Audi is set to overtake rival Mercedes-Benz for the first time in luxury car sales, finishing 2011 as the world’s second biggest premium automaker.

The German brand is poised to finish the year just behind the world’s most popular luxury automaker, BMW, beating Mercedes-Benz in the race to woo well-to-do buyers.

As automakers enter the last month of sales for the year, Audi has sold over 56,000 more vehicles than Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz, a new record which puts it on track to finish the year with a record 1.3 million cars sold.

Audi is to put a five-door version of its compact A1 on sale next year, the company confirmed November 18.

The Audi A1 Sportback will add a family touch to the brand’s popular A1, which is dogfighting for market share with the likes of the BMW 1 Series.

Aimed at a ‘young, urban public’, the A1 is slightly taller than its three-door sibling and has been made more spacious inside, offered with either four or five seats.

Luxury German auto brand Audi has released the first images of a new electric concept car.

The “Urban Concept”  is expected to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September as part of a wider study on city mobility.

A lightweight model, the cockpit has been made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which Audi says was the product of a new design process based on the principles of minimizing weight and increasing efficiency.

Audi has announced a special edition of its R8 V8 vehicle, created in honor of the brand’s tenth victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race which took place June 11-12.

Drivers André Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoît Treluyer took Audi to victory with an R8 at the gruelling endurance race, edging in ahead of a Peugeot 908.

It’s the second year that Audi has beaten Peugeot to first place in the race, although the French automaker managed to take third, fourth and fifth places.

Audi has opened registration for a limited-edition run of the R8 GT Spyder ahead of its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The new soft-top Audi R8 GT Spyder model was unveiled June 3 and will be delivered to just 333 customers worldwide early next year, although customers can register their interest online or at a dealership now and pre-order this summer.

The revamp of the R8 is 85 kg lighter than the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, thanks the removal of the roof and the addition of carbon fibre reinforced polymer body parts.

Audi has released the first pictures and details of the compact new Audi Q3 ahead of the model’s official debut at the Shanghai Motor Show next week.

The compact SUV, set to be delivered late this year, is Audi’s attempt to compete with other urban SUVs such as the BMW X1 and Range Rover Evoque and is described by the German automaker as “city-friendly.”

The initial images show a design that’s unmistakably Audi, with a chrome-framed grille, trapezoidal running lights and a high shoulder line, giving the model a familiar look that will be popular with the brand’s enthusiasts.