With more and more automakers taking the covers off their latest offerings, Audi is making sure that they are not left behind in the game. Dragging the spotlight into their direction, they had finally given the world a first glimpse of their new and redesigned R8 supercar which will be making its public debut at Geneva next week.
The first thing that you will notice is that Audi had given the R8 quite a makeover to differentiate it from the previous generation. With sharper lines and crisper edges, the new R8 gets a whole new set of headlights, front intakes and side carbon blades. The rear has also been revised with sharper rear lights, trapezium exhausts and a meaner diffuser.
Powering the car is an updated version of the 5.2-liter V10 engine which is available with two outputs. The first one produces 540-horsepower and 540Nm of torque while the V10 Plus rolls out with a heftier 610-horsepower and 560Nm of torque. With such power, zerotohundred is dealt in 3.5 seconds for the 540-horsepower version, and a faster 3.2 seconds for the Plus.
Like how Porsche is not offering a manual version for their GT3 RS, the R8 is offered with only the 7-speed S-Tronic transmission. Combined with the newly developed Quattro system, it could distribute the torque according to the driving conditions, sending up to 100-percent of the torque in a single axle in some extreme situations.
The driver will have four driving modes to choose from the drive select dynamic handling system: comfort, auto, dynamic and individual. The Audi virtual cockpit first seen on the new TT is also installed on the new R8, allowing the designers to create a minimalistic interior with all the necessary information displayed in front of the driver.
