Photo: Audi
Audi has decided to pull the plug on the R8 in Australia. The mid-engine supercar was actually dropped a few months ago, apparently, yet the information has just reached our ears.
According to CarSales, several units remained in stock until recently, and it appears that they can still be found on different September lists, priced between AU$294,877 and AU$416,377 (equal to US$213,627-US$301,648). This makes the R8 the country’s most expensive model, supposedly.
So, what is the reason behind it? Europe’s stricter emission regulations and noise rules, and not the country’s new side-impact regulations that have sealed the fate of the Nissan GT-R. You see, the R8 that made its way Down Under featured a specific engine tune, which is no longer produced by the European factory due to the aforementioned reasons.
The information was confirmed by the automaker’s local branch to the quoted website. “The current generation of the (R8) Coupe and Spyder are no longer offered in Australia, for local homologation reasons,” Audi said.
On a more positive note, however, the German supercar that shares some nuts and bolts with the Lamborghini Huracan, will live on in other countries. “The R8 will continue to be produced for other markets,” they added, stating at the same time that they are “discussing various concepts for a possible R8 successor, but no decision has been made so far.”
Audi’s first-gen R8 entered production for global markets in 2006, and one year later, it arrived in the Pacific country. It was replaced by the second generation supercar in 2015, which comes to life at the same facility, Neckarsulm, Germany. In total, the model is said to have accounted for 681 sales in Australia, including 103 in 2008, which was reportedly its best year in the market. Another 29 were delivered this year, until August.
In Europe, Audi sold a total of 19,227 units of the R8 until the end of 2020, CarSalesBase reveals, and another 10,218 in the United States.
So, what is the reason behind it? Europe’s stricter emission regulations and noise rules, and not the country’s new side-impact regulations that have sealed the fate of the Nissan GT-R. You see, the R8 that made its way Down Under featured a specific engine tune, which is no longer produced by the European factory due to the aforementioned reasons.
The information was confirmed by the automaker’s local branch to the quoted website. “The current generation of the (R8) Coupe and Spyder are no longer offered in Australia, for local homologation reasons,” Audi said.
On a more positive note, however, the German supercar that shares some nuts and bolts with the Lamborghini Huracan, will live on in other countries. “The R8 will continue to be produced for other markets,” they added, stating at the same time that they are “discussing various concepts for a possible R8 successor, but no decision has been made so far.”
Audi’s first-gen R8 entered production for global markets in 2006, and one year later, it arrived in the Pacific country. It was replaced by the second generation supercar in 2015, which comes to life at the same facility, Neckarsulm, Germany. In total, the model is said to have accounted for 681 sales in Australia, including 103 in 2008, which was reportedly its best year in the market. Another 29 were delivered this year, until August.
In Europe, Audi sold a total of 19,227 units of the R8 until the end of 2020, CarSalesBase reveals, and another 10,218 in the United States.
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