► Chunky price rise for new Audi R8
► V10 now starts at £119,500
► UK order books open May 2015
Audi is hoiking the new R8 supercar range upmarket with higher prices topping £137,500 for the new V10 Plus model, when UK order books open in May 2015.
That’s a significant increase over the outgoing R8, which started at £93,735 for the V8 and £114,835 for the V10.
Why the price rise for the new R8 range?
In fairness to Audi, its new supercar range has moved up a notch in terms of performance and can now demolish 0-62mph in a McLaren-rivalling 3.2sec on the way to 205mph. And it has launched it with only V10 power from launch; a V8 is likely to follow in due course.
So the most powerful R8 is now on a par with its blood brother, the Lamborhgini Huracan LP610-4 which retails at a relatively eye-watering £180,720. It might not have escaped your attention that the R8 V10 Plus now delivers an identical 603bhp (that’s 610 metric ponies, hence the Lambo’s badge).
Click here for a walkaround tour of the new Audi R8 by the boss of Quattro GmbH at the recent Geneva motor show.
Can I still afford the cheapest Audi R8?
If Audi’s aluminium supercar ambitions sound like they’re taking the new R8 out of reach, remember the lower-powered 533bhp V10 costs a more reasonable £119,500.
That’s still a whopping £25,000 more than the cheapest outgoing R8, however… Bring on the forthcoming V8 version, we say!
All British R8 buyers qualify for a full day’s tuition at the Audi Driving Experience at Silverstone, where instructors take owners around the Stowe and Grand Prix circuits.