2004 Audi Allroad Quattro Base Wagon 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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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 highlights headlights on upcoming new R8

Audi is preparing to roll out an all-new R8... but it's not about to reveal the whole thing at once. So in the first in what promises to be a series of teasers, the German automaker is showing off the new supercar's headlights. (Or headlight, we should say, in the singular.) Not unlike the R8 LMX revealed in Paris, the second-generation Audi supercar will incorporate LED headlights with an optional laser high-beam module. Unfortunately since laser headlights are illegal in the United States, the option isn't likely to be offered here. That is, at least, until Audi succeeds in convincing federal regulators otherwise. Although the teaser image above, like the press release below, may shine the light (so to speak) principally on the headlights, the shrouded shape also gives us a (little) bit to chew on. Yes, it will be available in blue, but beyond that we can expect the new R8 to incorporate slightly more angular lines than the model it replaces, with a more pronounced trapezoidal grille up in an overall design similar to the new TT, only more so. But then we already knew that much and more from the undisguised image that leaked out a little over a week ago. Ingolstadt, 2015-02-16 Audi reveals laser headlights for the new R8 - New mid-engine sports car features high-tech headlights - Laser high-beam offers high light intensity and excellent range Audi is revealing the headlights of its new R8* as the first of a number of technology highlights of the top sports car. The R8 uses LED headlights which can be supplemented by a laser high beam lighting module as an option. The new R8 will set new standards among high-performance sports cars – including in its lighting technology. As an option, the latest car development by Audi can be equipped with a laser spot as the high-beam headlight. The special appeal of laser lighting is that it uses high-intensity laser diodes, which generate a lot of light energy from a very small component. Compared to LED high-beam headlights, laser high-beams attain nearly twice the lighting range. Each headlight contains one laser module that operates with four high-intensity laser diodes. This module bundles the four intense blue-light laser beams. Then a phosphor converter transforms the blue light into pure white light. An identifying characteristic of the laser headlights is their blue light signature. Standard equipment in the new R8 includes an LED headlight system.

Audi R18 suffers huge crash during Le Mans practice, driver conscious and alert

Loic Duval, driver of the #1 Audi R18 E-tron Quattro, suffered a massive crash today during free practice for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Duval's car reportedly went off track backwards at high speed near the Porsche Curves and flew into the retaining fence. There is no video of the actual crash at the moment, but a video of the aftermath (viewable below) shows significant damage to the Audi and to the fence. The wall nearby the car appears unaffected.
Thankfully, it occurred quite close to a marshal's stand, and they were present almost immediately after the incident. Both the official press release from the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a tweet from Audi Sport (below) indicated that Duval was conscious after the crash, and he was taken by ambulance to the medical center and then to the hospital. The press release says: "His condition is encouraging." However, any injuries he might have sustained are unknown at this time. After the crash, the course was red flagged, and practice resumed about 50 minutes later.
Duval is alert. He will be transported from the Medical Center to the hospital for further examinations #R18 #LM24 @FIAWEC @24hoursoflemans