The autoevolution team has the very fist live photos of the all-new Audi R8 supercar, live from the Geneva Motor Show 2015 where its presentation is scheduled to take place. While last week's web debut has been met with criticism, we're confident Audi fans will appreciate the new design language and the features on the 2016 R8 V10, a true supercar in every sense of the word.
The impressions we got from seeing the R8 up close are that it previews a new era where German automakers are the kings of the supercar market. Why? Because the 5.2-liter FSI engine under all that carbon fiber pushes the exact same 610 PS as a Lamborghini Huracan. What's more, it arrives at exactly the same time as the Porsche-rivaling AMG GT. The Italians had better watch out, because Germany is out for blood!
Before 2007, nobody connected Audi with supercars, but then the R8 came. It established the brand within the premium car segment, not to mention shake things up in the supercar market. The new R8 brings the game forward with a 40% more rigid body, laser headlights that work up to 500 meters and carbon fiber construction.
You probably know all the specs for the 2016 R8 already, but you don't know what makes it special. This Geneva debut pre-production car is dressed in a very sexy gunmetal gray matte paintjob and feels like an evolution of the previous model. The side air blades don't stick out as much out of the bodywork, while all the lighting systems look and feel more upmarket.
Yes, you can now even order the laser+LED headlights from the R8 LMX edition!
The front end is definitely the most controversial feature of the whole car. It's just too angular, like it was designed by people who usually make blenders and expresso machines. That's because the vertical blades in the side air vents and the large grille were actually penned by Italdesign for their Parcour concept a few years back.
While the exterior is iffy, the cabin of the R8 is definitely class-leading, better than anything made by Mercedes and BMW. Just like on the Audi TT, all the functions of the infotainment system have been integrated into the Virtual Cockpit, placed right in front of the driver. Ergonomics are excellent and you definitely feel like everything has a purpose.
Calling the R8 a "sportscar" is pretty much impossible now. The basic V8 is not available any more, but you can get a "normal" V10 with 540 hp. The best way to understand the range is to say that the base model costs €165,000 ($187,491) and brings RS7 0 to 100 km/h performance (3.9 seconds), while the V10 Plus model is as fast as a Lamborghini Huracan and costs €187,400 ($212,934).
Which basically means that the 2016 R8 is a budget Huracan that saves you about 15% of the money. But while we do know the Italians have made a stunner, Audi spent over a year at the Nurburgring, testing the R8 until it was perfect. Could that mean it's better on the track? Could be!
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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