Second Gen Audi R8 Revealed Ahead of Geneva Motor Show

Audi has released the official pics of the second generation R8 days before it is revealed to the public for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. It focuses on shedding a few extra pounds thanks to the new Audi Space Frame chassis made of aluminium and carbon fibre reinforced plastic. To give you an idea how light it is, the top end variant weighs just 1,454 kg!

second-genAudi-R8-front

Second Generation Audi R8 Engines

Engine options include two versions of the 5.2 Liter V10:

  • A 539.8 PS variant which has a maximum torque output of 540Nm at 6,500 rpm and hits the ton in 3.5 seconds flat! It has a top speed of 323 kmph.
  • A 610.5 PS variant (R8 V10 Plus) which has a peak torque output of 560 Nm at 6,500 rpm. 0-100 kmph is reached in 3.2 second while the double ton is reached in 9.9 seconds. The top speed is an interesting 330 kmph making it the fastest series production Audi of all time.

Audi R8 V10

The engine is hand built at their Hungarian plant and is controlled by a 7 speed S Tronic transmission. Installed behind the engine, the transmission gets three automatic modes and can also be controlled manually. Shift commands are transmitted electronically (shift-by-wire).

The launch control system manages full-throttle acceleration from a standing start. Another function of the S tronic comes into play when the driver’s foot is removed from the accelerator pedal at speeds above 55 kmph. In such cases, both clutches open and the car goes into coasting mode. This function saves a considerable amount of fuel, especially in everyday use by the customer.

Audi R8 V10

The new-gen R8 also features Cylinder on Demand which shuts down one of the two cylinder banks during low throttle modes which help in increasing the fuel economy. The newly developed Quattro system can distribute the torque according to the respective driving conditions, where in extreme cases all of the available torque can be transmitted to a single axle.

The new generation R8 will also be the base for introduction of two more cars, the R8 e-tron and R8 LMS GT3 race car.

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