Thursday, December 6, 2012

New Car: 2013 Audi R8 China Edition

Audi will send a special version of the Audi R8 supercar to the Chinese market, which will be limited to just 80 copies. The coupe is only offered in China with Audi’s 525-hp, 5.2-liter V-10 engine; the 4.2-liter V-8 is unavailable.

The transformation begins on the outside with two unique colors: buyers can decide whether to have the special Malibu Blue paint used for the body and Suzuka Grey for the Audi R8′s famous side blades, or vice-versa. Audi also bolts on gloss-black 19-inch “Y-spoke” wheels, and an exposed carbon fiber rear wing.

Inside, the aluminum shifter is engraved with the R8 emblem and two Chinese characters, marking the first time an Audi production has featured Chinese writing. The knob also bears the car’s serial number out of 99 — although only 80 cars will be produced, Audi skips all numbers featuring a four because Chinese customers are superstitious of the number. Leather upholstery with contrast stitching, Alcantara for the parking brake and steering wheel, carbon fiber trim for the instrument cluster, and abundant Malibu Blue accents round out the cabin upgrades.

The Audi R8 China Edition hasn’t received the updates applied to the American and European 2013 Audi R8, meaning it continues with the old R tronic single-clutch automated transmission instead of the new S tronc dual-clutch. Nonetheless, Audi says the V-10-powered car will hit 62 mph in 3.9 seconds. There’s no word on pricing, but it won’t be cheap: the base Audi R8 coupe starts at 2.33 million RMB in China, equivalent to about $375,000.

Thanks to: Motor Trend

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