Tag Archives: Hybrid

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Next-Gen Audi RS5 Will Be a Plug-In Hybrid

Audi Sport is about to cross a line it’s been circling for years. The next-generation RS5 won’t just be faster, sharper, or louder—it’ll be electrified. For the first time, Audi’s compact performance coupe and Sportback will arrive with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, marking a pivotal shift for one of the brand’s most important RS models.

The news didn’t come via a splashy press release or a choreographed reveal. Instead, Audi accidentally let the cat out of the carbon-fiber bag with a briefly posted—and quickly deleted—LinkedIn update that plainly stated: “The new Audi RS 5… will be our first high-performance plug-in hybrid.” Whoops.

But the message is clear: the RS5 is heading into the electrified era, and Audi Sport is betting that batteries and boost can coexist with burnouts and Nürburgring lap times.

Why Audi Had to Go Hybrid

The writing has been on the wall. Europe’s looming Euro 7 emissions standards are brutally strict, and even Audi’s beloved twin-turbo V6 can’t survive on gasoline alone forever. The S5 already made the jump to mild-hybrid tech, so a plug-in RS5 was the logical next step.

Unlike mild hybrids, a PHEV RS5 will be able to drive on electric power alone—at least for short distances. That’s great for city driving and emissions compliance, but the real reason Audi is doing this is much more on-brand: more power.

Electric motors deliver instant torque, and when paired with a turbocharged engine, they create the kind of shove that makes modern super sedans feel like they’ve been rear-ended by a freight train. The RS5 has always been quick. The new one could be genuinely outrageous.

The Powertrain: V6 + Electricity = Trouble (the Good Kind)

Audi hasn’t confirmed specs yet, but all signs point to a familiar heart: the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 from the previous RS4 and RS5, which made 450 horsepower on its own. Add an electric motor to that, and you’re suddenly looking at a very serious number—likely well north of 500 hp.

Audi could go conservative, or it could aim straight at the king of the electrified sports-sedan hill: the Mercedes-AMG C 63 E Performance. That car uses a turbocharged four-cylinder and an electric motor to produce a bonkers 680 horsepower and 1018 Nm of torque. It’s brutally fast—and brutally controversial.

Ironically, AMG is already backing away from that setup, reportedly preparing a return to a six-cylinder engine for the next C 63. Audi, meanwhile, may be sliding into that power vacuum with a hybrid V6 that offers both drama and drivability.

The Weight Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about plug-in hybrids: batteries are heavy. Very heavy.

BMW’s new M5 PHEV tips the scales at a staggering 2,445 kg, roughly 460 kg heavier than the outgoing model. That’s not just extra mass—it’s a handling nightmare waiting to happen.

Audi knows this. The RS5 has always been about precision and balance, not just straight-line muscle. Keeping the new RS5 from feeling like a rolling lithium-ion brick will be one of Audi Sport’s biggest engineering challenges.

If they get it right, the electric motor could actually improve handling by filling torque gaps and helping rotate the car out of corners. If they get it wrong, well… physics doesn’t care about marketing.

Looks: Loud, Wide, and Proud

Spy shots confirm what you’d expect from a modern RS car: subtlety has left the building.

The next RS5 will wear aggressively sculpted bumpers, flared fenders, and a fresh take on Audi’s signature oval exhaust outlets. It’s not pretending to be an A5 with better tires. This thing wants to be seen—and heard.

In a world where some performance cars try to blend in, the RS5 is leaning hard into its role as Audi’s street-legal track missile.

The new Audi RS5 isn’t just another evolution—it’s a philosophical shift. It’s Audi Sport admitting that the future of high performance is no longer purely mechanical, but electrical too.

If Audi can deliver the speed we expect without sacrificing the sharp, confident feel that made the RS5 great in the first place, this could be one of the most important RS cars ever built.

The RS5 is plugging in. Now we wait to see just how hard it hits.

Source: Audi

NEW CARS

Next-Gen Acura RDX Will Be the Brand’s First Hybrid SUV

Acura just pulled back the curtain—barely—on the next-generation RDX, and for a brand that’s often played it safe, what’s hiding behind that teaser is surprisingly bold. The fourth-generation RDX will become the first Acura ever to use a two-motor hybrid system, a move that signals more than just better fuel economy. It marks a philosophical shift for a company that built its reputation on clever engineering and performance-first thinking.

The new RDX is still a couple of years away from showrooms, but Acura is already laying the groundwork. Production of the current model will be paused later this year as the brand retools for what comes next. When it returns, the RDX will re-enter the compact luxury SUV fight with a new powertrain strategy—and much higher expectations.

Why a Hybrid RDX Matters

Let’s be clear: this isn’t Acura slapping a battery onto a gas engine just to satisfy regulators. The brand is using a two-motor hybrid-electric system, the same fundamental layout Honda has been perfecting for years. One motor primarily drives the wheels, the other manages energy and assists under load, allowing the gas engine to operate in its most efficient range. In real-world driving, that usually means smoother acceleration, better response, and far less time spent guzzling fuel in traffic.

That’s especially important for the RDX. In a segment packed with turbo fours and increasingly refined plug-in hybrids, Acura’s current powertrain has started to feel merely adequate. A two-motor hybrid could restore the RDX’s original mission: to be the enthusiast’s choice in a practical, compact luxury SUV.

Acura is framing this move as part of a broader strategy that includes gas-powered models, hybrids, and full EVs. Translation: the company knows not everyone is ready to go all-electric, but nobody wants to keep paying at the pump either.

Still Built in Ohio, Still an Acura

The next RDX will continue to be built at Acura’s East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio, alongside the MDX. That matters, not just politically but mechanically. The plant already produces some of Acura’s most complex vehicles, which suggests the hybrid RDX won’t be a half-hearted experiment—it’ll be fully integrated into Acura’s manufacturing and engineering pipeline.

Mike Langel, Acura’s assistant VP of national sales, called it fitting that the RDX would be the first Acura to get this new hybrid system. And he’s not wrong. Few nameplates in Acura’s lineup better represent the brand’s balance of performance, tech, and everyday usability.

Twenty Years of RDX, in Fast-Forward

The RDX didn’t just stumble into this role—it earned it.

The first-generation RDX, launched for 2007, was a breakout hit. It was Acura’s first compact luxury SUV and one of the first in its class to use a turbocharged engine. Paired with Acura’s torque-vectoring SH-AWD system, it drove like nothing else in the segment.

The second generation arrived in 2013 with a smoother V6, more space, and a clear focus on refinement. It was less edgy, but more mainstream—exactly what the market wanted at the time.

Then the third-generation RDX brought back the attitude in 2019. Turbo power returned, SH-AWD got sharper, and Acura loaded the cabin with modern tech and advanced safety systems. It was once again a driver’s compact luxury SUV.

Now comes the fourth generation—and with it, a hybrid system that could finally fuse all those past identities into one.

The RDX’s Next Chapter

With nearly 850,000 units sold in North America, the RDX is one of Acura’s most important vehicles. Going hybrid isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about relevance. Buyers want SUVs that feel quick, smooth, and technologically advanced. A two-motor hybrid could deliver all three.

If Acura gets this right, the next RDX won’t just be another compact luxury SUV. It could be the one that reminds everyone why Acura used to be the clever engineer in the room.

And for a brand celebrating its 40th anniversary, that kind of comeback couldn’t be better timed.

Source: Acura

News

The Forgotten Hybrid: BMW 328i Baur Topcabriolet Was a Sedan with a Secret

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There’s rare, and then there’s Baur rare. Only 311 BMW 328i Baur Topcabriolets were ever built — a quirky, coachbuilt blend of sedan practicality and open-air freedom that today stands as one of the most unusual offshoots in BMW’s long lineage of driver’s cars.

If the name “Baur” rings a faint bell, that’s because the German coachbuilder has been entwined with BMW’s history for decades. Long before BMW started cranking out its own convertibles, Karosserie Baur was the go-to company for chopping roofs and adding folding tops. From pre-war Mercedes tourers to the E21 3 Series “TopCabriolet,” Baur earned a reputation for doing what manufacturers wouldn’t — or couldn’t — do themselves.

By the time the E36 3 Series arrived in the early 1990s, BMW had its own factory-built convertible, so Baur needed a new angle. The result was the Topcabriolet TC4, a fascinating middle ground between coupe, cabriolet, and sedan. It kept the E36’s four-door layout intact but added a folding targa-style top and removable rear roof section. Think of it as a convertible designed for people who still wanted to bring their kids — or at least their dignity — along for the ride.

And if that wasn’t strange enough, this particular version came powered by the M52B28, BMW’s 2.8-liter inline-six. With 190 horsepower and a creamy, torque-rich delivery, it was the most potent non-M engine of its day — just a few ponies shy of the American-market M3. Paired with a five-speed manual, the 328i Baur wasn’t just a novelty; it could properly hustle.

The example seen here wears Montrealblau Metallic, a deep, rich blue that flatters the E36’s clean proportions. But no paint can distract from the architectural oddity of that roofline — a curious lattice of canvas and glass that looks equal parts genius and madness. To modern eyes, it’s somewhere between a Saab 900 Cabriolet and a Volkswagen Golf Cabrio’s “basket handle” frame. The engineering rationale was safety; the aesthetic outcome, well… debatable.

Interestingly, BMW never seemed quite sure what to call it. Some literature refers to the model as the Baur TC4 or TC4 Landaulet, yet this car’s badges proudly proclaim 328i Baur Topcabriolet. Maybe BMW was just showing off the bigger engine. Either way, the name is almost as long as the roof mechanism’s folding sequence.

For Baur, this was the last hurrah. After decades of crafting convertibles for others, the company pivoted away from building whole cars. Its resume, however, includes some heavy hitters: final assembly of the BMW M1 and even the Porsche 959. Not bad company for the folks behind one of the strangest 3 Series ever made.

Today, the 328i Baur Topcabriolet is a rolling time capsule — a reminder of when coachbuilders still experimented at the edges of mainstream design, when BMWs could be both practical and peculiar, and when the line between sedan and convertible wasn’t yet fully drawn. It’s a car for enthusiasts who appreciate quirks, craftsmanship, and a healthy dose of “what on earth is that?”

Because in a sea of predictable classics, few things stand out like a four-door convertible with a BMW roundel and a Baur badge.

Source: BMWBlog