FROM 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, from 0 to 200 km/h, 9.9 seconds and a top speed of 330 km/h. Naturally-aspirated V10 mid-engine with up to 610 hp of power responds instantly to throttle inputs. Aerodynamic concept of a race car: The new Audi R8 is the dynamic vanguard of Audi – no other car with the four rings is so close to car racing. “Car racing has been a part of our Audi DNA for many decades,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development. “Audi stands for automotive dynamism, and this applies very much to our new high-performance R8 sports car. In all technical areas it is extremely close to being a racecar. It is the most powerful, fastest and sharpest production Audi ever.” The new R8 launches in two engine versions – as the R8 V10 plus with 610 hp it is the most powerful and fastest production Audi ever built. The 5.2 liter V10 enables breathtaking performance, and its hissing, roaring sound is highly emotional. Yet fuel economy has been improved by up to 13 percent in the R8 model series compared to the previous model. Fully variable torque distribution: the new quattro drive In the powertrain, the lightning-quick shifts of the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, an optimized mechanical differential lock and a new electro hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch work together. The actively cooled all-wheel drive system can distribute torque freely between the axles. The intelligent dynamic control system for the quattro drive is incorporated into the Audi drive select dynamic handling system that offers four basic modes. In each mode, the new high-performance sports car expresses a different character – from relaxed freeway cruiser to race car on the circuit track. In the top R8 V10 plus model, a performance leather steering wheel is standard equipment. In its performance mode, it offers three additional modes: dry, wet and snow. They make handling even more precise and sharper, tuned to the friction coefficient of the specific road surface. The new technology is also available on the R8 V10, including the steering wheel that is used to select the special modes. The new Audi R8 V10 plus has a dry weight of just 1,454 kg. This was primarily due to its newly conceptualized Audi Space Frame (ASF) in multi-material construction – which consists of aluminum and CFRP parts. The ASF weighs just 200 kg. The entire underbody has a smooth covering, like on a racecar, and the air flow exits via a large diffuser. This increases downforce. At top speed, this amounts to 40 kg at the front axle and 100 kg at the rear axle. The large CFRP rear wing also plays an important role in attaining these top figures. Just like in a race car, the interior of the high-performance sports car focuses on the driver. The driver can read off all key information at a glance from the Audi virtual cockpit. The steering wheel, instrument cluster and road all line up along one central visual axis. Drivers can operate all important functions with the multifunction and satellite push-buttons without having to take their hands off the steering wheel or look away from the road. The Audi virtual cockpit is user configurable, and it shows all displays in elaborate 3D graphics – if desired, with one large rev counter and auxiliary gages that show much more information, such as tire temperature and torque output. MMI navigation plus with MMI touch is standard equipment in the new R8. This high-end media center was designed to follow a simple operating logic. The workmanship of the new R8 – which is handcrafted at a new plant near Neckarsulm – is superlative. Its range of optional technology components extends to the sound system from Bang & Olufsen and the Audi laser spot, which doubles the range of the high-beam light. No other production car with the four rings shows as much affinity for the race track as the new R8. This is also proven by its sister models – the new GT3 race car, the Audi R8 LMS. For the first time, Audi developed all two versions simultaneously, in order to optimally exploit synergies. Both the new Audi R8 and its motorsport variant, the R8 LMS, have made significant performance gains, thanks to the close cooperation between race car engineers, motorsport specialists and developers. Just ten weeks after its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show, the R8 LMS made its dazzling entrance on the 24 hour racing scene, seizing overall victory on the Nürburgring. No other production car with the four rings is as powerful, fast or distinctive: The new high-performance R8 sports car is designed for maximum dynamism in all of its technical aspects – from its Audi Space Frame (ASF) to its aerodynamics and newly developed quattro all-wheel drive. The naturally-aspirated V10 mid engine guarantees tremendous performance, especially in the top version with 610 hp: The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 3.2 seconds, and its acceleration tops out at a governed maximum speed of 330 km/h. A powerful, high-revving mid-engine, a quattro drive system with freely variable torque distribution, systematic lightweight design with an ASF made of CFRP and aluminum and a dynamic chassis all make the R8 the sporty vanguard of Audi, and it is sharper than ever. The close cooperation between race car engineers, motorsport specialists and developers has led to significant performance gains – in both the road-version sports car and the R8 LMS race car that was designed simultaneously. “The new Audi R8 V10 plus is the most powerful and fastest production Audi ever,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development. “Motorsport has always been a solid component of our brand character. With the new R8 series, our engineers are transferring their entire accumulated racing expertise from the racetrack to the road. It also lets us reinforce our core brand values of dynamism, design and quality.” The engine of the new Audi high-performance sports car is available in two versions – with 540 hp for the R8 V10 and 610 hp for the R8 V10 plus. Their maximum engine torque – 540 Nm and 560 Nm, respectively – is available at 6,500 rpm for both engines. Compared to the previous model, power has increased considerably, and the responsiveness of the high-revving (up to 8,700 rpm), naturally aspirated 5.2 liter engine is now even more spontaneous. Like a race car engine, the V10 engine has dry sump lubrication. Its characteristic sound is now even fuller, and Audi can install a sport exhaust system as an option. Fuel economy is better than in the previous model – by up to 13 percent (33 g/km CO2). The new V10 engine was given effective efficiency technologies. They include the COD (cylinder on demand) system, which shuts off one row of cylinders under low load conditions. Another is dual injection, which injects the fuel into the combustion chambers and induction manifold according to demand. When the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal at speeds over 55 km/h, the new R8 goes into a coasting mode. When the car comes to a stop, a start-stop system deactivates the V10 engine. In the sports car world, the new Audi R8 is right among the leaders in terms of its driving performance. The V10 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds, and it accelerates to a top speed of 320 km/h. For the V10 plus, the fastest production Audi ever, the figures are 3.2 seconds and 330 km/h, and it takes just 9.9 seconds to sprint from 0 to 200 km/h. In the top model, each horsepower only has to move 2.38 kg of dry vehicle weight – an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Positioned behind the V10 is a seven-speed S tronic that executes lightning-fast gearshifts by electrical control (shift-by-wire). The dual-clutch transmission directs forces to a newly designed quattro drive system with an electro hydraulically activated multi-plate clutch at the front axle. It has active water cooling for maximum performance. The clutch distributes drive torque fully variably according to the driving situation – up to 100 percent can be directed to either the front or rear wheels. Management of the clutch is integrated in the Audi drive select dynamic driving system, and it gives the driver a choice between the basic modes comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. On the R8 V10 plus (and as an option for the V10), the performance mode comes with three additional modes: dry, wet and snow. They adapt key handling parameters to the friction coefficient of the road surface. A mechanical rear differential lock is standard; its locking values were newly tuned to work together with the actively controlled quattro drive. The motorsport DNA of the new Audi R8 also expresses itself in the chassis area with its aluminum double wishbone suspensions. On the V10 plus, the tuning is very sporty, and electronically controlled shock absorbers (Audi magnetic ride) are available as an option in both engine versions. The new electromechanical power steering system gives drivers finely differentiated road feedback. As an alternative, Audi can install dynamic steering, which adapts its steering gear ratio to the vehicle's driving speed. In both engine versions, the new Audi R8 has standard 19 inch wheels, and 20 inch wheels with size 245/30 tires in front and 305/30 at the rear are available as an option. The powerful brakes decelerate the car effectively; in the top model, the disks are made of carbon-fiber ceramic (optional on the R8 V10). Besides integrating the quattro drive system, the Audi drive select system also integrates other systems into its four basic modes: the accelerator pedal, steering, S tronic, damper control (optional), dynamic steering (optional) and the flaps of the exhaust system. In the dry, wet and snow performance modes, the Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) system is also managed. In the top model, the R8 V10 plus, the unladen weight (without driver) is only 1,555 kg, and the dry weight is a low 1,454 kg. Playing a decisive role in this systematic lightweight design concept is the Audi Space Frame (ASF), which weighs just 200 kg thanks to a new type of multi-material construction. It comprises 79 percent aluminum and 13 percent carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and was designed according to the Audi motto “The right material in the right amount at the right place.” The aluminum parts create a framework that integrates large CFRP components – the center tunnel, rear wall and B-pillars. On the R8 V10 plus, add-on parts such as the side blades and diffuser are made of CRFP, which complements the lightweight alloy exterior skin. Compared to the previous model, the multi-material ASF has 40 percent greater torsional rigidity, and its acoustics and crashworthiness also get top grades. As in a racecar, the aerodynamic concept of the new Audi R8 is designed primarily for driving stability. Its central element is a long and wide diffuser in the underbody. On the R8 V10 plus, a total of 140 kg of downforce is generated at top speed: 40 kg at the front axle and 100 kg at the rear axle. The new Audi R8 is 4.42 meters long and 1.94 meters wide. Its proportions – with its cabin placed far forward, a long back and relatively short wheelbase – make the technology concept of the mid-engine sports car clearly recognizable at first glance. Characteristic design features of the previous model now take on a sharpened expression. The side blades, for instance, are now interrupted by the continuous shoulder line that gives the sides a look of tension and excitement. Large air inlets with vertical fins and LED headlights flank the wide, low-profile Single frame grille that has a strong sculpted appearance. As an option, Audi can deliver LED headlights with laser spots that double the range of the high-beam headlights This option also includes dynamic turn signals in front; they are standard in the LED tail lights. The look at the rear is shaped by the diffuser, the ventilation screen of the engine compartment and – on the V10 plus – a CFRP fixed wing. The eleven exterior colors that are offered may be combined with any of the six versions of side blades. The R8 V10 plus adds CFRP side blades with a gloss finish as standard equipment (optional for the R8 V10). The Audi exclusive program lets customers order any paint colors blended according to their wishes. Buyers can also choose any color for the side blades. In the interior too, the lightweight design concept of the new Audi R8 is expressed in taut lines. The defining element is the arch-shaped “monoposto” that wraps around the cockpit. The instrument panel appears to float weightlessly, and turbine-shaped controls for the automatic air conditioner are arranged along its lower edge. Behind the seats is a cargo space with 226 liters of capacity. It supplements the 112 liter luggage compartment at the front of the car. — SG
