Audi: R8 goes topless

2011 AUDI A8

The new A8 luxury four-door sedan is more aggressive and much larger than the previous version. Longer (5,137 millimetres) and wider (1,949 mm) than its immediate competition, the new A8 is lower for a more sporting silhouette.

That attitude is backed up with performance. Not only is the A8's latest aluminum space frame torsionally stiffer than before, it's also lighter. Factor in the increased output from the 372-horsepower 4.2-litre FSI V8 and the all-wheel-drive A8 scampers to 100 kilometres an hour in just 5.7 seconds.
Audi: R8 To go along with that performance are a number of luxury and functional touches. A camera-based system allows the A8 to auto-dim its LED headlights. The automatic climate control system has four separate climate zones and the 12-way-adjustable front seats can be exchanged for a pair of 22-way seats that are ventilated as well as heated and can be had with a pneumatic massager.

The A8's audio system is a 1,400-watt Bang & Olufsen stereo with 19 speakers.

AUDI R8 SPYDER 5.2 FSI QUATTRO

Audi S5 Cabriolet Drive Now

Audi S5 Cabriolet

All casual refinement can be undermined by the introduction of one vital element: passengers. Photograph: Simon Stuart-Miller

Like "serviette", cabriolet is a word that doesn't sit comfortably in the English language. Somehow it sounds simultaneously pretentious and, well, a bit common. Which is unfortunate, because the Audi S5 Cabriolet is neither. In fact, it's avowedly unpretentious and uncommonly tasteful, with the possible exception of the slightly oversized front grille.

2010 Audi A8 hybrid

2010 Audi A8 hybrid

Audi R8 LMS Evolution Version

Audi R8 LMS

Audi A8 Hybrid

Audi says its A8 Hybrid, introduced this week at the Geneva auto show, can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 7.6 seconds.