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2016 Audi R8 Fully Revealed: Live Photos And Video From Geneva

One of our favorite supercars is completely new again: the 2016 Audi R8 has debuted this week at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Known and respected for its ability to blend daily-driver comfort with world-class handling and pace, the first-generation Audi R8 ran from 2007 through 2015 as the brand’s halo car. Now, it’s fresh once again.

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As is Audi’s way, the look is no dramatic departure from the previous R8. It’s a clear and focused evolution of the R8 design premise, with crisper edges, cleaner lines, and slightly revised proportions, as well as entirely new details. Inside, the look is updated too, with driver-centric controls intended to emulate the feel of an Audi race car. New sport seats with integrated headrests or optional “more radical” bucket seats (likely not to be offered in the U.S.) are also offered.

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A 12.3-inch display is centered in front of the driver, much like the display first shown at CES and fitted to the new Audi TT. In the R8, this display offers not only the typical infotainment and instrument information, but also a performance mode with g-force graph, power and torque output, and a shift light indicator. Audi’s latest generation of MMI is powering all of the information, performance data, and more behind the scenes, and is more visually powerful than ever thanks to the Nvidia T30 processor.

2016 Audi R8
2016 Audi R8
2016 Audi R8
2016 Audi R8
2016 Audi R8
2016 Audi R8

But the real changes lie beneath the skin.

Built around a new aluminum and carbon fiber Audi Space Frame chassis, the 2016 Audi R8 weighs just 3,205.5 pounds dry—that’s a weigh savings of as much as 110 pounds over the previous model—including a body-in-white that is about 15 percent lighter than the previous R8’s, while managing a 40 percent increase in torsional stiffness.

Behind the occupants, a new choice of engines come in a familiar size and configuration: the 5.2-liter V-10 is now available in two forms. The standard version (dubbed the R8 V10 this time around) is rated at 532 horsepower, or buyers can opt for an upgraded 602-horsepower variant in the R8 V10 Plus. Peak torque in the V10 Plus is 413 pound-feet, available from 6,500 rpm.