Autoblog

Click above for more high-res shots of the Audi R8

The Audi R8 has supercar looks and red-hot demand, so if you want to own the stunning German two-seater, you'd best get to the back of the line. Buyers of the mid-engine Audi have picked up every model that will be made for months, which tells us what we already knew: the R8 is a legitimate smash hit. Oddly, Audi isn't specifying how many R8s it has sold since the vehicle's introduction, and it's likely the German automaker won't go out of its way to ramp up production and risk ruining the all-wheel-drive supercar's buzz-factor.

It's no surprise that the R8 is so successful on the sales floor, but the downside is that the vehicle's sustained popularity is keeping higher performance editions off the market. If a 420-hp 4.2L powerplant can take you to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, just imagine what a 580-hp twin-turbo V10 will do on dry pavement.


[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

Say what you will about the Germanification of Lamborghini; it's producing damn good cars. Audi's stake in the Raging Bull has helped move Lamborghini from a quirky, inscrutable supercar producer to a purveyor of some of the finest road-going rockets our generation has ever seen. But according to Audi pres Stephan Winkelmann, the magic number for cross pollination of the two brands is 20-percent. "In the future, we will always work together just on the hidden parts – parts that will not touch the DNA of Lamborghini," Winkelmann told Autocar.

That pronouncement by Winkelmann is an attempt to quell criticism that the Gallardo shares too many components with the Audi R8 and that the majority of parts sharing will include unseen components, like electrical, plumbing and other, smaller pieces. "We have a quality benchmark with Audi," Winkelmann said, "[Lamborghini] gets the best and fastest, and Audi gets us the cheapest."


[Source: Autocar]

Audi's R8 TDI LeMans concept is a powerful, exotic, and diesel-fueled supercar. Given its one-off nature, few have experienced it firsthand. Last month we told you about Autoweek and Fourtitude's time behind the wheel, as they drove the concept at an Audi drive event. The 500 hp V12 diesel was crippled by its modified A4 transmission and Audi's imposed 50 mph max speed, but the smooth power of the German oil burner was still present. The car was also on hand at the New York Auto Show, where low-speed demo drives were offered among a motorcade of Q7 TDIs that acted as pace cars.

Our friends over at Winding Road also spent some time with the R8 TDI, and the online mag had a full spread dedicated to the 738 lb-ft beast. The article is an interesting read, and it also comes with video footage and an interview with the car's technical project manager. Among the items covered in the video is a segment on how the engineers shoehorned the massive V12 into the R8's engine bay. Naturally, there's straight car footage, too. Hit the read link below to view the video.


[Source: Winding Road]

Click above for more high-res pics of the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans

Diesel engines may be more efficient than the gasoline-powered competition, but good old fashioned petrol power has always held a huge advantage when it comes to aural bliss. The engine audio emanating from the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans still struggles in comparison to the best gasoline offerings out there, but man does it sound cool. At idle the R8's oil burning, twin-turbo V12 sounds like a Super Duty on speed, but on acceleration the 500-hp powerplant comes alive. When the TDI R8 is cruising at high speeds, its recorded sound is a lot like a speeding jet. Hit the link below to hear the R8 V12 TDI LeMans for yourself. You may never be able to buy an Audi with this most impressive engine, but at least you can hear it.


[Source: Spiegel via German Car Blog]

Click above to view more high-res shots of the R8 under construction

This week Audi invited a group of American journalists to Europe to sample the newest A4 Avant, and since we hate to miss an opportunity to drive new cars, we hopped on a plane. Upon our arrival, Audi offered us the chance to visit the birthplace of the mighty R8 in Neckarsulm, which is home to one Audi's two main German manufacturing sites, the other being at its headquarters in Ingolstadt. The Neckarsulm complex is only about half the size of the Ingolstadt campus, but along with manufacturing the A4, A6 and A8, it is also home to Quattro GmbH.

Quattro GmbH is Audi's in-house tuning group, roughly equivalent to AMG at Mercedes-Benz and the M-Division at BMW. That means all S and RS models are developed here and the RS4 and RS6 are built here in addition to the R8. The R8 is built in a dedicated building by a team of 240 specially selected assemblers working on two shifts. Right now, the R8 team is turning out about 27 to 28 cars per day, but Audi's manufacturing engineers are refining the process to try up that to 30 cars per day. Read on to learn more about how and where the R8 is created.

It's no secret that Audi's planned expansion of its R8 lineup will include upgraded engines (both gasoline- and diesel-powered) and a new convertible version that's likely to make an appearance next year. The crew at Car have already shown us a sketch of what a drop-top R8 could look like, complete with twin humps aft of the passenger compartment concealing the V8 beast beneath and aluminum (or composite) blades that have been halved to integrate into the beltline. But according to the Brit pub, Audi has decided that a canvas roof or a folding hard top isn't feasible due to the mid-mounted mill. Instead, a removable targa roof that can be detached and stowed (in your heated and carpeted garage?) will be fitted to the R8 to allow open air motoring with a bit of preplanning. It's a somewhat inelegant solution for a vehicle that exudes sophistication, and we think Audi would be advised to check out what its corporate kissing cousin, Lamborghini, is doing with its own convertible supercars.

[Source: Car]

Click above for high-res gallery of the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans

When we heard that there was a 50/50 chance Audi would be offering a production version of its R8 V12 TDI LeMans concept, our interest was piqued. The thought of 737 pound-feet of torque rippling the pavement behind the mid-engined R8 supercar will, unfortunately, remain but a fleeting fantasy in our power-hungry dreams. According to Michael Dick, Audi's head of production, the V12 TDI is not slated for production. That's the bad news... the good news, though, is that there is a coming diesel engine option in the form of Audi's 90 degree 4.2-liter TDI V8. In the Q7 SUV, that engine produces 326 horsepower with torque registering in at 550 pound-feet. While it's no V12, we'll happily take whatever oil burner Audi wants to throw our way. Thanks for the tip, Christian!

[Source: GT Spirit via German Car Blog]

Click above to view more high-res stills from Iron Man

Audi is obviously pleased with the product placement monopoly it's acquired on the upcoming blockbuster movie Iron Man starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others. Sharing the screen with those actors will be the Audi R8 - Tony Stark's personal daily driver, an airborne Q7 SUV, and no doubt many other autos branded with the four rings that are subtly slipped in here and there. To drive home the point that Audi is as hip as can be, the German automaker has launched an Iron Man mini-site that, at the moment, looks pretty flashy but lacks much substance. There are of course movie stills, which you can check out below in our own gallery sans the flash interface, as well as the trailer and a few brief video clips that are new and heavily infused with Audi products. Other than that, there's also a breakdown of the Audi R8 and its features, which you could also find on Audi's regular website, as well as character bios (Did you know Stark's assistant, Virginia Potts, drives an S5?). Regardless of how heavy handed Audi is with the product placement, we still expect Iron Man to be an epic on-screen adventure and orders of magnitude better than that other car movie coming out this summer.


[Source: Audi]

Click image above for high-res shots of the R8 V12 TDI Le Mans

We just got our first glimpse of the newest AudiR8 concept and we are breathless. Most of that is due to digging ourselves out of the scrum that resulted when the press conference concluded and we found ourselves in a crush of humanity that made us momentarily consider knocking down a few pushy folks around us. Gladly, the thought passed quickly and so did the crowd. What we have for you now is a cluster of pics of this tasty turbodiesel treat. When we told you about this car yesterday, we expected it to be much like the silvery version we saw in Detroit. That was mostly true. This version, finished in Brilliant Red is called the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans to play on Audi's participation in dominance of that legendary endurance race in recent years. It features the same 6.0L V12 pumping out 500 horsepower and prodigious torque, enough in fact (737 lb-ft) to be among the torquiest cars extent. 0-62 doesn't drop much at 4.2 seconds, and the 186 mph top end isn't too far off the V8 version's, but remember, this baby is Euro 6-compliant, making it mean and green. And red and chrome. Enough with the chrome Audi, but the car is a winner so please build it now.

Live shots are here, and the press release is after the jump.

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans

The Audi R8 V12 TDI concept that made such a splash in Detroit has a fraternal twin, and it's headed to Geneva. Finished in Brilliant Red paint and dubbed the R8 TDI Le Mans -- the association with the fabled endurance race carries a lot more weight on the Continent -- the car arrives in Geneva with the same impressive spec sheet as its silver counterpart. A 6.0L V12 TDI is crammed in the space behind the R8's passenger compartment. It packs a bit of a punch, too -- 500 horsepower and enough torque (737 lb-ft) to alter the earth's rotation allow for a 0-62 mph time of just 4.2 seconds and a 186 mph top end. That's Euro 6-compliant power, too. Clean and mean -- emphasis on the mean.

We'll have live shots of it for you tomorrow.


[Source: Audi]