The All New Audi R8 V12 TDI

Wow, just when you thought it couldn't get any better.

First R8 Crashed

A guy from Moscow wanted to impress girls, the same way Hugh Grant does, and bought himself a nice (130.000 euro) R8. The problem is that instead of winning girls heart, he won the title of "the first Audi R8 crashed.

Pricing

Today, the supercar's Canadian pricing was announced.
Starting at a set price of $130,000 the Audi R8 will seem like a steal compared to competitors such as: Chevrolet Corvette Z06, BMW M6, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Mercedes-Benz CLK 63 AMG and Jaguar XKR. The R8 features a normally-aspirated 4.2L V8 that develops 420 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. The R8 accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in a brisk 4.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 301 km/h.

Audi R8 Commercial

Audi just released a new commercial boasting their R8 Supercar!

Build Your Own R8 Here

Click Here To Build Your Very Own Audi R8!

The All New R8

Named after the 5-time Le Mans winner and the first Audi to ever feature the four ring emblem on the hood instead of the grille, the production model Audi R8 is finally being readied to blast down highways, autobahns, motorways and autostradas across the world. Some three years after the unveiling of the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car, the production version made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in the guise of the new Audi R8 mid-engined sports model.

"With the launch of the R8, Audi has reached the highest level of the automotive world. The world of sports cars. We now address the most demanding group of international customers. People who want to own the most well-crafted, precision objects. In the automotive arena, the Audi R8 is such a car," said Dr. Martin Winterkorn - the main man at Audi AG - in his '06 Paris Motor Show address.

"In terms of design, for example, we have created a dress code for our cars. Audi vehicles are neither brash, nor do they seek to hide their dynamics," added Dr. Winterkorn.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the R8 project has been a very personal one. I started it when I returned to Audi as chairman in 2002. I have overseen the design and engineering teams for the past four years. Everyone has been looking forward to this day, the world premiere of our first mid-engined sports car. It is a key moment in the history of Audi," beamed Dr. Winterkorn from the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

Powered by a similar direct injection petrol V8 engine as seen in Audi's RS 4, the new R8 eschews the traditional front-mounted engine style in favour of a entirely exotic layout, placing the engine in a mid-mount position. With the 309kW (420bhp) V8 FSI engine beating away behind the driver, the new vehicle is expected to attract an all-new type of buyer to the Audi brand.

AJAC Presents the "Best New Design" Award for Audi R8

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) presented on Wednesday February 13, 2008 the Audi R8 with the "Best New Design" Award in Toronto, Ontario. Automobile magazine's design critic Robert Cumberford stated that the R8 was selected based on design, materials, structure, and performance.
In order to win this award, the majority of 74 voting journalists had to cast a ballot and, of those, two-thirds must have voted for the same vehicle.

Audi R8 Scheduled to Acquire Twin-Turbo V10 from RS6 Avant

Early this month, Leftlane announced that Audi would be suiting its R8 supercar with a V10 engine, like those of the Ferrari and Lamborghini cars. Volkswagen's head of powertrain development, Wolfgang Hatz says that the V10 powerplant will also be used in the Audi RS6 Avant (which produces 580 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque off its 5.2L engine).
The new V10 engine in the R8 is rumored to be re-named the RS8, leaving the RS version of the R8 in development and is expected to enter the market in the middle of 2009.

Audi R8 Superbowl Commercial- Out with the old, in with the new

The R8 Goes to Hollywood

The Audi R8 has found it's way into the movie business. The super sports car has been casted as the main car for the Iron Man movie coming out in theaters on May 2nd, 2008. The new movie sponsored by Audi features the new car introducing it to the world.

The action movie also stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges & Samuel L. Jackson. Iron Man is about Tony Shark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) who is forced to create a life support suit to keep him alive after an accident. He decides to use suit he builds with advanced technology to fight crime in the world.

Iron Man movie trailer:

Greatest Drives

Drive an R8 and you’ll learn what it’s like to be a celebrity. On public roads, crowds followed us. And when we stopped, cameras clicked. Right now, the R8 is the hottest sports car in the world.

As a runner-up finish here proves, it’s one of the best, too. But it’s not only about the driving. Of the 20 models we tested, only the Lamborghini – which costs twice as much – managed to better the R8’s sense of occasion.

Although those side blades break up the flow of the flanks, when combined with the LED headlights and the glass panel – which provides a window on to the V8 engine – they ensure people stop to look.

Open one of the wide doors and another treat awaits: the adventurous, low-slung cabin. The switchgear is familiar Audi fare, but the angled windscreen, cosseting seats and swooping layout set the interior apart from that of a TT. The best detail by far, however, is the open-gate gearlever. As beautiful to use as it is to look at, it’s light and precise, and shifts are accompanied by a metallic ‘clack-clack’.

The rest of the car follows this philosophy: it appears intimidating, but is actually as light and easy to drive as the Mazda MX-5. Being so accessible and unflappable makes the R8 less challenging than some cars here, so ultimately it isn’t as rewarding. But that’s when it’s being driven on a track...

As a road car, however, the mid-engined machine is near-flawless. The gorgeous gearbox hints that this Audi has personality as well as presence and, on the roads of North Wales, the R8 did nothing to dispel that notion. The 4.2-litre V8 proved more tuneful than the guttural flat-six in the Porsche 911, and nearly as loud. It’s great fun to drive at any speed, and the Magnetic Ride dampers (a £1,350 option) are simply one of the discoveries of the year – the ride is absolutely brilliant.

The Wait...

Audi is currently experiencing problems in producing the carbon fibre panels, therefore, those who have ordered their R8 last autumn will receive it in July, but other who have ordered will have to wait an additional three months.

The company is telling customers who order a new R8 now they won't be delivered until 2009!

Audi R8 Goes Diesel

The Audi firm will introduce the world's first ever diesel-engined super car in late 2009 with its new 4.2-litre V8 TDI unit. The diesel engine will pump out more than 350bhp and 800Nm of torque.
In both the six-speed manual or six-speed R tronic transmissions, the R8 will be capable of going from 0-60mph in 5 seconds.
The diesel engine is the final unit to be added to the R8, after the V10 model arrives in '08.

R8: Canadian Car Of the Year

Audi Canada captured the triple crown of Canadian automotive awards Wednesday with the all new R8 mid-engined sports car.

At the opening press conference of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, the R8 was presented the 2008 "Canadian Car of the Year" award by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). The Audi R8 was evaluated against a long list of discerning criteria amidst a group of strong eligible competitors. The Audi R8 beat 11 other "best new" category winners, announced December 4th, to secure the prestigious Canadian Car of the Year honours.


The new Audi R8 was also declared the winner of AJAC's "Best New Design" award for 2008. In addition, Canada's leading automotive writers and editors also selected the Audi R8 for the rarely presented AJAC "Most Coveted Vehicle" award.

The AJAC Canadian Car of the Year competition gathers more than 60 prominent Canadian automotive journalists in Niagara-on-the-Lake for several days in October for the annual "TestFest" event. This program has received praise from consumers because the evaluation and voting processes are carried out in a professional, fair and, serious manner.


The participating journalists have the opportunity to test drive all the entries back to back in identical conditions. An extensive list of important criteria is assessed by the journalists and all active participants vote for their individual choice as car of the year.

The Basics

Manufacturer:
quattro GmbH (a division of Audi)
Production:
2007 - present
Class:
Sports car
Halo vehicle
Body Style:
2-door coupe
Engines:

4.2L V8 FSI
6.0L V12
Transmissions:
6-speed manual
6-speed single-clutch semi-automatic
Price:
Starting at $109,000 (US)
Top Speed:
187 mph, 301 km/h
0-60 mph (96 km/h):
4.0 seconds
Power:
414 bhp (309 kW) @ 7800 rpm

Tranquility in Motion!

Many super cars wont be driven 1200 miles in a year, yet the all new Audi R8 is taken on a journey twice the distance in a matter of days, and it handles the trip like a Chevy sedan. The trip the journalist takes, he refers to it as being tranquil and relaxing even though he is maneuvering a 400+ horsepower beast.

"The Slowest Car We've Ever Built!"

When Audi began its marketing campaign they started with a bombardment of commercials that were cleverly titled, filmed and produced. One of the finer ones was the "Slowest Car We've Ever Built" commercial. This of course was a play on words, because in terms of speed, it was the fastest car Audi has ever built, but in terms of assembling the vehicle, which is done by hand, it is the slowest car they have ever built.



In the 24 hours after the commercial made its debut, it received over a million views on Youtube and was one of the most watched videos of the month.