Audi R8 Named 2008 World Performance Car and 2008 World Car Design of the Year
<<
-   Double victory for Audi R8 at the 2008 World Car of the Year awards
-   Audi R8 receives awards won last year by Audi RS 4 and Audi TT
-   Audi most successful manufacturer ever at World Car of the Year
>>

AJAX, ON, and NEW YORK, March 20 /CNW/ - After claiming the triple crown
of Canadian automotive awards from the Automobile Journalists Association of
Canada with the recent naming of the Audi R8 as the Canadian Car of the Year,
“Best New Design” and “Most Coveted” awards, the new Audi R8 today achieved a
double victory at the 2008 World Car of the Year awards.
The acclaimed R8 was awarded both the World Performance Car and the World
Car Design of the Year awards. The super sports car from Audi was chosen for
these awards by 47 World Car jurors from 24 countries throughout the world.
When naming the Audi R8 as the 2008 World Performance Car, the jurors
observed that it has “solid credentials on paper thanks to its mid-mounted
420 horsepower V8 engine and aluminum construction. But where it excels is in
the exceptional balance, refinement and control that grant the driver the
confidence to push to the limit. It has astonishing precision for a car of its
size category”.
Last year, the Audi RS 4 collected the World Performance Car award, so
this makes it two in a row in the performance category for the brand with the
four rings. This year there were two representatives from Audi in the final
stages of voting, as the Audi S5 was also one of the top three finalists for
the award.
For the 2008 World Car Design of the Year award, the jurors praised the
Audi R8 for “transforming the sports car landscape. The R8 design is striking,
original and full of interesting details, from the nose strakes to the much
discussed vertical ‘blade’ behind the B pillar”.
World Car design expert Tom Matano, Executive Director of the School of
Industrial Design, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA commented
that the Audi R8 is “a great visual representation of the technology within, a
complete package of Techno-Iconic Design”.
Last year, the Audi TT received the World Car Design of the Year award,
so Audi has retained this design crown for the second year in a row. Audi won
the overall World Car of the Year title with the Audi A6 sedan at the
inaugural World Car of the Year awards in 2005. With one overall win and four
category wins in total, Audi is the most successful manufacturer at the World
Car of the Year awards.

The 2008 Audi R8
—————-
Audi’s first ever premium mid-engine sports car began appearing in
Canadian Audi retailer showrooms last September.
The R8’s lightweight aluminum chassis, high-revving 420-hp 4.2L FSI V8
engine, race-inspired suspension, quattro all-wheel drive system, and low
centre of gravity combine to make the R8 handle in an unparalleled manner.
With a base price of $139,000 for the 6-speed manual version and $150,500
for the automatic R tronic edition, the 2008 Audi R8 is positioned very
competitively considering its technological standards, road performance, high
quality and its extensive standard equipment levels. Audi’s R8 production
facility at Neckarsulm, Germany is geared up to build just over 20 cars a day.