Fancy being chauffered around in a Audi R8? Well, you can if you happen to be in the UK sometime after summer this year. Specialist limousine service company Limo Broker has announced plans to create the world’s first R8 stretch limousine.

Work has already begun on the creation of the one-of-a-kind white example, under the guidance of Chris Wright from Carbonyte UK. Carbonyte UK, which is also responsible for the world’s only Ferrari limo, will work in conjunction with Limo Broker to create the vehicle, which is set to become the signature car for the Limo Broker brand.

There’s a rendered video which gives a 3D outline of the concept behind the limo, and an impression of how the finished stretched supercar will look like. The seating arrangement as displayed from the interior rendering looks pretty cool. So, anyone for a ride?

Here what Audi brought to Detroit. The Audi Q3 Vail Concept is a winter adventure themed version of Audi’s smallest crossover, the Q3. Groomed specifically for winter sports like the pistes in the famous Colorado mountain resort which inspired its name, the Vail combines harder-edged styling with a brawny 2.5-litre TFSI engine.

Designed for fans of skiing and snowboarding, the Q3 Vail wears Energy Red paint, and its add-on body parts are finished in matte grey quartz. The area around the windows is enhanced by aluminium and high-gloss black.

Vertical bars in the single-frame grille sets it apart. The struts feature a bi-colour theme: their lateral edges are in matte quartz and the slim front faces have a high-gloss finish. Plenty of aluminium panels in front, the top of the side air inlets and the underbody guard are made of the stuff.

Eyecatching features on the flanks include flared wheel arches and running boards, and on the roof the specially designed aluminum rails firmly hold carbonfibre skis and snowboards. The front roof-rail support integrates compact, wide-angled LED lights controlled via buttons in the roof module. Lights on roof rails are things that previous gen X-Trail owners are familiar with.

The Q3 Vail is fitted with 255/45 section off-road tyres and 20-inch five-arm wheels. Track width has increased by 40 mm at the front and rear compared to the standard car, and the body sits 30 mm higher. At the rear, the twin tailpipes are integrated into the diffuser and underbody guard area.

The interior of the Q3 Vail includes two practical devices for winter sports fans. The wall of the boot houses a charging station for storing flashlights and charging them inductively at the same time.

The same technology is used for the Thermos bottle located in the cup holder between the front seats. Both devices have LEDs that show the current charge level. The flashlights also incorporate an infrared heating element that can be used for warming hands or ski boots.

Another intelligent solution is the load floor mat, which has integrated heated seat cushions. The mat can be folded out and laid over the loading lip. This protects the trunk edge while the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded, and also provides a warm area to sit on when putting on or taking off your ski boots. Small LED spotlights on the inside of the tailgate provide light.

The Q3 Vail is powered by a 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine with 314 PS and 400 Nm of torque. The engine’s five cylinders are consecutively numbered; red ‘wrinkled-finish’ paint has been applied to the cylinder head cover. A panel made from carbonfibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) partially covers the engine, and the air filter is also protected against dirt.

Power is transferred to the quattro permanent AWD system via a seven-speed S tronic transmission. This small SUV can do 0-100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds and top speed 260 km/h.

Audi has announced the arrival of the range-topping A1 model called the A1 quattro. Just 333 examples of the form will be built in 2012, and all will be left-hand drive units.

The vehicle is powered by a 2.0 TFSI mill offering 256 hp at 6,000 rpm and 350 Nm of torque available between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm, which is of course delivered to all four wheels. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 5.7 seconds and a 245 km/h top speed.

The 2.0 TFSI delivers its power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system via a six-speed manual transmission, which features an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch whose package of plates rotates in an oil bath. There’s an electronic differential lock in the mix, of course.

The car’s chassis has been adapted to the dynamics of the drivetrain, and is much more tautly tuned than that of the production model. The front suspension is a McPherson construction, while a four-link axle is used at the rear, and the electrohydraulic power steering on the car features a direct 14.8:1 steering ratio.

The Audi A1 quattro rides on 18-inch cast alloy wheels, finished in Glacier White, wrapped with 225/35 series tyres. Elsewhere, the internally vented 312 mm diameter front brake discs are clamped by black calipers.

The car is available only in Glacier White metallic, with a high-gloss black roof, some dashes of red and a two-colour rear wing providing contrast. Decent amount of tint to be found too – the rear windows are blackened, as are the LED rear lights. The exhaust system terminates in two polished dual tailpipes on the left and the right, adding yet more flair to the equation.

Inside, black is the thematic shade, with the seats and door armrests covered in Silk Nappa leather, with contrasting red seams. The S sport seats up front have pronounced bolsters, integrated head restraints and a quattro badge on the backrest covers.

Elsewhere, the lower section of the centre console is in high-gloss black, while the footrest and the pedal caps are in brushed stainless steel. Red seams frame the floor mats, and the door sill trims bear A1 quattro badges.

As for the instrument cluster, unique cues include white needles, a red tachometer and a quattro logo. Meanwhile, the multifunction flat-bottom sport steering wheel is wrapped in leather, again with contrasting red stitching and it also sports the car’s serial number.

There’s also plenty of other mod cons, including xenon plus headlights, high-beam assistant, adaptive brake lights, LED interior lighting package, light and rain sensor, automatically dimming interior mirror, rear parking system, automatic air conditioning, alarm system, storage package, convenience key and cruise control.

Rounding things off are a Bose sound system with 14 speakers and 465 watts of power, and the woofers in the doors are indirectly lit with light guide LEDs.

Audi has announced that the five-door version of the A1, which is called the Sportback, will be introduced early next year. The car is the same length as its three-door sibling, but is 6 mm wider and several millimetres taller, at 1.75 metres and 1.42 metres respectively, and as such offers more space in the rear seats.

The A1 Sportback seats four, but a fifth seat is available on request, at no extra charge. Headroom and shoulder room have each been increased by about 10 mm compared with its three-door sister model. The car offers a boot capacity of 270 litres, and folding down the split rear seat increases this to 920 litres.

Buyers will be able to choose from three TFSI gasoline and three TDI diesel engines producing between 86 hp and 185 hp. A choice of five-speed or six-speed manual transmissions are available, depending on the engine, and the seven-speed S tronic is available as an option with the 122 hp 1.4 TFSI and 90 hp 1.6 TDI, and as standard with the range topping 185 hp 1.4 TFSI model.

Aside from a variety of interior trim choices, there are 12 exterior finishes to pick from, including a new shade called Samoa Orange, which is exclusive to the A1 Sportback. A S line exterior package is available as an option. Upon request, Audi can paint the roof line – the roof arch, the roof and the roof spoiler – in one of three contrasting colours.

Features include xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights, a high-beam assistant, a light and rain sensor, panoramic sunroof, the convenience key, the alarm system, two different parking system versions and cruise control, to name a few.

As for wheel choices, it starts from 15-inches right up to optional 18-inch alloys from quattro, with a new 17-inch seven-spoke design exclusive to the Sportback.

Audi has given the B8 Audi A4 a little facelift, which is timely as it updates the A4 to the latest revision of Audi’s signature grille that’s being used on all their other latest models. Other than the new grille and bumper, the headlamps have also changed, with a new added slight wave at the bottom edges, and a rearranged lens design.

The interior has also been updated. The MMI navigation plus system now features four instead of eight buttons, with a shift function integrated in the volume control dial. The seat heating and air-conditioning are now directly operated at the respective buttons. The upholstery range has also been revised, with Fine Nappa leather replacing Valcona leather.

The A4 also receives Audi’s new 1.8 litre TFSI engine, now producing 170 PS and 320 Nm of torque while offering a fuel economy figure of 50.4 mpg and 134 g/km of CO2 emissions. The new 1.8 litre engine features improvements in the control of its valves, and a new thermal management system. There’s also a detuned entry level version of this engine making 120 PS. The 2.0 TFSI makes 211 PS and the top of the line 3.0 TFSI in the S4 makes 333 PS.

Another new feature is an electromechanical power steering, which allows reduction in CO2 emissions of up to 7 g/km because it does not need to be powered for straight-ahead motion, thus reducing fuel consumption.