Audi S5 Coupé an RS5 Look

German aftermarket firm Senner Tuning is revisiting the freshened up Audi S5 coupe with a new assortment of goods for the exterior and interior as well as its mechanical hardware. Senner's second take on the facelifted S5 (read about the first one here) brings a brawnier styling package that gives the coupe the look of its RS5 sibling through the use of a new front bumper with a carbon fiber spoiler and grille design, carbon fiber side skirts, a discreet boot lid spoiler and a new rear diffuser with two oval, instead of four quad tailpipes.
There's also a set of carbon fiber mirror caps, LEDs for the rear license plate, and new 20-inch alloy wheels shod in Vredestein Ultra Sessanta tires size 245/30R20 and 295/25R20 at the front and rear end, respectively.
For the interior, Senner Tuning added black and red Nappa leather surfaces to the seats and door panels together with red stitching, a comprehensive carbon fiber trim kit that covers the steering wheel, dashboard, doors and lower console, plus an R8-sourced flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles, and a DVD player.
In regular guise, the S5 features a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 rated for 328bhp (333PS) and 440Nm (324 lb-ft). The German brand's engineers managed to squeeze 429hp and a peak torque of 501Nm (369 lb-ft) out of the engine. By comparison, the RS5's V8 delivers 444hp (450PS) and a maximum torque of 430Nm (318 lb-ft).
An adjustable KW coilover suspension system and a power converter that is said to "sharpen the characteristic of the electronic accelerator pedal", complete the upgrades.
Senner Tuning will sell you a complete vehicle (based on a brand new S5 Coupe) for the paltry sum of €99,700 (US$127,000 at today's exchange rates).
The company is also offering the press car you see in the pictures with around 4,000km (about 2,500 miles) on the odometer for €69,990 (US$89,000), excluding sales tax, which in Germany, is 19 percent.
Then again, for €58,700 (US$74,800) you can get yourself inside a brand new S5 Coupe or better yet, for €78,200 (US$99,600), into a spanking new 444bhp RS5, instead of paying €20k more to buy an S5 that pretends to be an RS5…

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VW Reportedly Interested in Parent Company Proton

Last week, Reuters reported that the ever-expanding Volkswagen Group is considering to place a new bid for Proton, which owns the Lotus brand, some five years after the Germans failed to form a tie up with the Malaysian carmaker as it seeks to extend its reach in the southeast Asian markets. Today, DRB-Hicom, which acquired a 42.7 percent stake in Proton earlier this year, said that it had received an offer from an unnamed foreign company to buy Lotus for £1 (US$1.6 / €1.3) and take over the British company's debts that amount to more than £200 million (US$311 million / €257 million).
The Malaysian company said it rejected the offer. "The easy way out was to accept the offer," Mohd Khamil, Proton executive chairman, told The Star. "As a businessman, that was what I could have done to cut the loss, move on."
"We believe we have a business plan that will work for Lotus. If I sell without trying, at the end of the day, I will fail my shareholders," he added.
While DRB-Hicom would not reveal the name of the company interested in Lotus, some have speculated that it could be Volkswagen. However, it's appears that the Germans are purely interested in Proton with Lotus simply being a part of the deal that it may or may not want to keep.
In related news, DRB-Hicom said that it would wind down its previous, overly ambitious plan to produce the five concept models shown at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and which was conceived under the leadership of former CEO Dany Bahar, who was fired last month.
According to Autocar magazine, it is not known yet if any of the five cars, which include the new Elise, Esprit, Elite GT, Elan and Eterne sports saloon, will survive.
Interesting times for Lotus indeed…
Story References: Reuters via Worldcarfans

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Ford Confirms Fuel Economy Figures for 2013

With only weeks left before the refreshed 2013 Taurus lands in dealerships across the U.S., Ford has released the official EPA fuel economy ratings for its refreshed full-size sedan. The Blue Oval notes that all three engine options of the 2013 model have now been certified at 25 mpg or higher in EPA highway estimates.
The new addition to the Taurus family, the 237HP 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost model, has received an EPA certification of 32 mpg on the highway and a combined rating of 26 mpg – the automaker has not yet released a figure for city driving.
Ford highlights the fact that the new Taurus 2.0-liter turbo returns a better highway economy than the 2012MY Chrysler 300, Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger and Toyota Avalon, adding that it's 26mpg combined rating is higher than the Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec diesel, Porsche Panamera S Hybrid as well as the V6 models of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.
The improved 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 that delivers 290hp (up from 263hp) returns 19mpg city, 29mpg highway and 23mpg combined (for the FWD model), while the flagship SHO model, which sports a 3.5-liter EcoBoost with 365HP, is rated at 17mpg city, 25mpg highway and 20mpg combined.

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