2013 Audi R8 – Australian pricing & specs

Audi Australia has just launched the facelifted R8 to the local market. With that comes the 404kW R8 V10 plus, boasting the title of Audi’s fastest ever production car. Thanks to its Lamborghini-sourced 5.2 litre V10 and a 7-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission it can knock-off 100km/h in only 3.5 seconds. Its top speed is 317km/h.

It’s just a shame that pricing for the R8 V10 plus starts at $408,200. Add your driveaway costs to that and it won’t be a pretty sight. Good luck to those of you who can afford it. Can we have a drive please?

All models of R8, starting with the $279,500 R8 V8, now include LED headlights. The rear indicators have a new party trick, too. It’s described as dynamic display and the indicator lights up from the inside moving to the outside of the car in the direction it is turning.

Full pricing and specifications are available after the break. Special mention must be made to Audi Australia also for the images they have provided with this release. We’re not sure who the photographer is but we’re sure you’ll agree some of the results are truly outstanding.

Audi Launches its Fastest-Ever Production Car in Australia

• The Audi R8 has been overhauled, with a new 7-speed S tronic for all models
  
• New R8 V10 plus with 404kW/540Nm reaches 100km/h in 3.5sec
  
• Redesigned LED headlights and dynamic indicator lights are standard

Australia, March 22, 2013 – The new R8 is the fastest production car Audi has ever launched, and it has arrived in Australia. An all-new range-topping model – the R8 V10 plus – is powered by a hand-built 5.2-litre V10 that demolishes 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and is capable of reaching a top speed of 317 km/h.

Despite its prodigious performance, the R8 V10 plus delivers responsible fuel efficiency of 12.9 litres per 100km. For a supercar of the R8’s calibre, this is excellent and is partly due to the S tronic gearbox that is newly available on all variants.

The new 7-speed S tronic is less than 60 centimetres in length. Two multi-plate clutches lying behind one another, serve two mutually independent sub-transmissions; gears are shifted directly as the clutches alternately open and close. Gearshifting occurs practically without any interruption of tractive power within hundredths of a second, and so smoothly as to be hardly noticeable.

The R8 embodies Audi’s full expertise in ultra-lightweight design. The aluminium body with the Audi Space Frame (ASF) weighs only 210 kilograms on the Coupé, and 216 kilograms on the Spyder. The R8 V10 plus, available only as a coupé, brings the weighs just 1,570 kilograms.

Redesigned LED headlights are now standard on all variants of the Audi R8. In addition, static turning lights are integrated in the headlights. One innovation from Audi is the rear LED indicator light with dynamic display at the bottom edge of the lamp – its light ‘moves’ toward the outside, in the direction the driver wishes to turn.

“When it launched in 2006, the R8 defined Audi’s interpretation of supercar performance and the new model takes that idea further,” says Andrew Doyle, Audi Australia’s Managing Director.

“The new R8 has it all: mind-altering performance, exciting dynamics, yet it is uniquely versatile in a way that few true supercars can claim. In a few short years, the R8’s distinctive design has already become more recognisable than its established rivals. The refreshed Audi R8 is everything you could possibly want in an everyday supercar.”

What’s New

• R8 V10 plus is an all-new range-topping model with more power
  
• Matte Sepang Blue is an extraordinary new paint colour available exclusively on the R8 V10 plus
  
• S tronic dual-clutch transmission supercedes the previous R tronic, for no extra cost
  
• New single-frame front grille
  
• New LED front headlight and rear taillight design, the latter with dynamic indicator display that ‘moves’ in the direction the driver is turning
  
• Revised front and rear diffuser design for enhanced aerodynamics

Equipment highlights

The R8 4.2 FSI quattro remains the entry model within the R8 range, starting at $279,500. Equipment highlights include:

• Fine Nappa leather upholstery
• Full LED headlights
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Navigation plus with Audi Music Interface
• New design 19-inch alloy wheels in forged aluminium

Equipment highlights of the R8 V10 plus include:

• Ceramic brakes
  
• Audi exclusive bucket seats
  
• Extended Fine Nappa leather and Alcantara headlining
  
• R8 leather covered flat-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles
  
• 19-inch alloy wheels , 5-twin spoke ‘Y’ design in titanium finish

The official on-sale date for the new Audi R8 is March 22.

Pricing

*Manufacturer List Pricing (MLP) – excludes dealer delivery and statutory charges

• R8 Coupe 4.2 FSI V8 manual (316kW) – $279,500
  
• R8 Coupe 4.2 FSI V8 S tronic (316kW) – $287,000
  
• R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI V8 manual (316kW) – $308,400
  
• R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI V8 S tronic (316kW) – $315,900
  
• R8 Coupe 5.2 FSI V10 S tronic (386kW) – $366,900
  
• R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI V10 S tronic (386kW) – $395,800
  
• R8 Coupe 5.2 FSI V10 plus S tronic (404kW) – $408,200

Downloads

• Audi R8 – Australian specifications (460kb PDF)
• Audi R8 – Australian technical data (55kb PDF)