Audi has just unveiled the 2008 R8 — its first ever production supercar. Sales will begin in the first half of 2007 for the United States and Europe. The car has a 420 horsepower high-revving V8 engine and all-wheel-drive. It uses the mid-engine Lamborghini Gallardo platform, and will sell for around $100,000 — positioning it squarely against the BMW M6 and Aston Martin Vantage. It features LED headlamps surrounded by LED running lights and indicators. LEDs are also used in the engine bay to make the impressive V8 visible even at night. Claimed 0 to 62 mph time is 4.6 seconds, though this number is likely conservative.

Audi today announced its highly anticipated R8 sports car will feature a Bang & Olufsen audio system. "It is the finest sound system ever fitted to a sports car," says the managing director of Bang & Olufsen Automotive, Jens Peter Zinck. It has 12 speakers driven by 10 discrete channels of amplification and digital signal processing, producing a total amplifier power of 465 watts. It features:


1 x subwoofer – 130 mm in bass reflex cabinet
2 x front door woofer – 200 mm
1 x centre speaker – 35×70 mm
2 x front midrange speaker – 80 mm
2 x front tweeter – 25 mm
2 x rear tweeter – 25 mm
2 x rear midrange-woofer – 168 mm

10-channel amplifier with a combined power output of 465 watts
Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
Vehicle Noise Compensation with microphone input to analyse engine and different frequency bands
True Image™: Proprietary Bang & Olufsen 2-to-5.1 channel upmix algorithm
Tailor made for the Audi R8 as regards both design and sound design
Designed by David Lewis

The price for the Bang & Olufsen Sound System is approximately $1,500