Audi has ramped up the performance on its rear-wheel drive V10 supercar – but it’s not likely to make the trip Down Under.
The 2022 R8 V10 RWD has been given a power boost and a new Performance badge, however the broader R8 range has already been removed from sale in Australia.
The 2022 R8 V10 Performance RWD has 419kW of power and 550Nm of torque from its naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine, good for a top speed of 329km/h in the coupe, and 327km/h in the convertible.
Peak power is up 22kW on the last R8 RWD, and peak torque is up by 10Nm. The all-wheel drive R8 V10 Performance has 449kW and 560Nm.
Audi sold the regular, non-Performance rear-wheel drive R8 in Australia alongside the full-fat all-wheel drive model until the supercar was axed locally.
Although it’s still being sold overseas, the R8 available in Australia featured a uniquely-tuned naturally-aspirated V10 engine.
Audi has ended production of our tune at its Hungarian engine plant, and won’t re-homologate the car with a different engine.
“Regarding the Audi R8, the current generation of the Coupe and Spyder are no longer offered in Australia, for local homologation reasons,” an Audi Australia spokesperson said.
“The R8 will continue to be produced for other markets. Audi AG is currently discussing various concepts for a possible R8 successor, but no decision has been made so far.”
Unlike the Alpine A110 and Nissan GT-R, the R8 V10 hasn’t fallen victim to new Australian Design Rules related to side-impact collisions.
The death of the R8 means Audi is without a supercar flagship in Australia for the first time since 2008.
The R8 debuted globally in 2006 with a mid-mounted V8 engine and a six-speed manual transmission, and went head-to-head with the Porsche 911 Carrera 4.
It has since morphed into the dual-clutch only V10 supercar twin to the Lamborghini Huracan we know today.
MORE: Everything Audi R8
