All posts by Francis Mitterrand

NEW CARS

Audi RS3 Competition Limited: A Five-Cylinder Farewell Tour

Audi has always had a knack for turning odd numbers into magic. Five cylinders, to be precise. From the rally-dominating Sport Quattro to today’s snarling RS3, the company’s turbocharged five-pot has been a mechanical middle finger to conventional engine layouts. Now, 50 years after the engine first appeared, Audi is celebrating the milestone with the RS3 Competition Limited—a £92,885 hot hatch that may also serve as the engine’s swan song.

Yes, that price makes it more expensive than the new RS5, which is the sort of thing that might cause a double take at the dealership. But Audi clearly isn’t trying to move metal here. The Competition Limited is a statement car: a celebration of a half-century of five-cylinder weirdness—and possibly a farewell tour.

The Five-Cylinder Question

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner recently admitted the engine’s future is “still under discussion.” The reason? Euro 7 emissions regulations. The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder doesn’t currently meet the upcoming standard, and bringing it into compliance would require serious engineering investment.

The problem is scale. This charismatic oddball lives in only two cars: the RS3 and the Cupra Formentor VZ5. That makes the business case tricky.

“I don’t know if we’re able to refinance the investment in EU7 regulations,” Döllner told Autocar. “We will have the discussion at board level.”

Still, he hinted the brand would like to keep it alive, noting the engine gives the RS3 a unique identity among rivals. The Mercedes-AMG A45 relies on a four-cylinder, and the BMW M2 runs a straight-six. Audi’s five-cylinder sits perfectly between them—mechanically unusual and acoustically unmistakable.

If Audi can’t justify the investment, the Competition Limited might end up being the ultimate version of the breed.

Louder, Rawer, More Focused

Under the hood, the headline numbers haven’t changed. The turbocharged 2.5-liter still delivers 394 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, identical to the regular RS3. Audi decided the engine didn’t need more power—it needed more personality.

To that end, the engineers thinned the bulkhead separating the engine bay from the cabin so more induction noise reaches the driver. The exhaust system’s active flaps also open earlier in the rev range, amplifying that unmistakable off-beat five-cylinder soundtrack.

In other words: it’s not faster on paper, but it should feel more alive.

Suspension Nerd Heaven

Where Audi did get serious is the chassis.

The Competition Limited swaps the standard suspension for a set of adjustable coilovers with twin-tube dampers. Up front, those dampers feature remote fluid reservoirs—race-car hardware designed to keep temperatures in check when the car is repeatedly hammered on track.

If that sounds familiar, it should. A similar setup helped make the 2005 Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy one of the most beloved hot hatches ever built.

Audi also stiffened the rear anti-roll bar and rear springs to sharpen turn-in and reduce body roll. For owners who enjoy fiddling with suspension settings on a Sunday morning, Audi includes a toolkit for adjusting damping.

And there’s plenty to adjust:

  • Low-speed bump damping: 12 settings
  • High-speed bump damping: 15 settings
  • Rebound damping: 16 settings

Front adjustments are accessible from the engine bay, while the rear requires removing the wheels. That might sound like a hassle, but it’s exactly the sort of thing hardcore owners secretly enjoy.

Small Wings, Big Statement

Visually, the Competition Limited leans harder into aggression. The front bumper gets aerodynamic canards and a split chin spoiler, while a new rear wing adds downforce.

The most striking addition, though, is the Malachite Green paint—a deep shade borrowed from the legendary short-wheelbase Sport Quattro. Retro Audi Sport badging and special welcome-light graphics add to the nostalgia.

When you lock or unlock the car, the lights flash in a 1-2-4-5-3 sequence, mimicking the firing order of the five-cylinder engine. It’s the kind of nerdy detail only Audi would think of—and exactly the sort enthusiasts adore.

Inside the Tribute

The cabin continues the celebration.

Deep bucket seats are trimmed in black leather and gold Dinamica microfibre, stitched with contrasting off-white thread. The seatbelts match the stitching, giving the interior a subtle motorsport feel.

The digital instrument cluster switches to white-faced graphics, a nod to the analog dials in the legendary Audi RS2—another icon powered by a five-cylinder.

Rarity Included

Audi will build 750 examples worldwide, split between hatchback and sedan. Only 10 are destined for the UK, all of them hatchbacks.

With a price around £89,000–£92,000 depending on market specification, the Competition Limited sits roughly £26,880 above the standard RS3.

That’s an enormous premium for what is, fundamentally, a compact hot hatch. But then again, this car isn’t really about value.

The Possible End of an Era

If the five-cylinder does disappear, it would mark the end of one of the automotive industry’s most distinctive engines. Few powerplants have such a recognizable soundtrack—or such deep roots in rally history.

The RS3 Competition Limited feels less like a typical special edition and more like a love letter to a mechanical oddity that refused to conform.

And if this truly is the final chapter for Audi’s five-cylinder, it’s going out exactly the way it should: loud, complicated, and just a little bit irrational.

Source: Autocar

News

One Name, Two Souls: Porsche May Merge the Taycan and Panamera

Porsche’s lineup has long been a study in careful segmentation. Want a four-door Porsche? Easy: choose the electric Porsche Taycan or the combustion-powered Porsche Panamera. Different missions, different platforms, different personalities. But that tidy separation may not last much longer.

According to industry sources, Porsche is exploring a plan to unify its two performance sedans into a single model line—one that would offer petrol, plug-in hybrid, and fully electric variants under the same banner. The move is part of a broader cost-cutting strategy led by newly appointed Porsche CEO Michael Leiters, following a downturn in global sales and the expensive fallout from Porsche’s recent rethink of its electrification strategy under former boss Oliver Blume.

In other words: two cars may soon become one.

Two Sedans, Two Architectures

The Taycan arrived in 2019 as Porsche’s first serious step into the electric era, built on the dedicated J1 platform it shares with the Audi E‑tron GT. Low, wide, and unapologetically futuristic, it was engineered from the ground up to be electric.

Its combustion sibling, the Panamera, plays a different game.

The Panamera rides on Porsche’s MSB architecture, a platform also used by the Bentley Continental GT. It’s larger, more executive-leaning, and available in everything from V6 plug-in hybrids to fire-breathing Turbo models.

They occupy similar territory—four-door performance sedans with Porsche DNA—but they’ve always been engineered as entirely separate programs.

That separation is exactly what Porsche now appears to be questioning.

The Cost of Going Electric (and Back Again)

Developing dedicated EV platforms isn’t cheap—even for a company that charges six figures for its sports cars. Porsche has already written down roughly €1.8 billion tied to delayed platform development and shifting electrification priorities.

Originally, the next-generation Taycan was expected to migrate to the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP Sport architecture, a high-performance EV platform still facing delays. Meanwhile, the Panamera is slated to eventually move from the current MSB platform to a newer combustion-friendly architecture later this decade.

Two separate platforms. Two separate development programs. Two sets of costs.

Unifying the model lines—even if they continue to ride on different underpinnings—could help spread engineering and design expenses across a larger volume.

And Porsche has already proven the concept can work.

Porsche Has Done This Before

The blueprint might already exist in Porsche showrooms.

The Porsche Macan, for example, is sold in both combustion and electric forms in some markets despite being built on entirely different architectures. The same strategy is emerging with the next generation of the Porsche Cayenne, where internal-combustion and electric versions will coexist under the same model name.

From the outside, they’re one family. Under the skin, they’re very different animals.

If Porsche applies that logic to its sedans, the result could be a single unified model range—potentially wearing either the Taycan or Panamera badge.

Size Matters—But Not That Much

Interestingly, the two cars are already closer in size than you might think.

  • Taycan wheelbase: 2900 mm
  • Panamera wheelbase: 2950 mm

That 50-mm difference isn’t trivial, but engineers say it’s manageable if the project is designed from the outset to accommodate multiple architectures.

There’s also the Panamera’s long-wheelbase variant, a popular option in markets like China. That could open the door for a similar stretched configuration in an electric successor.

Imagine a Taycan—or whatever Porsche decides to call it—with limousine-grade rear legroom.

What Would It Look Like?

Styling remains the big unknown.

Porsche’s current approach with the Cayenne may offer clues: the combustion and electric versions share a family resemblance but feature distinct exterior designs to reflect their different powertrains.

Expect something similar here—a shared identity but different proportions and details depending on what’s under the floor.

Electric versions might keep the Taycan’s sleek, cab-forward silhouette, while combustion and hybrid variants could lean closer to the Panamera’s traditional executive-sedan stance.

One badge. Two personalities.

The Bigger Picture

For Porsche, this potential consolidation is about more than just product planning. It reflects a broader industry reality: the transition to electrification is proving more complicated—and more expensive—than many automakers expected.

By merging the Panamera and Taycan into a single model line, Porsche could streamline development, protect profitability, and avoid a painful decision: killing one of its flagship sedans altogether.

And if there’s one thing Porsche hates, it’s giving up a performance segment.

Whether the future flagship wears the Taycan name, the Panamera badge, or something entirely new, one thing seems clear: Porsche’s next four-door may carry two powertrain philosophies under a single identity.

One car for the electric future—and the combustion past that isn’t quite ready to leave.

Source: Porsche

News

Lamborghini’s New Playground Isn’t a Racetrack—It’s Fortnite

If you thought Lamborghini was done finding new ways to put its cars where you least expect them, think again. The Italian supercar maker has just opened a new digital playground inside Fortnite, called the Lamborghini Fast ForWorld Experience, and it’s less about battle royales and more about building a permanent virtual home for the brand inside one of gaming’s most popular universes.

Lamborghini Goes Full Fortnite

The move expands Lamborghini’s growing digital ambitions within the ecosystem built by Epic Games. And unlike the fleeting promotional tie-ins brands often dabble in, this one is designed to stick around. The Fast ForWorld Experience is a persistent open world, meaning players can drop in anytime—day or night—to explore, race, and interact with a Lamborghini-themed environment that reflects the company’s unmistakable design language and forward-leaning identity.

A Supercar Brand Thinking Like a Game Studio

The project marks the next chapter in Fast ForWorld, Lamborghini’s dedicated hub for gaming and digital engagement. Introduced in 2024, the platform was created as a long-term strategy to bring the brand closer to younger audiences who may be more familiar with controllers than carbon fiber.

But this Fortnite launch also introduces something new: “Fast ForWorld Originals.” Think of it as Lamborghini acting like its own game developer. Instead of simply licensing its cars into someone else’s digital world, the company is creating proprietary interactive experiences where it controls the narrative, the gameplay, and the aesthetic direction.

In other words, the same brand that obsesses over the angle of a side intake now wants equal control over how players experience its universe in digital form.

Lamborghini’s Design Language—Now Playable

Step into the Fast ForWorld map and you’ll find a world shaped around Lamborghini’s design philosophy. One highlight is a conceptual environment developed by Automobili Lamborghini Centro Stile, the company’s in-house design studio responsible for sculpting the real cars.

Here, however, the designers trade wind tunnels and clay models for digital architecture. The result is an abstract, stylized environment that interprets Lamborghini’s aggressive shapes and futuristic aesthetics as explorable spaces rather than sheet metal.

Players can roam the map, participate in racing challenges, and interact with various themed environments—all built to echo the bold personality that defines the brand’s road-going machines.

More Than Cars: A Digital Collaboration Hub

Lamborghini also used the experience to bring some of its real-world partners into the virtual garage. Activations inside the world feature collaborations with brands like Bridgestone, CAPiTA, and Union, extending existing partnerships into a digital setting.

That crossover is increasingly part of the strategy. Fast ForWorld isn’t just about putting cars in games—it’s about merging the physical and digital identities of the brand. The platform has already experimented with limited digital collectibles and “digital twins” released alongside real Lamborghini models, hinting at a future where the unveiling of a supercar might include both a real vehicle and a virtual counterpart.

Lamborghini’s 24/7 Virtual Showroom

The Fortnite experience also gives Lamborghini something most automakers don’t have: a permanent branded world inside a massively popular game. According to the company, this makes it the first automotive brand to maintain a consistent, always-accessible presence in Fortnite rather than appearing only during temporary events.

The project itself was developed within the Fast ForWorld ecosystem alongside gaming studio Gravitaslabs, translating Lamborghini’s creative direction into a playable experience.

And it likely won’t stop here. Lamborghini says the launch is part of a broader collaboration with Epic Games that will continue evolving through 2026, expanding Fast ForWorld into a larger platform for gaming, esports, and interactive entertainment.

How to Jump In

If you’re curious what a Lamborghini-designed digital world looks like, you can find it directly inside Fortnite. Just enter the island code 3527-6691-0764 in the game’s lobby and the Fast ForWorld experience will load up.

No V12 required—just a controller.

Source: Lamborghini