Audi accelerates with R8 sports car

For Audi, the hottest-selling luxury car brand in Korea, the year 2012 was stunning, with its car sales almost doubling from a year ago. This year the carmaker aims higher, rolling out sportier, high-performance models.

At the heart of the ambitious plan is the R8 sports car. At Seoul Motor Show that kicked off Thursday, Audi unveiled a total of 22 vehicles ― the most among foreign brands ― including two Korean debuts, the R8 V10 Coupe and Spyder.

“Introducing more vehicles than other imported brands proves our commitment to the Seoul Motor Show and the Korean market,” said Audi Korea managing director Johannes Thammer.

“We hope visitors (will) experience the essence of Audi’s corporate slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik ― Progress through Technology.’”

The Audi R8 debuted first in 2003 and was originally developed as a race car concept that was also able to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The road car was launched at the 2006 Paris Motor Show.

The carmaker says the new Audi R8 is lighter and more powerful.

The Coupe, the two-door and two-seat hardtop version, is 35 kilograms lighter than its predecessor by using carbon materials on side mirrors, engine covers and side blades.

The 5,200 cc V10 direct fuel injection engine offers 550 horsepower and a maximum speed of 317 kilometers per hour. It hustles from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just 3.5 seconds.

The new Spyder, a two-door convertible with a fabric roof, also boasts 525 horsepower and a 0-to-100 kilometers per hour acceleration time of 3.8 seconds.

Together with the new R8, Audi Korea showcases at the Seoul event this week all vehicles it is currently marketing such as its flagship sedans A4, A6, A8, coupes A5 and A7, high-performance models S4, S6 and S7 and S8, the RS5, and the SUVs Q3, Q5 and Q7.

“All our passion and commitment is not just for ourselves, it is for our customers,” the CEO said, introducing the Audi brand’s three key elements ― creativity both in design and technology, sportiness that is best represented by the R8 models and sophistication, which means attention to all details.

The Korean unit poured 14 new models into the local market last year, elevating its car sales here by 46.2 percent to 15,126 units.

The new Korean chief, who took office in December, earlier predicted a further 6 to 8 percent growth to sell some 16,000 vehicles this year, calling 2013 “a year for consolidation.”

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)