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AUDI has bundled its racetrack experience into the new super sports car, the R8, that goes on sale this month in an arena where it faces tight competition from cars such as the Porsche 911 and Jaguar XK.
“Audi is filling the important segment of exclusive sports cars,” the carmaker’s new CEO, Rupert Stadler, said at an official presentation in Las Vegas.
According to market analyst Nick Margetts it is a logical step by the Audi to fill what it sees as a gap in this exclusive segment because “the classical car segments are breaking up and society is becoming more divided financially. Car-makers are reacting by building more niche vehicles such as these super sports cars.”
Apparently they are very successful in the process.
Sales of high performance super sports cars in the Jaguar XK and Porsche 911 segment have soared in recent months.
Mr Stadler says that all the carmaker’s racing experience has been put into the R8 development process.
The V8 motor positioned behind the seats has a phenomenal output of 309 kw/420 hp. This gives it an acceleration of 4.6 seconds from zero to 100 km/h.
Audi product manager Jens Meier said that the top speed has not been electronically regulated at 250 km/h as in other cars in the segment. The R8, fitted standard with four-wheel drive, ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) and spoiler has a top speed of 301 km/h.
Audi has apparently done its homework well in market researching the super sports car sector.
Mr Meier confirmed that the
idea of a middle-engined sports car offered much room for fantasy such as a 5.2 litre engine from the S6 or a Roadster.
There has also been much speculation that Audi would bring out a diesel sports car, especially after Audi won the 24-hour Le Mans race last year in a diesel racing car. But Mr Meier denied that there were such plans.
“We are still in the early stage of the model range and the developers are not under any time pressure,” he says.
Meanwhile, the entire R8 production run this year has already been sold out, according to Mr Meier.
The factory in the south-western German city of Neckarsulm produces 20 of the sports cars per day, mostly by hand.
By thomas geiger
