Several firms have started development of systems that re-create the sound of a normal car, often labeled sound generators, and one such firm is Audi.

Up to speeds of around 15 mph, electric vehicles are virtually silent as they glide through the streets. Noise from the rolling of the tires and from the slipstream only comes above this speed, at which point an electric vehicle is no longer significantly more quiet than a conventional one.

With limited sound, people with poorer vision or those who are distracted can easily overlook a car. Organizations for the blind, especially, advocate giving quiet cars a unique sound. In fact, specifications or laws to this effect are already in place in certain parts of the U.S. and Japan.

Audi is currently at work developing a particular sound for its future e-tron electric vehicles. The automaker sees this not just a matter of safety, but also a question of how its cars of the future should sound.

What will the future of Audi electric vehicles sound like?

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The Volkswagen group is not going to enter Formula One.

That is the conclusion on Tuesday of a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

Last month, following speculation the German giant was considering entering F1 with Audi or Porsche branding, it emerged that VW would discuss the possibility during a meeting in early November.

The FAZ newspaper, citing definite but unnamed sources, now says Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech has decided the marque will not be entering F1.

Interestingly, the report said Red Bull and McLaren had expressed their interest in being supplied engines by Volkswagen.

FAZ said VW is still interested in entering the world rally championship, as well as operating two programmes – with Porsche and Audi – at Le Mans.

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Audi introduces multi-device wireless charger at SEMA

- Compatible with variety of mobile phones
- Co-exists with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® signals

Existing and future Audi owners have something to look forward to when an eclectic array of After Sales products are revealed at the first- ever Audi of America SEMA Show exhibit this week in Las Vegas.

Today the company announced a new way for Audi owners to wirelessly charge the batteries of their personal communication devices without the hassle of plugging in cables, cord and adapters.

The innovative wireless charger, a collaboration involving the Audi Electronics Research Lab, Qualcomm Incorporated and peiker, effectively eliminates the clutter and complexity of having multiple devices connected for charging purposes. The device is powered by a single connection and charges mobile phones and PDAs that are conveniently situated within reach of the driver. Digital displays on both the phone and the Audi audio system indicate that the equipment is charging.

The wireless charger is another example of how Audi is enhancing its owner experience through innovation in electronics and connectivity, said David Tait, Audi of America lead After Sales executive.

"The Audi experience is one that continues to evolve, even as owners discover new ways to enjoy their vehicle and integrate its benefits into their lifestyle. We're very pleased to introduce one more example of that with the hassle-free, wireless charger," said Tait.

The Audi wireless charger is one of several new technologies being showcased at the SEMA Show.
Other technologies featured at SEMA include Audi illuminated floor mats, an iPhone® car monitor, and an iPod® satellite adapter.

"These technologies will grab the attention of SEMA attendees," added Tait. "It's been our experience that Audi owners love to personalize their vehicles in exciting and interesting new ways. Our show cars represent the pinnacle of what owners can do with an Audi, at the same time unleashing a variety of opportunities for our vendors."

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According to a recent report, the production version of Volkswagen's BlueSport concept will be launched in early 2014.

While details are limited, Autocar says the model will ride on VW's new MMB platform which will also underpin the Audi R4 and the Porsche 356 / 914 revival. To keep costs down, the platform will use various Golf suspension components - something we'd expected since our spies have caught Roadster / Bluesport mules using Golf bodies.

Engine options remain a bit of a mystery, but we can imagine a variety of four-cylinder powerplants including a turbocharged 1.6-liter with 220 hp (164 kW / 223 PS) being used. As usual, transmission choices will include a six-speed manual and a seven-speed DSG.

A debut is rumored for the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, so stay tuned for continuing coverage.



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Porsche 911 3.8 Speedster

What is it?
To understand the point of the new Porsche 911 Speedster requires rewiring your brain to accept that cool, detached logic has really very little to do with it. For if you allow common sense even a glimpse of the Speedster, it will start to ask questions. Awkward ones like, "Couldn’t I buy a GT3 and a Boxster Spyder and still have a five-figure sum left over?" Ah yes, Porsche will tell you, but they will not be exclusive.

Or, put more properly, Exclusive. The Speedster follows hot on the heels of last year’s Sport Classic as the latest product retailed by Porsche’s Exclusive department. These are the wacky folks in Stuttgart who over the last quarter century or so have brought you cars such as the shove-snouted 930 Turbo, 968 Turbo S, 993 Turbo S and, last year, the 997 Sport Classic. And they’re not kidding about the exclusivity: apparently out of homage to the first 1954 Speedster, just 356 are going to be built, each one retailing for €166,300. By comparison, the original 356 and subsequent G-series 911 and 964-based Speedsters (of which 4144, 2103 and 930 respectively were built) were positively common.

What's it like?
At its heart, this new Speedster takes the wide body of the Carrera 4S Cabriolet but the rear-drive, 402bhp upgraded powertrain from the Sport Classic which will next year become standardised in the 911 GTS. PDK is the only available transmission. Wide Fuchs-style wheels, as well as the front and rear bumpers and valances, are also Sport Classic carry-overs.

But your attention is drawn first to the signature double-bubble hood cover and the shortened windscreen, abbreviated to the tune of 60mm. Unlike previous Speedsters, the rake of the screen remains unchanged. But also unlike its forebears, you don’t have to sign papers saying you understand your Speedster is not waterproof; this one emphatically is.

The hood mechanism is more complex than complicated and putting it up or down requires none of the wrestling demanded of you by a Boxster Spyder. To raise it, electrics lift the hood cover, which you then manually hinge back to provide access to the hood itself. You then pull the hood into place and dive inside to secure it to the windscreen, before leaping out to lower the cover again, dive back inside to tension the rear roof struts and finally use the electrics once more to clamp it down on the now safely closed roof cover. Porsche says one person, suitably trained, can do it in under two minutes.

The weight shed by removing various electric roof motors and adding aluminium doors and PCCB carbon brakes is matched exactly by that gained by the wide body and endless equipment list, meaning the Speedster weighs not one kilo more or less than a C2S Cabriolet. The result is that it drives very much as you’d expect, offering flashing performance, admirable body rigidity and superb steering, chassis balance and poise.

But you could say as much about any convertible 911, and this is not why the Speedster will sell. Instead, it will go to those who buy into an interior so covered in leather that even the air vents and coat hooks are swaddled in the stuff. They’ll love the anodised steel kickplates, the unique series number of their car (which they can choose) and the ‘Speedster’ inlaid into the handbrake.

Should I buy one?
It is, in short, a car for completists or for those turned on by ownership of something others cannot have. It’s a great car, but that’s more because it’s a 911 than because it's a Speedster. Its value, therefore, is defined almost entirely by your desire to be Exclusive.



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