R8 The next generation Audi R8: Thoughts & info

[Betty Swollocks]

@Betty Swollocks Any thoughts on this new model? Can you imagine it in your garage instead of the one you already have?

I can. Sadly that's all I'm going to be able to do!

My R8 is a keeper. I expect to still have it in 20 years. The appeal of owning it from new and having it built to my spec is attractive. If I get another car it will be an M135i, but even that is 50/50 at this moment in time due to changing personal circumstances and other priorities like a girlfriend!

 

[JHF]

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[Monster]

and other priorities like a girlfriend!

Betty showing his softer side?

 

[Tumbo]

The R8 is my all time favorite car.

I was really nervous what they are going to do with the new model, hoping they weren't screw it up.

And the first spy-pics...? I like it.
Especially this angle.

 

[rollo]

Betty showing his softer side?

Also, being frivolous considering the world economy is a little scary.

 

[Merc1]

Doesn't look like much change will happen, but here that is a good thing. One thing about these Audis is that they are timeless. The A5/S5/RS5 is timeless, just like the Q7 and the R8. All they need to do is upgrade the mechanicals and tweak the design to keep it fresh. No re-think or clean sheet of paper is needed here. It is amazing how good the current R8 looks today. There Audi needs to clean sheet it is with the sedans like the A4 and A6, but not here.

M

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

The current R8 has icon status. That'll be a hard act to follow up.

 

[JHF]

Last week we published the first photos of the new R8 testing at the Nurburgring and our own known intel on the car. A week later we’ve found two further sources for knowledge about the car in the form of a new story from the UK’s CAR Magazine, EVO Magazine’s latest print issue where they spoke to Ulrich Hackenberg at Geneva, and finally an old but interesting one from Autocar Magazine. Here’s a summary of what was stated.

CAR Magazine

• Mid 2014 launch
• Carbon fiber usage for firewall, transmission and B-pillars helps make new R8 13% stiffer and shed about 220 lbs. (100 kg) at same time
• 4.2 FSI V8 carries over, power up to 444 bhp
• 5.2 FSI V10 carries over, power up to 542 bhp
• Mid-lifecycle facelift may see V10 replaced with 4.0 TFSI rated at 600 bhp
• Design will be evolutionary much like TT Mk3
• Suggests trademark side blade will go away.
• S-tronic transmission will be only transmission offered
• Full digital instrument cluster like that of the new TT will be standard and a heads up display will be optional.

EVO Magazine

• Will be slightly bigger than Huracan and with different suspension geometry
• Will share Huracan’s electric power steering
• There will be a turbocharged R8 according to Hackenberg, “for markets where we need to reduce the capacity of engines.” EVO is betting that engine will be the upcoming 3.0-liter biturbo, though Hackenberg didn’t say that.
• Regarding the e-tron, Hackenberg stated, “When I joined the company the e-etron was cancelled because of business case and range. We’ve increased the range to more than 350 km (217 miles). The business case is still a problem, but I need such a car as a “technology carrier”. The decision will be taken in the next few weeks.”

Autocar Magazine

• Coupe will go on sale in UK by late 2014, Spyder by early 2015
• New R8 GT planned, with power at 580 bhp, due in 2016
• e-tron model also planned
• weight loss will come despite addition of new active and passive safety equipment including radar-controlled anti-collision technology
• Also known as codename AU724, and Huracan was LB724
• Cylinder deactivation may come to both engines

Regarding the R8 e-tron

The R8 e-tron is mentioned above, including the EVO piece based on comments made by Audi’s head of development Ulrich Hackenberg. Those comments were made at the Geneva Motor Show and, since then, Hackenberg confirmed that the car will be produced as part of his official comments at the Audi annual press conference. Below are those comments or you can read the speech in its entirety HERE.

In recent months, I have had a very close look at these electric high-performance sports cars with my team The latest development work is very convincing. We have increased their range from 215 to approximately 450 kilometers, which is a decisive step towards everyday practicality. This significant step is the result of progress with battery technology and a revised package with a considerably higher power density. In brief: We combine power and stamina. We have made significant efficiency gains with mechanical as well as electrical and electronic components of the R8 e-tron. The drivetrain is more efficient and onboard electricity consumption has been considerably reduced due to optimizing the power electronics. I am very proud of these achievements of my team.

The Board of Management of AUDI AG has decided to offer the next-generation R8 e-tron as a manufactured sports car upon customer request. And we will make intensive use of the next generation of the R8 e-tron as an open technology carrier and working instrument for our engineers to test and further develop technologies for the future. Think for example of new drive technologies and regulating systems such as by-wire technologies or active suspension concepts.

Read more of these stories at CAR Magazine and at Autocar websites, or the EVO intel story in the latest May 2014 issue of that magazine’s print version.


http://fourtitude.com/news/audi-rum...ts-next-generation-mss-based-audi-r8-uk-mags/

 

[tristatez28lt1]

http://fourtitude.com/news/Audi_News_1/spied-audi-r8-test-mule-sans-psychedelic-wrap/

Test mules for the upcoming third-generation Audi R8 (second if you don’t count the facelift) have been testing at the Nurburgring for a few weeks now so sighting one may not be terribly new news. However the one our spy photographer encountered earlier today qualifies as making a bigger deal.

This time around the main change is that the car has begun the long strip tease of cladding from full-on spy mule to its eventual auto show reveal. Today the car loses its psychedelic wrap meant to hide body lines from the prying eyes of photographers like the guys we know who hang about at places like the Nurburgring.

Instead of the black and white vinyl, this R8 goes with black paint and some remaining black cladding. Not only does it look more menacing, but it also reveals more of the evolutionarily redesigned lines of the car’s body lines. The rear fascia, with its rectangular tail pipes, is also fully displayed.

Some cladding remains, and this still hides key details. The front fascia including headlight lighting signature is one of the most obscured portions of the design. Also interesting is the fact that the blade area also appears to have some sort of covering? That seems a bit odd, though perhaps not. Some rumors have hinted that the new R8 will ditch its signature blades and maybe this is meant to make the car blend in as a current-generation R8.

One last change we note are the wheels. These appear to be possibly even 20-inch diameter and are a new design we haven’t seen before. Whether they make it to a production variant remains to be seen.

 

[SKY]

It seems the sexy R8 got into bed with the boring A6 and gave the A4 LCI a few kisses as well.

And surprise!! The ressults are the mix is not as good as the previous one. At least by the way the mule looks.

 

[Deckhook]

And surprise!! The ressults are the mix is not as good as the previous one. At least by the way the mule looks.

I'd wait until you actually see it without the cladding.

I honestly wasn't that happy with the looks of the new TT but after digesting its design I think its the best looking example and I reckon the R8 will be equally as good.

 

[klier]

Test mules for the upcoming third-generation Audi R8 (second if you don’t count the facelift

Well, we don't. That's the whole point of a generation

I honestly wasn't that happy with the looks of the new TT but after digesting its design I think its the best looking example and I reckon the R8 will be equally as good.

The TT is nice from the inside and from the inside only. Exterior is an extreme yawnfest, particularly for a TT

 

[JHF]

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[JHF]

This just in from Germany: the second-generation Audi R8 borrows the virtual cockpit of the all-new TT, featuring a fully digital instrument cluster housed in an Lexus LFA-esque binnacle.

Spotted by our carparazzi today while hitting the grueling Nurburgring Nordschleife at full throttle, the prototype 2016 Audi R8 doesn't feature the swirly camouflage of former spottings. But the headline is that Lady Luck smiled on our photographers in that they managed to snap the very first pictures of the heavily-anticipated interior of the upcoming R8.

Thanks to the lack of cabin camouflage, we got to take a look at the dashboard design and boy, you're in for a treat. Instead of yesteryear's conventional analogue gauges, the all-new second-gen Audi R8 is equipped with a digital TFT instrument cluster, that seems pretty similar to the one found in the 2015 Audi TT and TTS Coupe.

On its smaller brother, the so-called Audi virtual cockpit integrates both the instrument cluster and the MMI screen. From the photo galley below we can tell that the Audi test driver set it in 'classic view', a mode that brings a digital speedometer and rev counter to the foreground.


The new fully digital instrument cluster is housed in a binnacle which resembles the one on the Lexus LFA V10 supercar. Moving on to the rest of the dashboard, angular chrome-ringed air vents are also featured, along with a redesigned steering wheel and revamped upper dash.

On the oily bits front, the 2016 Audi R8 is still a coffer full of mysteries. Some say the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 from the all-new Lamborghini Huracanmight power the upper market version of the German supercar with 600+ horses.

However, a recent spy video led us to believe that a V8 is still in the cards. Specifically, a turbocharged mill due to the "wush"es and "sush"es we've heard on top of the mechanical V8 burble. The only gasoline turbo V8 made by Audi these days is the 4.0-liter TFSI twin-turbo mill propelling the RS6, RS7 and S8.

But that made us wonder - what if the engine lineup of the next-gen Audi R8 will consist of three separate offerings: an entry-level 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 just like the one powering the outgoing model, the aforementioned 4.0-liter twin-turbo bang in the middle, and the 5.2-liter V10 as the range-topper?

We bet a tenner the 2016 Audi R8 has lots more secrets to reveal in the very near future, so don't forget to keep an eye on our website for upcoming info on the heavily-anticipated German supercar.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/2...d-in-latest-spyshots-photo-gallery-81655.html

 

[LaArtist]

Guess they are not going the FI road, and keeping the NA engines..

Much respect for that!

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Front end from this...

...and rear lights from the same car...

 

[klier]

But that made us wonder - what if the engine lineup of the next-gen Audi R8 will consist of three separate offerings: an entry-level 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 just like the one powering the outgoing model, the aforementioned 4.0-liter twin-turbo bang in the middle, and the 5.2-liter V10 as the range-topper?

The 4.0 TT would slaughter the NA V10

 

[Betty Swollocks]

The 4.0 TT would slaughter the NA V10

Performance wise, no doubt. In noise and character? Not a chance.

 

[donkeykong]

Can that engined even be housed in the R8?

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

I, too, thought there was some issues regarding cooling the TT-V8 in a mid-rear placement?