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Audi exec denies plans for turbo R8

Sometimes smoke doesn't lead to fire. Rumors indicated Audi might drop a turbocharged engine into the latest R8, but now a top executive is throwing a bucket of cold water onto the burning speculation. "The performance potential of this current engine means we don't need to even look at turbocharging at this point," Jurgen Konigstedt, Audi development boss for V6, V8, and V10 engines, said to CarAdvice. He also said sticking with natural aspiration offered a better sound and sharper throttle response than going with forced induction. "There is less emotion with a turbocharged engine," he said. Konigstedt admitted there was a serious discussion about turbocharging the R8. The argument just didn't win out. "If we feel that people absolutely want a turbocharged engine, then we will have to consider it," he said to CarAdvice. Audi just launched a new generation of the supercar. The 2017 R8's 5.2-liter V10 will be available in two tunes: with 540 horsepower in the standard coupe or 610 hp in the Plus. Rumors have persisted about a smaller, forced induction powerplant at the bottom of the range. Some reports suggested a twin-turbo V6 behind the driver, but others said the electrically supercharged 2.5-liter inline five was a candidate. The reason for the entry-level addition was tied to lowering the taxes on the R8 in markets like China. Related Video:

Audi R8 LMX has frickin' lasers for headlights

It might look like just another Audi R8, but Ingolstadt tells us this one is different: it is the limited edition Audi R8 LMX (click image above to enlarge) with laser-enhanced LED high-beam headlights. Audi introduced the laserlight technology on its R18 E-tron Quattro LMP1 race car and then promised a production version of it at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The eyes on the R8 LMX employ the same method when traveling above 37.3 miles per hour, utilizing a tiny laser module in each headlight that, after conversion to white light, can throw a beam about 1,640 feet down the road.
Because no one should ever stop at lasers, buyers of the limited-to-99 examples of the R8 LMX will also get a more powerful engine, with 570 horsepower erupting from the mid-mounted V10; that's ten more horses than came with the R8 V10 GT introduced last year, but the 0-62 mile-per-hour time hasn't budged from 3.4 seconds. It comes in coupe form only, dressed in Ara Blue paint with carbon accents all around, exclusive wheels, red brake calipers, and a black Nappa leather interior with contrasting blue bits.
The order book is open now, and deliveries will begin this summer for those willing to lay down 210,000 euros for the privilege of using one of Superman's powers for good, as standard (the BMW i8 has laser-equipped high beams, but as an option). We won't see them here, though, for as with Matrix Beam lighting and Audi's sequential turn signals, US laws forbid such shenanigans. The press release below has more info.

Audi R8 V10 Plus vs. Renault Clio Cup racecar will make you go hmmm...

Match up a hot hatch with a supercar of the same vintage, and we'll tell you who will win every time. It's easy, really, as the supercar invariably features a more advanced suspension, stickier tires and most importantly, more power. What if the hot hatch is race prepped, though?
In that particular case, all bets are off. A circuit-tuned suspension, a stripped-down cabin, an ultra-quick sequential transmission and the greatest equalizer of them all, slick tires, are all that's needed to turn the typical hot hatch into a proper dragon slayer.
Perhaps seeking to prove this, Evo has put together an interesting head-to-head between the Audi R8 V10 and a race-prepared Renault Clio Cup. Host Dickie Meaden takes us through each car, highlighting the bits and bobs on both sides which should make this a tight competition. And boy, is this one tight.