Audi R8
What’s it? A mid-engined supercar that can be used every day.
What’s new? The evolution of the details – where the outgoing R8 was curves and graceful lines, the new one is sharp angles and creases. It has a lot more aggression than before. There’s a new interior as well, with cleaner lines and an LCD instrument cluster. The same screen displays all the car information via the current gen MMI system, and the steering wheel has sprouted more buttons, including the start/stop button. The shift lever is now an electronic one and takes the shape of a speedboat’s throttle lever.
What’s under the hood? A 5.2-litre V10 motor in two states of tune, depending on whether you choose the regular R8 or the V10 Plus. The former nets you 540 bhp, and the latter, 610 bhp. Top speed is a claimed 323 kph and 330 kph, with the 100 kph mark coming up in 3.5 or 3.2 seconds.
Launch date? Early 2016
Competition check: Mercedes AMG GT S, Porsche 911 Turbo S, BMW i8.
Expected price? Rs 2-2.5 crore
Audi A4
What’s it? The smallest of the premium premium Audis. If that makes sense.
What’s new? The weight. The styling might be evolutionary, but the weight has gone down by up to 120 kg in certain variants. There’s a ‘virtual cockpit’ display as an optional extra, an improved MMI system with a larger screen, a head-up display, and wireless charging for your phone. The styling update also brings it up to the mark with respect to the rest of the range.
What’s under the hood? What’s sure for India is the 2.0-litre four cylinder diesel engine. This generates 185 bhp and should satisfy most owners. For those who want more, the 3.0-litre diesel with 215 bhp should be adequate. There is also a slim possibility of the 1.4 TFSI from the Jetta being launched, to maintain a low starting price point.
Launch date? Mid to late-2016.
Competition check : Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Jaguar XE, Volvo S60.
Expected price? Rs 35-45 lakh
Audi RS7 Performance
What’s it? The fastest way to make your family carsick.
What’s new? The steroid injection that the RS7 has. It has all the requisite RS cues: aluminium mirror housings, large wheels, an electric blue paint job. The real story is under the hood.
What’s under the hood? There’s 553 bhp from a 4.0-litre V8 TFSI engine. There’s a performance quattro AWD system that funnels 60 per cent of the torque to the rear wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, and that means 100 kph comes up in a pupil-dilating 3.9 seconds. When you’re just cruising, however, the cylinder-on-demand shuts down one bank, making it a four-cylinder car and saving a lot of fuel in the process. Talk about having your performance and fuel efficiency as well!
Launch date? Late 2016-2017.
Competition check : Porsche Panamera.
Expected price? Rs 1.5-1.8 crore
