Audi R8 GT: More power, less weight, not bare bones

Audi has unveiled the ultimate R8, which is lighter, more powerful and faster. The R8 GT, which is limited to only 333 units, is about 100 kg lighter than the standard R8 V10 and comes with extra 35 bhp and 10 Nm. These combine for a 0-100 km/h time of 3.6 seconds and a 320 km/h top speed. 

The standard R8 V10 is not a heavy car at 1,625 kg, thanks to its aluminum space frame body, so Audi has worked hard to shave the grams here. The GT’s windshield is made of thinner glass; the bulkhead between the passenger cell and engine compartment, as well as the rear hatch window are made of polycarbonate. These three items alone saved 9 kg. Other measures include a fixed rear wing (1.2 kg), thinner sheet metal and additional cutouts from the aluminum front hatch (2.6 kg) and a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) rear hatch (6.6 kg). The rear bumpers and sideblades are also made from CFRP.

Hofele Design’s R8-inspired Audi A5 styling kit

What’s a successful halo car? In our opinion, a halo car has fulfilled its purpose if models below it start to ape big brother. The Lancer Evo is a classic example, and Audi seems to have executed a similar masterstroke with its R8 supercar. The mid-engined beauty that Tony Stark drives is so cool that it’s inspiring “R8 style” kits for cars like the Audi A5 and TT.

German tuner Hofele Design takes a shot at this direction with kits for the A5 Coupe, Convertible and Sportback. It comes with an R8-look front bumper with the air vents below the headlamps. Coupe and Convertible owners can even match it with the R8’s signature side blades and a rear bumper with faux air-outlets and integrated diffuser. Four exhaust tips complete the “transformation”.

Style is subjective – some might like it, but we think that these add-ons contaminate the sleek, classy design of the A5. Not to mention proclaiming to the whole world that “I can’t afford an R8″. I have seen an Audi TT with similar looks in the Klang Valley and was nearly fooled, from a distance I must add.

Compact Audi e-tron rumored to become the R4 sports car

The R4 is also expected to feature more conventional fuel-powered versions apart from an all electric version previewed by the e-tron. This reworked e-tron that is being showcased at the Detroit Motor Show has shrunk in size and definitely resembles the size of an Audi TT.

Instead of four electric motors that were used in the Frankfurt 2009 version, this concept has only half of that and both are mounted on the rear axle. Total output is rated at 201hp and a massive 2,650Nm of torque. The torque figure is definitely mind-boggling however a report by Automobile Magazine revealed that the original e-tron’s 4,500Nm figure was based on different set of calculation.

Usually torque is measured at the output shaft but the magazine reported that the e-tron’s torque figure is measured at the wheels which multiplies the output shaft-based figure. The magazine estimated that the torque, if calculated according to the industry standard should be about 341Nm of torque. This means that the 2,650Nm of torque figure above is about 200Nm if measured at the output shaft.

Nevertheless the compact e-tron can hit 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and can return a governed top speed of 200 km/h. The e-tron can deliver 250 kilometers over a full charge. You can enjoy an array of live pictures after the jump.

Little Audi A1 at Geneva!

The main star of the vast Audi stand is its smallest model – the new A1. Ingolstadt has big plans for this Mini Cooper rival that’s bound to be its main seller, and is calling it the A1 “the sportiest car in the segment” – no small claim when BMW’s Mini is your classmate! Backing this up is the A1’s low weight of 1,045 kg, wide tracks, low weight resting on the front end and electrohydraulic steering that’s tuned to be “sportily direct”.

First shown to the world as the Metroproject Quattro Concept back in Tokyo 2007, the finshed product looks remarkably similar to its inspiration, down to this car’s red colour with a silver bar outlining the glasshouse. As we’d expect from a new Audi, the A1 features striking LED daytime running lights, and the brand’s single-frame grille is has two more edges at their top ends to create a trapezoidal shape. Audi’s “tornado line” joins both front and rear lamp clusters and is a main feature of the profile, along with the arching roofline. Coefficient of drag is 0.32, which is best in class.

Inside, the dash design is simple and classy; of note are the cool old-school air-con vents (supposed to look like jet turbines, says Audi) and an infotainment system that’s claimed to set new standards in the class. The A1’s MMI navigation plus system is taken from its bigger siblings and comes with 3D navigation system, 20GB of hard disk space for music and iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, all displyed on a 6.5-inch screen that emerges from the dash top. A 465-watt Bose stereo is optional.

Four engines will be available at launch – two TFSI petrols and two TDI diesels. The entry 1.2 TFSI makes 86 bhp and 160 Nm from 1500 rpm, while the 1.4 TFSI produces 122 bhp and 200 Nm at the same engine speed sustained till 4000 rpm. Paired to the seven-speed dual clutch S tronic gearbox, this range topper does 0-100 km/h in 9.1 seconds on to a top speed of 200 km/h. We reckon that real world cut and thrust performance will be more impressive than the raw figures suggest, as is the case with VW’s TSI/DSG cars. Equipped with start-stop tech and brake energy recuperation, fuel consumption for the 1.4 TFSI is 19.6 km/l.

Audi A8 Hybrid

The Audi 8 is the newest limo on the block and this is the A8 hybrid which aims to be the greenest in the segment. Shown at the Geneva show for the first time, the A8 hybrid’s drivetrain consists of two propulsion units – a 2.0 TFSI internal combustion engine and an electric motor – that develop a total output of 245 bhp and 480 Nm of torque. This enables a 7.6-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 235 km/h, done in Transporter style coolness.

A hydraulically operated wet clutch links the TFSI with the electric motor (with 45 bhp and 211 Nm), which makes available its grunt from standstill. In the boot lies the Audi’s lithium-ion battery pack, which still leaves 400 litres of luggage space. Subsystems that operate on engine power in a regular car have been modified to run entirely on electric power in the A8 hybrid, such as the air-con compressor, electromechanical steering system and brake booster, all managed by a “pulse control inverter” system. All these will appear in the Audi Q5 hybrid, to be introduced later this year.

This A8 is capable of fully electric-powered driving up to 65 km/h and for a distance “exceeding 2 km”. Normally, both work in tandem but above 65 km/h, the combustion engine propels the car alone, while the electric motor supplies ancillaries and recharges the battery. The TFSI is disconnected from the drivetrain when the driver chooses to coast. The e-motor also functions as a generator to recoup energy from braking and replenish the battery.

Green credentials? The A8 hybrid’s average fuel consumption is 16.1 km/l while CO2 emissions is 144 grams per km. These figures compare very well with the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid, which does 12.7 km/l and 186 g/km. Launched last year, the car from Stuttgart pairs a V6 with electric motors for a combined 299 bhp/385 Nm, and was the first production hybrid to use lithium ion batteries.

New engine and minor visual tweaks for Audi TT

Audi has given its popular TT range a refresh which consists of a new engine and subtle tweaks to the looks.which made the journey from concept to production unmolested. We’ll get to drive the French hottie soon, but for now let’s focus on the TT’s new goodies.

Nothing too much to alter the instantly recognisable design. Up front is a new bumper that frames larger air inlets with “three-dimensional” edges. The fog lights now have chrome rings and the lattice of the single-frame grille is in high-gloss black.

Twelve white LEDs in a straight line serve as the daytime running lights. At the back, the “floating” reflectors of the tail lights add visual depth and the larger, flat black diffuser is matched by larger pipes. These changes have added 2 cm to the TT (now 4,187 mm). Four new metallic colours have been added.

Inside, Audi has merely played around with the trim – some silver here, some high-gloss black there. The aluminium strip above the glove box door is now in brushed grey. There are three new interior colours to choose from – nougat brown, titanium gray and garnet red. Leather seat covers are treated to reduce thermal heating by as much as 20 degrees Celsius when the TT is parked in the sun, useful for us in Malaysia.

New to the lineup is the 2.0 TFSI with 211 bhp, which replaces the 200 bhp version of the same engine and the 3.2 FSI. Torque is rated at 350 Nm, which is a big 70 Nm more than the previous TFSI. These new stats also put the TT well clear of the top RCZ, which 1.6 THP engine puts out 200 bhp/255 Nm. The turbocharged and direct fuel injected engine features Audi valvelift system (AVS) which adjusts the lift of the exhaust valves in two stages depending on need. Paired to the dual clutch six-speed S tronic and quattro AWD, 0-100 km/h takes only 5.6 seconds.

The other engines are a 1.8 TFSI with 160 bhp/250 Nm and a 2.0 TDI with 170 bhp/350 Nm. Opt for the diesel and you’ll be rewarded by 18.9 km/l combined consumption. Available as an option on all variants is Audi’s magnetic ride shock absorber system together with a Sport button that allows the driver to control servo boost for the steering and the engine sound in two stages.

Audi A8L with W12 engine

The Chinese love everything long, when it comes to cars that is. China’s nouveau riche lust after German premium cars, but find them too constricting, which is why there’s a “L” version of every luxury car, from the Audi A4 to the Volvo S80, designed for China. Now Audi, which is the premium segment leader there, will debut the Audi A8L at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show, with long wheelbase and a 6.3-litre W12 engine.

This VW Group engine is called W12 because of its unusual layout: four rows of three cylinders with a 15-degree included angle between the two offset rows of cylinders in each broad cylinder block. The W12, in its latest 6,299 cc form, is an undersquare design. Engineers have enlarged the cylinder bore and added FSI direct injection; the latter needing considerable mods to the cylinder heads. Fuel is injected at a pressure of up to 130 bar. Compression ratio is a high 11.8:1.

Vital stats are 500 bhp and 625 Nm at 3,250 rpm. It gives the A8L a 0-100 km/h time of 4.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h. Audi says that the engine runs “exceptionally smoothly” and the A8L’s occupants are “unlikely to sense any of this supreme power at work unless it is at high engine speeds and severe loads”.

With an overall length of 5,267 mm, the A8L is 130 mm longer than the regular version. The wheelbase has grown by the same amount to 3,122 mm, and as you can see from the picture below, the extra room has been put to very good use. It shows a multi adjustable reclining seat where the boss is massaged by ten air-filled compartments; four programs can be selected via remote control. Feet can rest on a power-adjustable support at the base of the front passenger seat back. Between the seats is a full-length console that can be specified with things like a folding table or a refrigerator.

Other luxuries include roof-mounted grab handles and rear console in fine wood, Valonea leather tanned exclusively with plant extracts which is especially soft and able to “breathe” actively, panoramic glass roof and a Rear Seat Entertainment system with two 10.2-inch screens.