6:46 am, January 6, 2009
AUDI dealers have opened order books for the new £99,575 R8 V10 – fitted with the world’s first all-LED headlamps.
The 5.2-litre V10 R8 boasts 525PS, which sees it to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. As such, Audi has standardised the light emitting diode technology.
Dealers will be able to demonstrate how the company’s established daytime running LED lights have been extended to low and high beam settings, too.
This provides a clear marketing link between the V10 R8 and less expensive, more mainstream models such as the A3 and A4.
The new headlights also cut fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. Audi claims the 196mph V10 R8, launched in the spring, can still return 20.6mpg combined. That’s barely any change over the standard 4.2-litre V8 R8.
Audi also points out that when daytime running lights become mandatory in the EU in May 2011, Audi models with on-board LED technology will be ahead of the competition. Today’s xenon and LED headlights are 4 times more energy efficient than halogen headlights. This advantage will double in years to come.
The company’s models fitted with LED daytime running lights sold in 2008 alone consumed – during just their first year in use – about 10 million fewer litres of fuel, and emitted 25,000 fewer tons of CO2.
New generation technology such as this is expected to filter down the Audi range in time, too. Meaning, in a few years, A3 1.9 TDIe buyers will be able to save fuel in a similarly illuminating way…
