Silence of the Lambo

PITSTOP

It had to happen. Audi owns Lamborghini, so it was inevitable that the German giant would pull rank to get something juicy from the Italian supercar manufacturer.

At the recently held Tokyo Motor Show, away from all the bizarre Japanese concepts, was an Audi luxury barge. Most people would have thought it was just an A8 variant. But little did they notice that the badge read S8.

And if they had taken a peak under that long aluminium hood, they would have discovered something special "" a Gallardo-derived V10 powerplant! Yes, this ultimate A8 is powered by a 5200cc V10 that is based on the Gallardo's 5000cc monster.

In the Audi, the V10, using Audi's FSI gasoline direct injection technology, develops over 450 bhp at a staggering 7000 revs and 54.3 kgm at 3500 revs. Paired to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission, this drivetrain allows the large, luxury Audi to attain 100 kph in just 5.1 seconds flat.

The top speed, of course, is electronically limited to 250 kph. We're not surprised. This top-of-the-line Audi features an impressive spec-list, including adaptive air suspension, quattro permanent 4WD system with a 40:60 front/rear split, 20-inch S-design alloys with 20" rubber, adaptive lighting and inevitably, high performance ceramic brakes. Will we see an S8 on Indian roads then? You never know.

It's a Clio day

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! The new, third-generation Renault Clio is the European Car Of The Year 2006. With 256 points from 58 motoring journalists across 22 countries, it was a close call for the Clio.

The new Volkswagen Passat almost made it with 251 points, while the Alfa Romeo 159 came third with 212 points. Other finalists for ECOTY 2006 were the new-gen BMW 3 Series (203 points), Mazda5 (198 points), the three-in-one Citroen C1/Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo (187 points) and the all-new Toyota Yaris (143 points).

According to the jury, the Clio's expressive design, roadholding, fit and finish, a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests and record cabin space in what's essentially a small car clinched the deal.

For Renault, it's the sixth time they are walking away with the ECOTY award, they won last in 2003 with the Megane. Last year, the hybrid Toyota Prius won the ECOTY award.