Audi Puts Self-Driving Vehicle on a Diet

Volkswagen AG's Audi unit says its latest RS 7-based self-driving demonstration car is 881 lbs lighter than last year's original concept model. The company didn't disclose how it achieved the weight savings.

The second-generation version, known as "Robby," also is smarter and faster than the original "Bobby" RS 7 autonomous vehicle, according to the company. Audi tested the vehicle this week at Sonoma Raceway in California. Robby's 2:01 minute lap time over the 2.5-mile track was better than that of some experienced drivers, the company boasts. Last year Robby topped 149 mph on a test track in Germany. Both demonstration vehicles are powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine that generates 552 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque.

Audi's third self-driving concept model, dubbed "Jack," is based on the company's A7 Sportback model and is being tested for long distance drives. The company plans to commercialize some of the technologies in the prototype vehicles in the next-generation A8 premium sedan, which is due in late 2017.