Audi R8 News

Audi has poured its Le Mans victories into its next R8 supercar, claiming the 2019 production model update shares 50 per cent of its parts with the LMS GT3 customer racer.

The iconic Aston Martin DB5 piloted by James Bond in 1964's Goldfinger has been declared the greatest movie car of all time, according to a new UK survey.

There are low-volume special editions, and then there's the Audi Sport Performance Parts.

Hot on the heels of the Australian government's mandatory Takata airbag recall, Ford, Audi and Tesla have joined the list of carmakers to detail which of it's models are affected.

Audi's rear-wheel drive R8 RWS (Rear Wheel Series) will land in Australian showrooms in April wearing a $299,500 before on-roads price tag for the coupe and $321,000 for the convertible.

Jaguar has laid claim to the title of World Car of the Year with its high-riding F-Pace, as three SUV models occupied the top placings for 2017.

Global Audi Sport managing director Stephan Winkelmann has confirmed the German brand's range of RS-badged SUVs will expand beyond its current sole RS Q3 model.Audi's SUV range already offers two S-branded variants for the Q5 and Q7 models, but the RS treatment is yet to be applied to anything larger than the Q3.Mr Winkelmann said the popularity of the SUV segment was responsible for the increased demand for high-performance variants, which has motivated Audi to broaden its RS SUV model range.As the leader of the Audi Sport division, Mr Winkelmann is responsible for the global development team for all RS models plus the R8 sports coupe hero model, while less-manic S-badged vehicles are produced by Audi's overarching engineering and development team.While he did not reveal which exact models will be elevated to RS status, Mr Winkelmann suggested that as many as 10 new projects are currently being developed by his team.Of these 10 new RS models, not all will be SUVs as some will be replacements for existing variants, including the top-of-the-wish-list RS4.Geneva could see the debut of the first-ever RS Q5 as a follow up to the already-potent SQ5 mid-size SUV.Despite quickly dashing any hopes of a March debut for the new RS4 at the Geneva motor show, when questioned, Mr Winkelmann revealed that another model from Audi Sport was instead scheduled for reveal.“Geneva is in front of us and we will have a launch there which is going to be very important for us because it’s a new era in the B-segment of these cars,” he said.The A-segment usually refers to the smallest compact vehicles, but Mr Winkelmann placed all A3 and Q3 models under the same classification, attributing the A4, A5 and Q5 to the B-segment.RS-branded B-segment sedans and coupes are currently not expected, meaning Geneva could see the debut of the first-ever RS Q5 as a follow up to the already-potent SQ5 mid-size SUV.The recently revealed SQ5 – which will be released in Australia later in the year – will forgo its former diesel engine for petrol-only power, despite suggestions from Audi at the second-generation Q5's launch in Mexico last year that a high-performance diesel version of the SUV was in the works.This may suggest the monstrous 320kW/900Nm 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 diesel from the just-launched SQ7 might be transplanted into the Q5's body, which could create the debuting RS Q5.Electrification is another possibility for the “new era”, meaning hybrid technology or an electric vehicle (EV) may be introduced to the RS line-up.As for other RS-badged SUVs, the smaller end of the line-up is likely to gain new offerings as well.Audi is also trying to maintain the high-performance brand's exclusivity alongside its growth in volume.The recently revealed all-new version of Audi's bespoke five-cylinder turbo-petrol engine – which features exclusively in the TT RS and forthcoming RS3 Sedan – could populate across the German brand's smaller SUV line-up.Mr Winkelmann said that despite the 294kW alloy engine's versatility, it will remain the enterprise of the A-segment, which signals that the debuting Q2 compact SUV could receive the RS once-over sometime in the future.He said that while a new generation of buyers will join the RS family via the smaller end of the range, Audi is also trying to maintain the high-performance brand's exclusivity alongside its growth in volume.

Dieselgate coming home to roost as Audi and VW budgets slashed.

Mix the Mountain with GT3 action — and a stellar show of exotics is lured to Bathurst.

Later this month Ferrari will show off its newest supercar, the 488 GTB, to Australian customers.First drive reviews suggest it's a more than worthy replacement for the fabulous 458. But if Italian supercars are not your style, brands from Germany, Japan, Britain and the US are lining up to tempt the supercar enthusiast.The second generation of Ingolstadt's supercar evolves the original design but is built around a new aluminium and carbon fibre space-frame. A 5.2-litre V10 engine sits behind the cabin and comes in two levels of tune: 397kW or 449kW, with the more powerful able to hit 100km/h in 3.2 seconds. A bright yellow example was on display at the MCG during the International Champions Cup at the weekend.Deliveries begin in the first quarter of 2016, with prices starting at about $370,000.The revived version of Honda's famous NSX from the 1990s will be a hybrid powered by a turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 engine in combination with three electric motors. One motor boosts engine output to the rear axle while the other two independently drive the front wheels. Where the original was all-aluminium, the new NSX will comprise a mix of carbon fibre, aluminium, steel and "other advanced materials". Deliveries begin next year, with prices expected to start around $250,000.The star of this year's Detroit motor show was designed by Australian Todd Willing, so it's a shame the GT is left-hand-drive only and cannot be road-registered here. That won't stop a few collectors signing up for the second revival of the famous Le Mans winning racer from the 1960s. Ford chose this year's event to announce it would use the new GT for another crack at the race next year.Road cars will be powered by a turbocharged V6 with about 450kW; overseas deliveries start next year.The British supercar specialist now has three strands to its model range, with the most accessible Sports Series comprising the recently unveiled 540C and 570S. The 570S is named for the output of its turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 in metric horsepower, equivalent to 419kW, and with a dry weight of just 1.3 tonnes it can reach 100km/h in 3.2 seconds. Australian deliveries begin next March, with prices at $408,000 (including NSW on-roads) for the 570S and $350,000 for the less powerful 540C.