The Audi R8 legend comes to an end, the last sports car officially rolls off the assembly line

News broke that Audi’s classic model R8 announced the discontinuation of production. The last Performance Quattro version of this iconic sports car rolled off the assembly line at the Bollingerhofen plant in Heilbrunn, Germany. This farewell model features a Las Vegas yellow body paint, a carbon fiber exterior package and 20-inch wheels, highlighting the R8's sporty character and individual charm.

Although Audi has already announced the discontinuation plan of the R8, the production cycle of this model has to be extended to this month due to the large influx of orders. Last year, R8 sales achieved an astonishing 49% growth, reaching 1,591 units. However, despite this, the R8 is still one of Audi's lowest-selling models in the world. The high selling price is undoubtedly one of the main reasons for the sluggish sales of the R8. Looking back at history, R8 sales reached their peak in 2008, when a total of 5,016 units were sold, including coupe and convertible models.

With the discontinuation of the R8, the famous self-priming V10 engine of the Volkswagen Group will gradually withdraw from the stage. Meanwhile, the R8's sister model, the Lamborghini Huracan, will also be discontinued later this year. At present, super sports cars equipped with 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 engines have become scarce commodities, and existing orders are fully booked. This suggests that the era of high-performance naturally aspirated engines is coming to an end.

According to the editor’s understanding, although Audi currently has no plans to launch a direct replacement for the R8, Lamborghini has made it clear that it will launch a successor to the Huracan. The new model will use a plug-in hybrid system and be equipped with a small-displacement gasoline engine. According to reports, the engine is running at 7000 It will run in naturally aspirated mode below rpm, and then smoothly transition to turbocharged mode to provide the driver with more powerful power output.

Although the discontinuation of the R8 will lead to the withdrawal of the high-revving V10 engine from the stage of history, the era of high-performance sports cars is not over. With the rapid development of electric vehicle technology and the tightening of environmental regulations, the high-performance sports car market will face new challenges and changes in the future. Traditional sports car manufacturers such as Audi and Lamborghini need to constantly innovate and adjust to adapt to changes in market demand. In this new context, they must accelerate their transformation and launch more environmentally friendly and high-performance models to remain competitive and meet consumer demand.

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