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New Audi R8 races into India with supreme confidence

New Audi R8 races into India with supreme confidence
Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan & Amisha Patel with Michael Perschke (Brand Director, Audi India) 

21 January 2013: Precision & dynamism finds a new definition. The new Audi R8 was launched today amidst much fanfare, in the presence of the cast & crew of the yet to be released movie Race 2. The brand has strategically collaborated with this edgy fast paced action thriller to connect with the masses and establish its presence as an aspirational brand for the Indian market.

First look of the stunning new Audi R8
All LED head lights on the new Audi R8 give it a striking presence

The last generation Audi R8 was one of my favourite cars and the refreshed version only makes it better. The Audi R8 delivers a perfect combination of sporty design and luxurious style. The basic profile of the car remains the same, however there are a few notable changes and enhancements. The Singleframe grille with tapered corners at the top, redesigned diffuser and large round tail pipes are the most eye catching of the new features. The restructured all LED head lights and rear lights are now standard with all models.

Sporty interiors with a F1 style steering wheel

The sportiness continues in to the interiors of the car as well. All variants are now available with the fine Nappa leather package, seat covers and quilted door liners. The quilting is also available as an option for the Alcantara head lining.

The Audi engineers have now reduced the weight of the top model by roughly 50 kgs. The R8 V8 with the S-tronic gearbox tips the scales at 1660 kgs. All the weight saving is courtesy the Audi Space Frame, which weighs just 210 kgs (roughly 40% less than a comparable steel structure). The body of the R8 Spyder with its electrohydraulically actuated cloth top weighs only 216 kgs. The ASF body lays the foundation for the dynamic, precise and safe handling and high passive safety.

The beast that is the V10 engine

The new R8 comes with the same choice of engines but with the lighter body, acceleration is faster. The R8 V8 comes with a 4.2 lt V8 engine, with 430BHP and 430Nm of torque. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a brisk 4.3 seconds and goes on to achieve a top speed of 300 km/h. The R8 V10 comes with a 5.2 lt V10 engine with a monstrous 525BHP. When paired with the S-tronic gearbox it completes the standard sprint in 3.6 seconds and goes up to a top speed of 314 km/h. The new V10 Spyder sprints in 3.8 seconds and does a top speed of 311 km/h, which is commendable for a convertible.

The pricing of the R8 places it in a tough spot, where it will compete with the yet to be launched Mercedes SL and BMW 6 Series – both being extremely capable cars. Ex showroom prices will be between Rs.1.34 crore for the V8 and upto Rs.1.73 crore for the top of the line V10 Spyder.

Audi seems to have things planned out well, and the confidence of the brand is evident in its strategy for 2013. It is aggressively pursuing the No. 1 luxury car maker spot in India and it looks like they may be well on their way to achieve it.

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    Unknown

    September 9, 2016 at 1:44 am

    I love this idea, it's great. Thank you for the inspiration I love the printables the details of how you go step by step and exactly what you use, I appreciate you taking the time out to show us and inspire us to be more prepared & organized. Tackling my car will be my weekend projectread me

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