Christmas just came a few days early for Audi fans with the announcement of the A1 Quattro, a high-performance, limited-edition version of Audi’s subcompact hatch.

As its name would imply, the A1 Quattro comes equipped with the automaker’s legendary all-wheel-drive system, with power provided by the same 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder used in theS3. The reworked mill puts out 252 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm – a boost of more than 70 hp and 74 lb-ft over the standard 1.4-liter A1.

A six-speed manual shuttles that power to a Haldex AWD setup and on to center-locking 17-inch wheels that ape the original 80s-era Quattro’s style. There’s no word on weight, but Audi claims the hi-po A1 will match the S3′s 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds and top out at 152 mph.

In addition to grippy 225/35 R18 rubber, the wheel wells are filled with a modified MacPherson strut suspension in front and a multi-link setup out back, while the braking hardware has been upgraded with larger discs at all four corners with black painted calipers. The electromechanical steering has also been tweaked to provide a 14.8:1 ratio, the ESP has been modified for high-performance duty and a new electronically controlled differential lock will keep wheelspin at bay. Although Audi decided to keep the rear seats in place, the AWD components have reduced trunk space to 7.4 cubic feet – or 2.1 cubes less than the standard model. Not that you care.

The accusation began when the Audi A8 took on rather similar detailing as the smaller A4, and it was all but confirmed with the arrival of the latest A6: Audi was making the same car in different lengths. BMW, in fact, has been accused of the same thing with its sedans. Unlike BMW, though, Audi is apparently working to change that. It has begun a design overhaul called AQR that is claimed will “a set of individual themes for each of the three major model families.”

The acronym AQR stands for Audi sedans and hatches, Quattro SUVs, and R sports cars, and from the way it sounds, each group will get new detailing that sets it apart from the other group. According to Audi design honcho Stefan Sielaff, “the design details will be different.”

The initiative is occasioned by people saying Audi cars look alike, but based on the description of AQR, we can’t tell how that’s really going to change. Sielaff specifically said the project would address the proportions of the sedans in order to combat the ‘one sausage of different lengths’ perception, but we look forward to seeing if the sedans will really look less like one another, or whether it’s that the three groups of vehicles will look more dissimilar.

The Motor Press Guild has named the 2012 Audi A7 as the its first-ever Car Of The Year. MPG calls itself the largest automotive media association in the United States, and says that the the A7 was chosen as the first recipient of the organization’s Car Of The Year award because of its styling, handling and slew of advanced technologies.

MPG says that the A7 faced some stiff competition from four other finalists chosen by a panel of members. The entire MPG membership then evaluated and ranked those vehicles at the organization’s track day in October.

Motor Press Guild President Laura Burstein will present Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen with the Car Of The Year award at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Of course, the MPG wasn’t the only organization to honor the A7. Automobile Magazine recently named the high-end hatchback its Car of the Year as well. Hit the jump for the MPG press release.

The Audi A4 has been the German automaker’s best-selling model for 39 years running with over 10 million individual examples sold, so any sort of major update to the machine is a big deal in Ingolstadt. For the 2013 model year, Audi has bestowed its A4 with revised sheetmetal and powertrains in order to keep it at the forefront of the entry-level luxury car arena… which is especially important with a new BMW 3 Series on its way.

A quick glance may not be enough to take in all the visual changes to the latest A4, but a closer look reveals that there are revisions to nearly every surface, including the front fascia, bumpers and hood. The headlights and taillights have been reworked to more closely match the rest of the lineup with a “slight wave” at the bottom and highly stylized LED elements. Inside the cabin, new steering wheels, refined finishes and a somewhat simplified MMI infotainment system.

European buyers will be able to select from six turbodiesel and four gasoline engines, all with forced induction and direct injection for maximized power and efficiency. In the States, we’re expecting at least the 2.0-liter turbocharged four (211 horsepower) and 3.0-liter supercharged six with up to 333 horsepower in high-performance S4 trim. That’s enough ponies to hit 60 miles per hour in about 5.0 seconds.

Cars keep getting heavier. It’s an unfortunate trend, but one that we’ve grudgingly come to accept. But the next-generation Audi R8 is tipped to buck the trend.

According to reports quoting Audi’s chief engineer Michael Dick, the 2014 R8 will undercut the current model’s weight by some 100 kilograms (220 lbs), while increasing torsional rigidity by 30%. That’s no mean feat, and to get there, Audi will reportedly build the chassis out of a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber.

That last bit may benefit from the advanced carbon construction methods being developed by sister-companyLamborghini, which Audi owes to a large degree for the existence of the R8 altogether.

Will that mean the next-gen R8 will shoot up in price, or are we looking at one of the most accessible carbon-fiber supercars in a field populated by exotics three to ten times the price? We’ll have to wait and see, but we’re expecting a facelifted version of the current model before the all-new one arrives in 2014.