The lights run across the length of the body, making it easily recognizable at night, but the job they do as headlights is most likely not very useful. More so, when you’re talking of a super sports car, how effective can those faint lights be at high speed?

via Audi Concept Car D7 Electric | Mechanical Hunter.

In the opening weekend of the Audi R8 LMS Cup, Alex Yoong finished second in round two.  Taking the overall lead.  After a dominant race, Andre Couto won round two with Adderly Fong of team KLM coming in third.

“We had an amazing race weekend, with 20 cars on the track and an exciting mix of very competitive professionals and ambitious amateurs. The improved aerodynamics of the car added even more speed and excitement to two great days of motorsport,” said Rene Koneberg, Head of the Audi R8 LMS Cup.

“The level of the competition is very high. There are many good drivers. I am very happy with the result and I want to thank Audi for giving me the opportunity to participate,” said race winner Andre Couto.

Rahel Frey finished in fourth just behind Adderly Fong.  Yoong coming in just after race winner Andre Couto. Alex Yoong leads the classification after the second race with a score of 43, Adderly Fong just behind in second, and Andre Couto trailing in third.

Just fewer than 50 percent of the drivers that are competing in the cup are gentleman, and Audi Sport customer racing China offers these motorsport enthusiasts complete racing services, including race license training and a full service racing package.  In China, the Audi R8 LMS Cup operates hand in hand with the local dealers for the Joint Venture FAW-Volkswagen.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup opened up the season on Saturday with race one. Alex Yoong took the first race ahead of Adderly Fong and last year’s champion Marchy Lee. The Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first ever one-make series of Audi.

The cup is expanding to additional Asian race tracks this year after a successful maiden season in China in 2012.  Including circuits in South Korea, Malaysia and Macao. The Ordos International Circuit in Inner Mongolia on July 5-7 will be the next stop of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup

(AM) Amateur Cup Competitor

(D) Dealer Cup Competitor

Fastest Lap: Andre Couto / Audi Ultra Team / 1:37.166

Points after Round 2

Round 2 Results 

Overall Drivers Championship (Top 3)

Amateur Drivers Cup (Top 3)

Team Cup (Top 3) 

Audi R8 LMS Cup, 2013 race calendar

03–05 May, Zhuhai International Circuit, China

05–07 July, Ordos International Circuit, China

02–04 August, Inje Auto Theme Park, South Korea

28–31 August, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia

25–27 October, Shanghai International Circuit, China

09–10 November, Guia International Circuit, Macau

Audi Q3 Vail Concept

Mr. De Nysschen announced at the recent press conference in New York that what prompted the German automaker to strongly consider importing the car to the U.S. was the great enthusiasm of US car dealers about the prospect of the Q3, which the company originally wanted to sell only in Asia and Europe. As it is now, the automaker has no doubt the concept car would perform very well on the US market, when it starts selling as a production car soon.

Audi Q3 Vail Concept at Audi Press Conference

Until this latest development, Audi was the lonesome German luxury car manufacturer that didn’t make an entry into the very lucrative compact, crossover market segment. But that position is about to change, when the Q3 Vail hits the US market! But if it wasted so much time before joining the bandwagon is open for debate. Or is late entrance a tactical move designed to conquer the stage once it does? Well, we shall soon see what Audi has in its offing!

Audi Q3 Vail Concept Crossover

Here are some of the remarkable features that help the Audi Q3 concept to ring a loud bell that can be heard from afar: it shares the same platform with the renowned Audi A3 hatchback and its power is supplied by a 314-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder engine with a 7-speed automatic transmission system.

Audi Q3 Vail Concept with Open Doors

At the moment, no one, except the Audi insiders, knows how much the Audi Q3 Vail will be priced at and how soon it will hit the market here in the US. All the Audi representatives Audi Concept tried to interview about the matter declined to comment regarding the timetable for the US launch. But judging from the new S7, TT-RS and A4 Allroad, introductions of Audi cars in the US market generally trail their European counterparts by about eight to twelve months. So, since the Q3 will start shipping in Europe later this year, we expect to see it at auto dealers’ shops sometime next year. That’s assuming all things being equal!

Audi Q3 Vail Crossover

For Audi to make the production model of the Q3 Vail competitive against Mercedes-Benz GLK and BMW X3, analysts suggest that the starting price would be in the range of mid-$30,000s.

We’re still probing deeper to get more details about the precise pricing and release date of the Audi Q3 Vail crossover here in the US, and we’ll certainly update you with more information, as we get them. What do you feel about this machine? Do you think it has all it takes to challenge the likes of BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK?

Concept cars are, of course, very exciting to look at. If cars that commonly drive on city streets all over the world can interest serious automotive enthusiasts, cars that may pave the way toward the automotive future can only be that much more intriguing.

Still, there is the reality that, once we get the car of our dreams, we will inevitably want to improve on it and make it even more the car of our very wildest dreams. Or, we might have a little bad luck and find ourselves licking our wounds in the aftermath of a minor auto accident, with some dented fenders or other body damage causing damage to our egos. That’s why we thought a look at concepts in Audi body kits might be a good way to spend some time.

The Aero kit above from Oettinger is a great place to start. It’s simple and sleek, cunning without being ostentatious. Priced at between $5,000 and as much as $7000 or more, it nevertheless is worth every single penny for the discerning Audi fan.

Priced at between $1500 and a $2300, this product from Extreme Dimensions is more affordably priced as Audi body kits go. It presents a sturdy and solid look for the Q7 and is made from the most durable of resins and fiberglass materials. It’s a solid piece of craftsmanship, as we understand it, and it looks mighty fine to us.

Priced at $700-800, this TT kit is one of the more affordable and sportier of the Audi body kits on the market. The manufacturers boast of its Duraflex technology, which is supposed to yield major benefits in terms of, naturally, durability. All we know for sure is that it looks quite cool here. We certainly wouldn’t mind being seen in a car decked out in this kit.

2013 Audi A2 Concept

We’re getting curious, folks! Isn’t it interesting to guess the approximate amount of money for this small Audi’s car insurance? Well, judging by its specs and considering the fact that that of the original version, the A1 is inexpensive, the car insurance won’t be much. Naturally, the 2013 Audi A2 Concept will complement the soon-to-be predecessor, the Audi A1.

2013 Audi A2 Concept Exterior

Just like the original A2 version, which was unveiled in 2000, this new concept vehicle is extremely small in size. Actually, it’s nearly a half foot shorter than the latest Audi A1. In contrast with the original model, the A2 concept car does not implement Audi’s trademark aluminum spaceframe, which lend a lightweight to the first version, but also made it a bit expensive.

2013 Audi A2 Concept Front View

Apart from the first-hand information we got that the car will have a powerful electric drive system for long range traveling and agile performance, the German auto maker is yet to tell us the exact mechanism of this system. And we at Audi Concept are more than curious to know about this.

2013 Audi A2 Concept Side View

The concept car’s interior is designed in such a way to take advantage of its flat floor. It can accommodate up to four people, with each siting comfortably on a bucket seat. To facilitate maximum flexibility when it comes to placing cargo, a center console is cantilevered from the seats.

As we wait for the 2013 Audi A2 Concept to hit the roads, exactly how much the car insurance for the production model will cost is yet to be seen. Well, that waiting won’t be long.