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2015 Audi R8
 
The facelift version of the R8 should be showing its face in the Summer 2012, but Audi has even bigger fish to fry at the moment. A new generation for the R8 sports car is currently under development and will use the latest advanced construction techniques. This advanced construction will make the car lighter and faster, giving it the opportunity to provide real competition for the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche. The exterior design of the future generation R8 will be inspired by the E-Tron Concept, but the rest of the vehicle will carry almost identical features with an evolutionary styling theme and the absence of the current model’s sideblades and manual transmission. It will feature an aluminum structure, a long wheelbase, a roomy two-seat cabin, a mid-engined layout, and four-wheel drive. Despite these similarities, the next R8 will lose up to about 130 lbs from its total weight. This will be possible mainly because of the addition of some selected parts made of a new lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum monocoque structure that is about 50 lbs lighter than the current one. Audi will also use plenty of carbon fiber elements for the transmission tunnel, floor, rear bulkhead, and B-pillars. As is typical for the R8, the new generation will be offered in both V8 and V10 versions, with both receiving increased power and improved fuel economy. Rumors say that the V8 version will deliver 450 HP, the V10 version will deliver up to 550 HP, and that the fuel economy will come in at 25.7 mpg. The GT version will also see an increase to 580 HP. It has also been rumored that the engine will be mated to a dual-clutch transmission. Expect to see the new Audi R8 sometime in 2014, with a roadster version to follow during the second quarter of 2015. 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder
Okay, so this isn’t exactly the most surprising news of the day, but it sure ranks up there with the coolest. Audi is said to be launching a Spyder version for the R8 GT at the Frankfurt Motor Show this Fall. As with the coupe version, the Spyder will be limited to 333 units and should be priced at about $20,000 higher than the coupe, which is sold for about $196,800 in the U.S. The similarities will even extend to the number of units available in the U.S. We last heard that we were getting 90 units of the GT Coupe and we expect the same number for the Spyder version. Under the hood, Audi will place the same 5.2 liter V10 engine that delivers a total of 560 HP and 398 lbs-ft of torque. The Spyder version will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and will be capable of a top speed of 196.97 mph. Thanks to body parts made in carbon fiber the R8 GT Spyder is 187 lbs lighter and in the same time delivers performance numbers that makes it the top-of-the-line version of the high-performance sports car. UPDATE 11/16/11: The Audi R8 GT Spyder made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The lightweight, drop-top German supercar will be available in North America beginning next year and will be limited to just 90 units in the region. Audi is planning on building 333 units of the R8 GT Spyder so 90 models in North America is a pretty sizable chunk of the whole inventory. Interested parties should be on their toes so they can be part of the 90 people that can score the German supercar when it becomes available. UPDATE 02/02/12: Audi of American has announced that the R8 Spyder will be priced at $210,000 plus a $1,200 delivery fee for the US market. Only 50 units will be offered on our side of the pond. UPDATE 04/06/12: One of the only 50 R8 GT Spyder units to arrive on the US market has been presented on the NY floor and we have some pictures of it for you. Check the pictures gammery to find them. More details on the Audi R8 GT Spyder after the jump. Full story 2012 Audi R8 LMS Grand-Am
In its short life span, Audi’s R8 LMS race car has proved to be a major force in the racing scene, having already amassed over 100 victories despite being only a couple of years old. The R8 LMS’ world domination includes wins in Europe, Australia, and Asia with America being the only notable region that it hasn’t conquered. You can blame that on the stricter Grand-Am regulations, but Audi is looking into adhering to these regulations by building a car that will conform to the standards of Grand-Am racing. “We’re convinced that we’re making a very attractive offer to our customers in the USA that will meet with great response,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of customer racing at quattro GmbH. “The anniversary event of the Daytona 24 Hours is a perfect occasion for the debut of the U.S. version of the new Audi R8 LMS.” Among the tweaks and modifications being done on the R8 LMS to make it Grand-Am ready include the use of thicker-walled tubing in the roll cage, a new front splitter, a rear diffuser, and a new Grand-Am-spec rear wing. In terms of performance, the R8 LMS Grand-AM will also come with a modified engine and the addition of an air restrictor that will drop the output of the R8 LMS from 493 horspepower to around 450 to 470 horsepower. Certain elements of the R8 LMS will also be removed for the Grand Am version, including the anti-lock system and traction control. Incidentally, Grand Am rules view these technologies as driving aids in the US. UPDATE 12/12/2011: Audi has announced that the R8 GRAND-AM is now ready for the North American market. The car successfully finished its testing at the Daytona race track (Florida) and the first deliveries will be made in January, 2012. "We successfully tested all the modifications at Daytona," says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Customer Sport at quattro GmbH. "With Frank Stippler we developed a sound and solid set-up for our customers and also gathered valuable findings in the endurance tests. The durability of wearing parts and runs at high outside temperatures meet challenging demands. We can now provide our racing customers with concrete advice and reference values for fielding the car." UPDATE 01/24/2012: The Audi R8 GRAND-AM will make its debut this weekend on the 50th running of the Daytona 24 Hours from January 26th to 29th. "Our team prepared for this step at previous runs in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. APR is known around the world as one of the leading tuners of Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Škoda vehicles. We’re looking forward to the Audi R8 GRAND-AM with huge anticipation, our customers and fans are really excited and since the ‘Roar before the 24’ test we’ve just been dying for the 24-hour race to start." UPDATE 01/27/2012: Audi has unveiled new images and a video of the R8 Grand-Am during its practice time at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The race will be aired on Speed T.V. on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 2:30 EST. World’s first Audi R8 stretch limo is a vehicular anomaly
Generally, sports cars and limousines don’t ever fall into the same category because, well, they are completely different from one another. Of course, there’s always some guy who thinks that mixing oil and water is going to get him a different result. One example of this is the Ferrari limousine that popped up around Christmas time and the second is this elongated version of the exquisite Audi R8. This Audi R8 stretch limo was designed by Limo Broker UK and has been described as the perfect car "for your birthday bash, wedding, hen or stag party." It is based on the 528 HP Audi R8 V10 model, making it just about the fastest Audi R8 limo in the world. And while the standard R8 can only accommodate two passengers, this limo has been modified to carry eight passengers. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your opinion, this is just a concept, but the company hopes to produce one of these babies in the future. We’d rather have the real thing, even if only two of us can fit in it. Hit the jump for a video of the Audi R8 limo. Full story 2011 Audi R8 V8 Limited Edition
Automakers are constantly looking for a sales edge wherever they can get one and with a big tenth victory in this month’s grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans now sitting in their fruitful laps, Audi is prepared to cash in. In celebration of their marathon win, Audi UK has prepared the R8 V8 Limited Edition with only 100 units being offered to UK customers. Each model will be priced at £93,935 - or around $150,000 at the current exchange rates - and the first deliveries will be made in October 2011. The R8 V8 Limited may be seeing a £7,000 (about $10,000 at the current rates) increase in price, but it benefits from an array of features worthy of the hike. The sports car will have an exclusive titanium effect paint finish and R8 GT-inspired titanium-look alloy wheels with red brake calipers, as well as carbon fiber options. The interior is dressed up with Black Fine Nappa Leather-upholstered seats and headrests and highlighted by crimson red accents on just about everything. From the flat bottomed, leather-covered multi-function steering wheel to the instrument cowl, leather finish monoposto, knee pads, and passenger door handle, red streams throughout the interior like blood coursing through its veins. Other additions include stainless steel pedals and illuminated door sills with bright aluminum inserts carrying the R8 logo. Power will come from the standard 4.2 liter 424 HP V8 FSI engine and can be mated to either a manual or R-tronic transmission. The limited edition R8 also comes with equipment that isn’t standard for the regular R8, but gets thrown in the mix at no extra charge for the special edition. This equipment consists of the Audi magnetic ride, satellite navigation, the Audi Music Interface (AMI), interior light package, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, and Bluetooth mobile phone preparation with integrated seat-belt microphones. Updated 01/02/2012: Its been quite a while since we last heard something about this R8 V8 Limited Edition, but now Audi has unveiled a new video that promotes this sports car. The video comes with another good news: we will see the R8 Limited Edition in USA too. Enjoy! 2012 Audi R8 LMS by APR Motosport
A few months ago, Audi announced that the R8 LMS race car was officially coming to America for its inaugural race at Daytona. That was followed by the introduction of the Grand-Am-spec R8 LMS racer that has been tuned specifically to adhere to "stricter" Grand-Am regulations. Now, we can officially confirm that the first racing team to field the R8 LMS is going to be APR Motorsport, which will use the race cars at the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January of 2012. The team, which is the race division of APR Tuned, has been known for entering Audi’s in US-based racing series and will continue with that tradition by bringing in the R8 LMS to make its US debut next January. The R8 LMS was born in 2009 and has evolved to be one of the most powerful and reliable race cars in the world. Tuned to racing specifications to meet Grand-Am regulations, the R8 LMS Grand-Am will receive a number of new equipment, including a thicker roll cage, a new front splitter, rear diffuser and a custom rear spoiler. Similarly, the race car’s 5.2-liter V10 engine has been tuned to produce a ’limited’ output range of 450 horsepower to 470 horsepower. APR Motorsport has released sketches of their R8 LMS race car, complete with all the graphics and decals that come with it. Hopefully, we’re going to see the car in all its race glory before it jumps into action at Daytona this coming January. UPDATE 12/28/11: APR Motorsport has finally taken delivery of their Daytona-bound Audi R8 LMS. Check out the fresh batch of photos of the pair of R8 racers in the gallery below! Audi confirms new A3 and R8 e-Tron for 2012
 Audi is prepping the automotive industry for the next year with a new documents detailing its future plans. The first item on the agenda are plans to invest a total of €13 billion, in new products and technologies, as well as in expanding its sites by 2016. "To maintain our profitable growth, we will step up investment spending on new products," said Axel Strotbek, Member of the Board of Management for Finance and Organization at AUDI AG. "The Audi Group plans to invest over € 2 billion annually in new products and technologies." In their immediate future, Audi will be putting their new A8 hybrid on sale, which will then be followed by the launch of the Audi A3. Of course, the most awaited model is the R8 e-Tron which will be unveiled at the end of 2012. When the new R8 e-Tron is released, it will make Audi the first premium manufacturer to bring an all-electric sports car onto the market in a small series. Audi R8 facelift planned for 2013 model; New generation to follow in 2014
We’ve already touched on the report that the next-generation Audi R8 has been scheduled for a 2014 release (in Europe) with rumors circulating that we’ll be seeing a facelift version of the supercar before that time comes. Now, we can put the rumors to rest, because according to CAR, a face lifted version of the R8 is now being penned for late next year as a 2013 model. As can be expected with a facelift model, Audi is only opting for minor tweaks on both the exterior and interior of the car. It appears that the 2013 R8 will - for the first time - carry a refreshed grille that was first introduced last year by the e-Tron Spyder Concept. New headlights are also in the plans, as is a new S-tronic dual clutch gearbox, which replaces the R-tronic sequential manual gearbox on the current model. Some other prominent changes expected to be made on the face lifted R8 are the use of Audi’s latest MMI interface system, an increased use of carbon fiber to cut down the car’s weight and, most importantly, an improved engine output from the current model’s 525-horsepower output all to the way to the neighborhood of 540 horsepower. This is the first time that these details have been divulged, so we’re more than curious to see how the facelift model of the iconic R8 will look and feel like before Audi ushers in the next generation model in 2014. Speaking of the 2014 Audi R8, Car has learned that the new model will carry an evolutionary styling theme with an absence of the current model’s sideblades and manual transmission. The body will switch from 100% aluminum to a multi-material combination, including a carbon fiber rear firewall. The new R8 will also have a transmission tunnel and the B-posts that will double as rollover protection elements. These changes will allow for a drop of about 24 kilos (about 53 lbs) on the car’s overall weight, allowing the R8 to be about 13% stiffer. Power will still come from a 450 HP naturally aspirated V8 engine for the base model, but the V10 will get a power boost to about 550 HP. The new generation Audi R8 will be followed by the new R8 Spyder just one year after its launch, so expect the drop top sometime in 2015. BMW officially closes the door on building an Audi R8 rival
 bmw m1 hommage Since debuting the M1 Hommage Concept a few years ago, BMW has waffled back and forth on the prospect of bringing a BMW supercar in the market to serve as the main rival of the Audi R8. It’s been frustrating for us to listen to all this "will they or won’t they" nonsense and we’ve been waiting for a concrete answer from the German automaker. Now, it appears that we finally have it. In an interview conducted by egmCarTech, Matt Russel, Production Manager of the M-Division of BMW North America, has officially put all the rumors of an M1 successor to rest. Sadly, there won’t be one. “We’ve discussed these possibilities”, said Russell, “but ultimately, we didn’t feel the need to make a very exclusive high-end supercar and we still don’t. I already firmly believe that we produce supercars, except that they’re two in one: an executive car with supercar performance. They are the essence of BMW M-Cars.” Russell also added that the current BMW M3, despite its un-supercarlike appearance, can already go tow to tow with a car like the R8. "The M3 is spot on with the Audi R8 V8 in terms of performance numbers like lateral G’s, braking and acceleration.” We’re not going to dispute that, but at the same time, there’s nothing supercar-like about the M3 in terms of the way it looks. It’s one thing to have a car that feels like a supercar, but it’s another thing for a car to feel AND look like a supercar. Guess we’ll just have to wait for the BMW i8 to be introduced in 2014. Video: Race Of Champions 2011 highlights
The Race of Champions (ROC) is an international motorsport event where members of Formula One, World Rally Championship, NASCAR, sportscars, and touring cars race to the finish line in hopes of being crowned number one. The 2011 ROC marked the 24th year running of the race, held in Düsseldorf, Germany’s Esprit Arena. The event ended with Sébastien Ogier claiming his first individual ROC crown. The Nations Cup went to Team Germany’s which consisted of Formula One stars Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. Cars like the Audi R8 LMS and the KTM X-Bow were the stars of the event, and this video provides the opportunity to see some of the greatest moments from the ROC. "I’m so happy," said Ogier in an interview with Autoweek. "It was a very nice weekend, and it was already great to be in the final at my first time. There are a lot of cars to learn here and the track as well. But I didn’t do too badly, and I pushed hard all the way. Tom is a really good driver, but to win this race is amazing."
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