Audi has lifted the veil on a production-based concept from its quattro performance division that previews a range-topping variant of the Q3 for European markets. Called the Audi RS Q3, the go-fast version of the company's compact SUV is planned to make its public debut at next week's Beijing motor show, packing a 355-hp version of the same turbocharged, direct-injection 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine found in the TT RS, set in a stylized bay featuring carbon-fiber trim panels. With its drive channeled to all four wheels through a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, the RS Q3 is claimed to hit 62 mph in 5.2 seconds and to reach a top speed of 165 mph.
A couple weeks ago, we asked you if you were interested in a Holden Ute SS from down under, a beast of a truck (or is it car?) that combined the flexibility of a small pickup with the luxury and convenience of a sedan. Oh, and that Holden Ute SS had a 6.0-liter V8 in one of its milder forms; more insane LS3-powered versions are also available. Your answers were unequivocally yes, and who would blame you?
POLICE in Birmingham have discovered they are not immune from traffic fines, after figures released by West Midlands Police show that local law enforcement have fallen foul of the city’s tough stance on bus lane offenders. In a hard-line approach, which had drawn criticism from some drivers, Birmingham City Council put up new signs on existing bus lanes in the heart of the city barring all other vehicles from using them and enforcing the rule with traffic cameras to catch the culprits who flout the ban. As a result, a reported 60,000 fines were issued by the end of last year following the scheme's launch in September, with police drivers accounting for 408 of those transgressions and individual drivers responsible for payment of the fine.