Audi R8

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The R8 is a mid-engined two seat performance car built by Audi. It uses Audi's trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. It was introduced in 2006 with its name coming from the R8 race car.

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). It was based on the Lamborghini Gallardo, and presently based on the Huracán platform. The fundamental construction of the R8 is based on the Audi Space Frame, 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.

When it was introduced, the R8 was the first production car with full-LED headlamps.

First Generation/Type 42 (2006-2015)

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) and R8 5.2 FSI coupé (with a V10). Convertible models, called the Spyder by the manufacturer, were introduced in 2008, followed by the more high-performance GT model 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.

Second Generation/Type 4S (2015-)

The second generation of the R8 (given the 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 began in late 2013 and was completed in late 2014 (the 2015 model year in Europe, 2017 model year in the US). Initial models included the all-electric e-Tron, the V10 5.2 FSI, and the V10 plus. Unlike its predecessor, there was no manual transmission available and the entry-level V8 trim was also dropped. 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.