The 2016 Audi R8 will be making its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week and will be initially available with only the V10 engine in two power outputs.
Like most aficionados, Audi too couldn’t wait to reveal its newest creation, the second generation 2016 R8 to the world and has released the official images and details of the supercar ahead of its public debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show next week. Achieving a highly sharp design language this time round, the new Audi R8 has lost its curves in favour of striking lines while the overall silhouette is true to the first-generation model. You get LED headlights as standards and laser spot for the high beam are offered as optional. Dynamic turn signals are standard at the rear.
The 2016 Audi R8 will be initially available only with the 5.2-litre V10 naturally aspirated engine that has been carried over from the outgoing model and will be available in two states of tune. On the standard R8 V10, the beast of a motor produces 540 HP of power; whereas the V10 Plus is tuned to produce 610 HP of power. The latter can do the 0-100 km/hr sprint in just 3.2 seconds and can hit a top whack of 330 km/hr. All that power to the road is sent via the 7-speed S Tronic transmission system and a newly developed Quattro four-wheel drive system. Audi says that 100 percent power can be transmitted to the front and rear axle on demand.
Apart from the V10 motor, the second generation Audi R8 will also be introduced in an e-tron version that will belt out 455 HP of power and a whopping 920 Nm of torque with an impressive range of 450 kms. In addition to the new found power, performance has been enhanced by shedding off the weight on the new R8 and the supercar is now 50 kgs lighter than its predecessor, courtesy of the aluminum and carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) used in the multi-material Audi Space Frame for the construction. Furthermore, the double wishbone suspension on the new R8 keeps it closer to motorsport like performance.
Praised as the practical supercar, the new generation Audi R8 maintains its practicality with the new cabin as well which is a lot more advanced than the predecessor. The supercar borrows the virtual cockpit from the new Audi TT. Most of the important controls now feature on the steering wheel, while the overall interior has been designed to resemble a race car. The new R8 also comes with the MMI navigation plus with MMI Touch as standard. The new generation Audi R8 has been developed with close cooperation between racing engineers, racing drivers and developers that have contributed significantly to the performance increase.
The 2016 Audi R8 will be produced at the Quattro GmbH production “Böllinger Höfe” site in Heilbronn that was specially built for the sportscar. The R8 will go on sale in mid-2015 and has been priced at 1,65,000 Euros (Rs. 1.15 crores) and the V10 Plus has been priced at 1,87,000 Euros (Rs. 1.31 crores, excluding taxes). The automaker is also readying up the R8 LMS race car and will be pushed through its paces at the factory this year. The R8 LMS shares 50 percent of its components with the series-production car.
