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This article is about the road-going sports car. For other Audi cars bearing the R8 name, see List of Audi R8 automobiles.
Audi R8
Audi R8 V10 Performance (Type 4S)
Overview
ManufacturerAudi (Audi Sport GmbH)[1]
Production2006–March 2024
Model years2007–2024
Body and chassis
ClassSports car (S)
Body style2-door coupé
2-door convertible (spyder)
LayoutLongitudinal mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive / all-wheel-drive[2]

The Audi R8 is a mid-engine, 2-seater sports car,[2][3] which uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.[2] It was introduced by the German car manufacturer Audi AG in 2006. Production ended in the first quarter of 2024.

The car is exclusively designed, developed, and manufactured by Audi AG's private subsidiary company manufacturing high performance automotive parts, Audi Sport GmbH (formerly quattro GmbH),[4] and is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo and presently the Huracán platform.[5] The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame,[2] and uses an aluminium monocoque which is built using space frame principles. The car is built by Audi Sport GmbH in a newly renovated factory at Audi's 'aluminium site' at Neckarsulm in Germany.[2] At the time it was introduced in 2006, the R8 became the first production car with full-LED headlamps.[6]

First generation (2006; Type 42)[edit]

Main article: Audi R8 (Type 42)
Audi R8 5.2 FSI coupé

The Audi R8, based on the Audi Le Mans quattro concept car (designed by Frank Lamberty and Julian Hoenig) first appeared at the 2003 International Geneva Motor Show and the 2003 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The R8 road car was officially launched at the Paris Auto Show on 30 September 2006. There was some confusion with the name, which the car shares with the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). Initial models included the R8 4.2 FSI coupé (with a V8 engine) and R8 5.2 FSI coupé (with a V10 engine). Convertible models, called the Spyder by the manufacturer, were introduced in 2008, followed by the high-performance GT model introduced in 2011. The Motorsport variants of the R8 were also subsequently introduced from 2008 onwards. An all-electric version called the e-Tron started development but would only reach production stage when the second generation model would be introduced.

6-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx described the R8 as "the best handling road car today".[7][8][9]

The car received a facelift in 2012 and a new model called the V10 Plus was now added to the range. Production of the Type 42 ended in August 2015.[10][11][12]

Second generation (2015; Type 4S)[edit]

Main article: Audi R8 (Type 4S)
Audi R8 5.2 FSI coupé

The second generation of the R8 (model code: Type 4S) was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and is based on the Modular Sports System platform shared with the Lamborghini Huracan. The development of the Type 4S commenced in late 2013 and was completed in late 2014 (2015 model year in Europe, 2017 model year in the US). Initial models included the all-electric e-Tron and the V10 5.2 FSI along with the V10 plus. Unlike its predecessor, there was no manual transmission available and the entry-level V8 trim was also dropped.[13][14] In 2016, the convertible (Spyder) variant was added to the line up which was initially available in the base V10 trim. In mid-2017, the high performance V10 plus Spyder was added to the range. A rear-wheel-drive model called the R8 RWS was introduced.

In 2018 (2020 model year in the US), the R8 received a mid-cycle refresh with mechanical and exterior changes. The newer and more aggressive design language carried over from famous Audi models of the past and its appearance is slightly more angular up front. The refreshed model had substantial performance improvements over its predecessor.[15] The base R8 gets a power boost from 532 hp to 562 hp, while the V10 Plus was renamed V10 Performance Quattro and the engine saw a power increase by 10 hp (7 kW), now up to 612 hp.[16] 2023 R8 GT is last R8 with 620hp limited to 333 units.

The Audi R8 e-tron (2015) was an all-electric version of the second-generation R8. Unlike the earlier 2010 prototype based on the first-generation R8, it actually entered production, but only on a small scale, with less than 100 units sold. It featured a 92-kWh battery.

Production, available markets and sales[edit]

To produce the R8 at Audi Sport GmbH, 70 workers fit 5,000 different parts by hand. The factory at Neckarsulm, redeveloped at a cost of €28 million, usually produces between eight and fifteen cars a day, up to a maximum daily output of 29 cars.[2] Ninety-five lasers inspect the entire car in five seconds to ensure that over 220 measurements are within 0.1 millimetres of the programmed plans.[17]

World wide sales (production)
Year World US Europe Canada
2005 6[18]
2006 164[18] 80[19]
2007 4,125[20] 240[21] 2,035[19] 34 [22]
2008 5,656[23] 900[21] 2,935[19] 155[22]
2009 2,101[24] 699[21] 1,656[19] 152[22]
2010 3,485[25] 799[21] 1,632[19] 137[22]
2011 3,551[12] 1,145[21] 1,278[19] 147[22]
2012 2,241[12] 802[21] 1,046[19] 116[22]
2013 2,500[12] 813[21] 1,021[19] 111[22]
2014 2,214[26] 735[21] 859[19] 116[22]
2015 2,074[26] 495[21] 1,108[19] 89[22]
2016 3,688[27] 736[21] 1,428[19] 158[22]
2017 3,179[27] 772[28] 225[22] (Jan–Nov)
2018 1,764[29]
2019 2,121[29]
Total 38,869
(2005–2019) 		8,136
(2007–2017) 		15,078[19]
(2006–2016) 		1,436
(2007–Nov 2017)
  • In Asia, the R8 is available in India, Israel, Japan, Taiwan, Bahrain, Kuwait, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Vietnam, and has been available in China, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia since 2008.[citation needed]
  • European statistics include sales from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.[30]

Marketing[edit]

Marvel Cinematic Universe[edit]

The R8 became the personal vehicle for Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) throughout six films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Type 42 models were used in the Iron Man Trilogy with a V8 in Iron Man,[31] a V10 Spyder in Iron Man 2,[32] and an e-tron prototype in Iron Man 3.[33][34] Type 4S models appeared in later Marvel Studios movies with 2016 V10 Plus models in Avengers: Age of Ultron[35] and Captain America: Civil War[36] and a Spyder model in Spider-Man: Homecoming.[37]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "More individuality – quattro GmbH". Audi AG. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Audi R8 Coupé and Spyder – Pricing and Specification guide – valid from January 2010" (PDF). Audi UK. January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  3. ^ "2008 Audi R8 Review". edmunds.com. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  4. ^ Audi-Mediacenter Retrieved 30 November 2016
  5. ^ Audispeed.com Audi Says Farewell to the R8 with One Last Video
  6. ^ "THE FULL-LED TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING". magnetimarelli.com. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  7. ^ Gerd Kebschull (3 December 2006). "Audi R8: Ein Supersportler entsteht - Teil I". auto motor und sport.
  8. ^ "First Spy Photos of Pre-Production R8 Sportscar".
  9. ^ fourtitude.com/news/Audi_News_1/pilot-project-in-audi-r8-assembly-in-neckarsulm-silverliners-set-the-pace/
  10. ^ "Still more acuity for the super sports car". Audi-mediaservices.com. 2012-07-25. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  11. ^ Drew Phillips. "Audi reveals refreshed 2013 R8 lineup". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 2013-05-09.
  12. ^ a b c d "• Automobile production of Audi by model 2014 - Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  13. ^ Seabaugh, Christian (2014-03-27). "Watch A Next-Gen Audi R8 Prototype Lap The Nurbürgring (W/Video)". Motor Trend. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  14. ^ Meiners, Jens (2015-02-19). "2016 Audi R8: We Ride in and Detail the Next Four-Ringed Supercar". Car and Driver. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  15. ^ Smith, Christopher (2018-10-24). "2019 Audi R8: See The Changes Side-By-Side". Motor1.
  16. ^ "2020 Audi R8 Price, Reviews, and Pictures | Edmunds". Edmunds.com. November 18, 2019.
  17. ^ "Audi UK R8 microsite". Archived from the original on 2008-02-11.
  18. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Audi R8 European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  20. ^ "Volkswagen AG Annual Report 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Audi R8 US car sales figures". carsalesbase.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Audi R8 Sales Figures - In Depth Data, Charts & Analysis". GCBC. 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  23. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^