Audi Launches its Fastest-Ever Production Car in Australia

ZETLAND, AUSTRALIA – Marc 22, 2013: The new R8 is the fastest production car Audi has ever launched, and it has arrived in Australia. An all-new range-topping model – the R8 V10 plus – is powered by a hand-built 5.2-litre V10 that demolishes 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and is capable of reaching a top speed of 317 km/h.

Despite its prodigious performance, the R8 V10 plus delivers responsible fuel efficiency of 12.9 litres per 100km. For a supercar of the R8’s calibre, this is excellent and is partly due to the S tronic gearbox that is newly available on all variants.

The new 7-speed S tronic is less than 60 centimetres in length. Two multi-plate clutches lying behind one another, serve two mutually independent sub-transmissions; gears are shifted directly as the clutches alternately open and close. Gearshifting occurs practically without any interruption of tractive power within hundredths of a second, and so smoothly as to be hardly noticeable.

The R8 embodies Audi's full expertise in ultra-lightweight design. The aluminium body with the Audi Space Frame (ASF) weighs only 210 kilograms on the Coupé, and 216 kilograms on the Spyder. The R8 V10 plus, available only as a coupé, brings the weighs just 1,570 kilograms.

Redesigned LED headlights are now standard on all variants of the Audi R8. In addition, static turning lights are integrated in the headlights. One innovation from Audi is the rear LED indicator light with dynamic display at the bottom edge of the lamp – its light ‘moves’ toward the outside, in the direction the driver wishes to turn.

“When it launched in 2006, the R8 defined Audi’s interpretation of supercar performance and the new model takes that idea further,” says Andrew Doyle, Audi Australia’s Managing Director.

“The new R8 has it all: mind-altering performance, exciting dynamics, yet it is uniquely versatile in a way that few true supercars can claim. In a few short years, the R8’s distinctive design has already become more recognisable than its established rivals. The refreshed Audi R8 is everything you could possibly want in an everyday supercar.”

What’s New

R8 V10 plus is an all-new range-topping model with more power

Matte Sepang Blue is an extraordinary new paint colour available exclusively on the R8 V10 plus

S tronic dual-clutch transmission supercedes the previous R tronic, for no extra cost

New single-frame front grille

New LED front headlight and rear taillight design, the latter with dynamic indicator display that ‘moves’ in the direction the driver is turning

Revised front and rear diffuser design for enhanced aerodynamics

Equipment highlights
The R8 4.2 FSI quattro remains the entry model within the R8 range, starting at $279,500. Equipment highlights include:

Fine Nappa leather upholstery

Full Led headlights

Tyre pressure monitoring

Navigation plus with Audi Music Interface

New design 19-inch alloy wheels in forged aluminium

Equipment highlights of the R8 V10 plus include:

Ceramic brakes

Audi exclusive bucket seats

Extended Fine Nappa leather and Alcantara headlining

R8 leather covered flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles

19-inch alloy wheels , 5-twin spoke ‘Y’ design in titanium finish

The official on-sale date for the new Audi R8 is March 22.