golf GTI from the Paris Motor Show.

The Audi A1 Sportback comes with a very handy feature, it can be controlled by mobile phone. Read on how.

Audi’s just unveiled its brand new A1 Sportback Concept — a hybrid car with some very unusual-sounding gadgetry.

Its most eye-catching addition is the second-generation ‘Audi mobile device’ system. This links your mobile phone to the car via WLAN or 3G, and allows you to control many of the vehicle’s features remotely. For example, it’s possible to start the engine and the heating system while you’re lying in bed, and — once you’ve got your clothes on — to unlock the car’s doors.

The Audi mobile device system has built-in GPS, so you can plan your trip before you even get into the car. It’ll give you guidance as normal, and will continue to do so even when you’ve left the vehicle. That’s fantastic news for anyone who often parks some distance from their ultimate destination.

Currently, there’s no word on what specific mobiles the system is compatible with, but word is, it’ll work perfectly well with plenty of phones that are commercially available today.

Moving pictures of the Lamborghini Estoque from the Paris Motor Show. Make sure to watch!

Great video impressions here of the Audi RS6 Sedan from the Paris Motor Show. Looks fast in red!

Here’s all you need to know about the Audi A4 TDI concept e which achieves 58 MPG. Again, who needs a hybrid?

Efficiency is the way into the future – Audi is introducing the current state-of-the-art for its fuel-saving technologies at the Paris Auto Show. The A4 TDI concept e technology concept has the agile handling characteristics typical of the A4, but requires just 3.99 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (58.95 US mpg). This exemplary result was possible through the concentrated use of innovative efficiency modules.

The heart of the sedan is a direct-injection diesel engine – a 2.0 TDI with output of 88 kW (120 hp), just as for the A4 production models. From 1,750 to 2,500 rpm, the four-cylinder engine produces a constant torque of 290 Nm (213.89 lb-ft), which generates impressive acceleration. The piezo injectors in the common-rail system inject the extremely finely atomized fuel at a pressure of up to 1,800 bar, and the special piston geometry provides ideal thermodynamics in the combustion chambers.

The 2.0 TDI also features a comprehensive package of additional efficient technologies. The oil cooler, the oil nozzles for cooling the piston crowns, the oil pump and the water pump have been designed so that they can be switched off – when inactive they do not require any power. New piston rings resulted in lower tangential forces, the spring pressure on the intake valves was reduced slightly, and the vacuum pump for the brake booster received a new actuator. These measures as a whole reduce emissions by 5 grams of CO2/km.

As reported earlier Audi of America is going to start the Audi Mileage Marathon today in New York in order to promote their diesel offers. As a support they started a nice-looking microsite where you can find all the latest information from the trip and keep up to date.

A fleet of 23 new diesel-powered Audis including the Q7, Q5, A4 and A3 will leave from Tavern on the Green at 9 am Monday on a two week journey that ends in Los Angelos to demonstrate the capabilities of modern diesels. Nearly 200 international journalists will be taking part in 4 waves that go from New York, to Chicago to Denver to Las Vegas and on to LA.

In addition to our on-the-road posts, you can also follow along at the Audi Mileage Marathon site where there is a Twitter feed following the participants as they cross the continent. There is also a live map showing our location on the road along with two blogs including one from Audi of America boss Johan de Nysschen.