Operating concept of the new Audi R8* very similar to that of a race car- Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg: “Car racing has been part of our Audi DNA for many decades now.”
- New Audi R8 e-tron: driving range of up to 450 km (279.6 mi)
At Audi, race cars and production cars have a lot in common in many technical areas – including their controls and displays. The best example is the similarity between the Audi R18 e-tron quattro race car prototype, which will start at the 24 hours of Le Mans this weekend, and the new production Audi R8 sports car. The designs of their steering wheels and digital displays show significant commonalities. The high-performance sports car, which will go on sale late this summer, is part of a sporty model family together with the GT race car, the Audi R8 LMS, and the battery-electric powered Audi R8 e-tron. In its latest evolutionary stage, the Audi R8 offers even more power, speed and endurance.
“Motorsport has been a part of our Audi DNA for many decades,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development. “Audi stands for automotive dynamism more than any other brand. This is especially true of our new high-performance Audi R8. Its concept is extremely close to that of a race car – in its controls and displays too.”
Steering wheels and displays: great similarities
In the new Audi R8 V10 plus, the steering wheel has 20 controls, including four new satellite buttons – and in the LMP1 race car, the Audi R18 e-tron quattro, there are as many as 33. In both cars, the driver shifts gears from the steering wheel, and color indicators let the driver know when the engine is nearing its rpm limit. Key driving dynamic parameters can be set via control buttons on the steering wheel. In both the production sports car and the race car, information – such as tire pressure and lap times – appears on a digital display.
Audi R8 e-tron: 340 kW of power
In its latest development stage, the new Audi R8 e-tron – the first all-electric car from Audi – offers fascinating dynamics. It offers 340 kW of power, which enables a 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) sprint time of 3.9 seconds, and it has a maximum driving range of 450 kilometers (279.6 mi). This high-performance sports car serves as a mobile laboratory for developing new electrical concepts and components at Audi. The R8 e-tron will be produced in the small-scale production facility of quattro GmbH at the Audi Neckarsulm site in the Böllinger Höfe.
