Mazda has unveiled the Shinari, a new four-door coupe concept, at a private press event held in Milan. The car indicates the future design direction for the Japanese brand. “Kodo”, Japanese for soul of motion, is the nickname that Mazda has given the new design language.

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We have been hearing about a possible debut of the Audi A7 for quite some time now. However, not much had been revealed as yet. Building on the expectations, finally, a handful of spy pictures have emerged on the Net. The upcoming Audi A7 has been clicked on the roads near Salzburg in Austria. The pictures come courtesy of an Audi lover who was test driving his new Audi A8 when he saw the Audi A7 speeding past him, says a worldcarfans.com report.

So what do we have here to expect?

Going by the pictures, the Audi A7 sports an exterior much similar to the A8. This means that the frontal look would come with headlights, nose, grille, and foglights. The new Audi A7 is most likely to be rolled out in Paris this October. Expected to be powered by supercharged 3.0-liter 268-hp (200 kW / 272 PS) V6 and 372-hp (277 kW / 377 PS) 4.2-liter V8 engines, the diesel variants could include a 3.0-liter TDI producing 250 hp (184 kW / 253 PS), and a 350-hp (258 kW / 355 PS) 4.2-liter TDI. A 7-speed double clutch gearbox could be part of the new car, too. [via WCF]

The premium unit of German brand Volkswagen, Audi is famous for its unmatched interiors and not just us, but even GM seems conscious of this fact. GM’s Vice President of Global Engineering, Karl Stracke is the one who has gone public with his viewpoints regarding the Audi interiors quality. As per Karl, GM is fast-improving the quality of its interiors but it is still to meet the benchmark set by Audi. Karl mentioned that he recently drove the Corvette Grand Sport and he did like the performance but what did not convince him were the interiors. GM is putting in serious efforts to improve the quality of interiors and the company has recently started a program that lets the company engineers test competitor’s products every Friday at the Milford Proving Grounds.

Audi has long been pondering over filling the vacant spot between the A1 and the A3 and now the official word is that the Audi A2, slated to fit in the bracket will be a pure electric commuter. Banishing previous reports of the arrival of a fossil fuel driven car, the A2 will be an all-electric variant which will challenge the likes of the BMW Megacity which will arrive in 2013. Comparing the previous A2 and the fresh arrival, the difference will also be in the usage of a steel space-frame. The similarity between the two would be the continuance of the one-box style design. [via WCF]

If you’re one of those who sit tightly expecting the first images of the new Audi S7 “Super Sedan” images, we can bring you some good news as we just caught wind that the S7 has been spied testing at the famous Nürburgring circuit in Germany. With availability confirmed for sometime in 2011, the new Audi S7 Super Sedan is slated to compete with the likes of the BMW M5 and the Mercedes E63 AMG.

The images reveal the presence of a four-tailpipe exhaust system, a high performance braking system, and a retractable rear spoiler. There will also be a modified bumper, a sportier suspension, attractive wheels and a chrome grille. Power will come from a 4.2L V8 engine that can render 444 hp. Hopefully the final production model will break cover at the Geneva Motor show next year.

We’re quite excited!!!

Meanwhile here’s the new Audi A7 to drool over

After finding out that BMW is the most valuable automobile manufacturer in the world, we’re now hearing that the German moniker intends to return to DTM for the 2012 season. The return to the German Touring Car Masters is seen as a move to challenge the already competing racing versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class AMG and the Audi A4. BMW will have to fulfill the requirements set by ITR in order to compete in the 2012 edition of the racing series that stretches across France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. DTM is currently raced exclusively by cars manufactured by the premier BMW rivals such as Audi and Mercedes. BMW last participated in the series in 1996.

The Nürburgring circuit is always flocked with test mules and the latest coming from the spy photographers is the upcoming Audi RS3 that sports an unique orange color scheme. Compared to the A3, the new Audi RS3 is a pretty different looking commuter — a visible difference in these spy flicks are the larger air intakes on the modified front bumper. The RS3 is indeed directly comparable with the S3 Sportback in terms of body. While there are no official specs for the RS3, it is widely believed that it will come with the same 340 PS 2.5 liter, turbocharged 5-cylinder engine as in the Audi TT RS. We expect to see a finished version of the Audi RS3 at the Paris Motor Show in September. [via WCF]

BMW and Audi, the two German premium brands have their daggers drawn at each other and no one is in the mood to spare the other. The already popular ad campaign war between the two has now headed to Hong Kong where BMW is a tiny bit ahead after buying a huge ad space — where they display the new BMW 5-series — directly above the Audi showroom in Hong Kong.

And from what we can tell, this board effectively displaces the Audi dealership from viewing. Those following this battle closely will remember the two premium German brands competing with billboard adverts in the US, too, in California. Considering the ongoing battle, this sure is an impressive move by BMW while Audi needs to figure out the source that gave BMW the ad space. We wonder what will be their next step.

Not sure what to buy between the BMW M5, the Audi S6 or the Mercedes E63 AMG? Here’s something that may help you decide. I’d go for the E63 to be honest … how about you guys?

Not sure if you should get yourself an Audi or a BMW? Here’s a nice comparison test between the 2010 Audi S4 that comes with a nice supercharged V6 engine that produces a healthy 333 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, and the 2009 BMW 335i that sports 300hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, with both using a six-speed manual gearbox.