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| The Audi R8 GT Spyder. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil |
As with the coupe GT, just 333 of the high-performance sports car will be built - each with an individual number on the gear lever.
The Audi R8 GT Spyder has the unmistakable sound of an Audi ten-cylinder. The 5.2-litre V10 develops 560 hp and 540 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 317 km/h. Each unit of horsepower has to move only 2.93 kilograms.
Thanks to ultra-lightweight technology, the R8 GT Spyder weighs in at just 1,640 kilograms. That’s 85 kilograms less than its technical basis, the R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro.
The R8 GT Spyder features a lightweight fabric soft top that is extremely quiet and fully suitable for highway cruising. The roof can be raised or lowered in just 19 seconds and at speeds up to 50 km/h.
The premier of the new Audi RS 5 Audi presented the refreshed A5 model series at the Motor Show. The Audi RS 5 Coupé, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupé and A5 Cabriolet have been revised and revitalised in design and feature new cutting-edge technologies.
The RS 5 Coupé offers the power and handling of a powerful sports car packaged in the body of an elegant two-door coupe. Powered by a normally aspirated 4,163 cc V8 engine it delivers 450 hp at 8,250 rpm, with the peak torque of 430 Nm available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm, giving a zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Audi will increase the electronically governed top speed from 250 to 280 km/h upon request.
The new Audi A5 models are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the first quarter of 2012, the RS 5 in the second quarter. Audi has expanded the A5 engine portfolio for the Middle East and now offers a 1.8 TFSI multitronic, a 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic and a 3.0 TFSI quattro S tronic for all A5 body variants. The entry to the A5 range starts with the Audi A5 Sportback 1.8 TFSI, with a base price of $44,899.
Audi also presented its new S models for the first time in the Middle East at the Qatar Motor Show, powered by a new engine - a four-litre, twin-turbo V8, which combines ample power with low fuel consumption.
The S6 and S7 use the 420 hp version of the new 4.0 TFSI. The twin-turbo V8 provides a constant 550 Nm of torque from 1,400 to 5,300 rpm. It accelerates the S6 and S7 from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and 4.9 seconds respectively. The Audi S8 is the new head of the Audi S model family. Its new 4.0 TFSI generates no less than 520 hp and delivers a constant 650 Nm of torque between 1,700 and 5,500 rpm.
The sprint from zero to 100 km/h takes just 4.2 seconds. With all three models, the electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h is just a formality.
Average fuel consumption in the S6 and S7 is just 9.7 litres per 100 km. The S8 averages just 10.2 litres per 100 km, much less than its competitors and a decrease of nearly 23% to the previous model despite a 70 hp increase in output.
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