Audi R8 (road car)

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This article is about the road going sports car. For the race car used in Sportscar racing, see Audi R8 (race car).

Audi R8

Manufacturer	Audi
Parent company	Volkswagen Group
Production	2006–present
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door coupé
Engine	4.2 L V8
Transmission	6-speed manual 6-speed semi-automatic
Length	4431 mm (174.4 in)
Width	1904 mm (74.9 in)
Height	1249 mm (49.2 in)
Curb weight	1560 kg (3439 lb)
Similar	Lamborghini Gallardo Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Ferrari F430

The Audi R8 is a mid-engined sports car released by the German automaker Audi in 2006. Audi announced in 2005 that the name of the successful Audi R8 race car would be used for a new road car in 2007, the Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans Quattro concept car, which appeared at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show and 2003 International Motor Show. The R8 was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There is some confusion with the name which the car shares with the Le Mans winning R8 LMP. Originally, many thought the car would be called the R9 (as there is a gap in numbering left when Audi announced the R8's successor, the diesel-powered R10).

1 Technical Details
2 Future upgrades
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Technical Details

The Audi R8 will be available in mid-2007 with a 4.2 L V8 making 420 hp, as seen in the Audi RS4. Pricing for the 420 bhp model starts from €104,400 or £77,000. The base price in the US is $109,000.^[1] The R8 has a dry weight of 1560 kg (3439 lb). A 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of about 4.2 seconds is possible with a top speed of about 301 km/h (187 mph).

The quarter mile time for the R8 is 12.6 seconds and roadhandling on the 300 ft skidpad is 0.98g.^[2]

As Audi owns Lamborghini, the R8's architecture such as layout and chassis is based on that of the Lamborghini Gallardo and the two vehicles share transmissions. The R8 is made distinct by its exterior styling, cabin, engine options, and pricing.

The Audi R8 will also be the first production vehicle to feature all-LED headlights.^[3]

[edit] Future upgrades

The 2-seat coupe will be made available to the U.S. in the summer of 2007. In addition, an open-top, Porsche Carrera GT-like model will follow in 2008.

For 2009 a second, more powerful engine variant that uses a 520-hp 5.2 L V10, an enlarged version of the Lamborghini Gallardo's engine and already seen in the Audi S8, is rumoured but not confirmed by Audi. Audi is currently in the process of developing a new turbocharged 5.2 L V10 engine for the future Audi RS6, and there is a possibility that this engine will make its way into the R8, dependent on marketing decisions. Test mules of this vehicle are developing well in excess of 600 bhp with the turbocharged 5.2 L V10. If this were to happen it is almost certain that this would create an RS8.

According to some sources^[4] the 6.0 liter V12 TDI diesel engine from Audi Q7 has been confirmed to Audi R8 as well. This would make Audi R8 by far the fastest diesel powered car in the world with 0 - 100 km/h acceleration in less than 4 seconds. However the V12 diesel found in the Q7 is unlikely to make it in due to the fact that the engine will only fit under the Q7's hood.

Audi Le Mans concept at the 2003 International Motor Show	Front	Front 3/4 view	Rear
R8 at the LA International Auto Show 2006			Audi R8 at the 2006 Paris Motor Show

[edit] References

^ 2008 Audi R8 pricing announced. Straightline.
^ Supercar Gate-Crasher, April 2007 Car & Driver
^ Audi releases more information on the R8. AutoInsiderNews.com.
^ Diesel-V12 till Audi R8 bekräftad (in Swedish)

[edit] External links

	Audi car timeline, European market, 1970s-present v • d • e
Type	1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Supermini						50																									A2									A1
Small family car	F103			80/90																								A3/S3
																										A4/S4
																									RS2							RS4
Large family car									100																	A6/S6
											200											UrS4						S6 plus						RS6/plus
Executive car																				V8
																									A8/S8
Coupé																																								A5/S5
																																								A7
											quattro sport
													Coupe																	TT
																Coupe quattro
Convertible																							Cabriolet											A4/S4 cabriolet
Supercar																																							R8
Off-roader																															A6 allroad quattro
																																							Q5
																																						Q7
Concept and Future models: A1 · A7 · Allroad Quattro Concept · Avantissimo · Avus Quattro · Le Mans Quattro · Nuvolari Quattro · Pikes Peak Quattro · Q3 · Q5 · R4 · Roadjet · RSQ (from I, Robot) · Shooting Brake · Rosemeyer · R-Zero
Motor Racing: R8 · R10 · Sport
Founder: August Horch \| Corporate website A brand of the VW group \| Audi Centre of Excellence \| Audi Channel \| Audi Driving Experience

	Audi car timeline, North American market, 1970s-present v • d • e
Type	1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Compact car				Fox						4000									80/90								A4/S4
															4000 quattro
																																				A3
																																					RS4 quattro
Mid-size car											5000									100						A6/S6
																		5000 quattro
											5000 turbo									200 turbo/quattro
																	5000 turbo quattro						UrS4											RS6 quattro
Full-size car																					V8							A8
																												A8 quattro
Coupé												Coupe GT																											A5
													Quattro								Coupe Quattro										TT
Convertible																									Cabriolet
Supercar																																							R8
Compact SUV																																A6 allroad quattro							Q5
Luxury SUV																																						Q7