Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 157

155
Management Report
132 Audi Group
141 Business and underlying
situation
141 Economic environment
143 Research and development
147 Procurement
148 Production
150 Deliveries and distribution
156 Financial performance
indicators
159 Social and ecological aspects
173 Risks, opportunities
and outlook
183 Disclaimer
The A8 L, the long-wheelbase version of the A8, was launched in fall 2010. The A8 L W12 quattro
was also given its first public showing. With a 130 millimeter longer wheelbase, these models
offer the benefit of a substantially more comfortable and spacious rear compartment. Exclusive-
ly for the A8 L W12 quattro, there is a 12-cylinder engine with a displacement of 6.3 liters and
gasoline direct injection. This accelerates the long-wheelbase A8 from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.7
seconds thanks to its output of 368 kW (500 hp) and gives its occupants a superbly refined ride.
Demand for the A8 luxury sedan reached an excellent level in its very first year on the market. In
2010 a total of 17,039 (11,703) vehicles were delivered, a rise of 45.6 percent.
Audi R8
The Audi brand extended its product range in the supercar segment during the past fiscal year.
In March 2010 the first specimens of the R8 Spyder 5.2 FSI quattro were delivered to customers.
This vehicle blends breathtaking dynamism with the experience of open-top driving. As in the
Coupé, a 386 kW (525 hp) V10 high-revving mid-engine with gasoline direct injection delivers
spectacular road performance. The light aluminum body using the Audi Space Frame principle
(ASF), all-LED headlights and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system which directs more
of the propulsive power to the rear wheels demonstrate the high technological standards of the
brand with the four rings.
The top version of the R8 car line, the R8 GT, was unveiled in May 2010. This supercar is available
in a limited edition of 333 units. The R8 GT’s curb weight is just 1,525 kilograms thanks to the
use of innovative lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and magnesium, some 100 kilo-
grams lighter than the R8 5.2 FSI quattro. The ten-cylinder engine’s output was increased to
412 kW (560 hp). The Audi R8 GT consequently has a power-to-weight ratio of 2.72 kg/hp and
accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a breathtaking 3.6 seconds. In July 2010 the model range
gained a new member, the R8 Spyder 4.2 FSI quattro, with an eight-cylinder 4.2-liter engine and
developing 316 kW (430 hp).
In total, 3,166 (3,074) vehicles of the R8 car line were delivered to customers in the period
under review.
Supercars of the Lamborghini brand
The Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini added to its product range in the year under
review. In March 2010 this fully-owned subsidiary of AUDI AG introduced the new top model of
the Gallardo car line, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera. It weighs 70 kilograms
less than the Gallardo LP 560-4, at 1,340 kilograms. The use of carbon fibers on the interior and
exterior, a core competence of the brand with the bull, was the key to this weight reduction. In
conjunction with an output of 419 kW (570 hp) from the ten-cylinder engine with 5.2 liters
displacement, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera achieves a power-to-weight ratio of
2.35 kg/hp, opening the way for remarkable road performance.
In addition, the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante was unveiled to the
public in November 2010. The model marks the brand’s systematic application of its lightweight
design strategy to the Gallardo Spyder. This model is now 65 kilograms lighter than the Gallardo
LP 560-4 Spyder at just 1,485 kilograms – an outstanding figure in the exclusive segment of
open-top supercars. Like the Gallardo Superleggera, the Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante
is fitted with a ten-cylinder engine with an output of 419 kW (570 hp) that delivers a particu-
larly intense open-top driving experience.
Lamborghini deliveries totaled 1,302 (1,515) vehicles in 2010. While the Gallardo car line
was slightly down on the previous year at 1,052 (1,112) sports cars delivered, the top model
Murciélago did not match the previous year’s figure because its production ceased in May 2010,
with a total of 250 (403) units built. Over a production period of almost ten years, 4,099 of the
Murciélago were delivered to customers, making the most-built Lamborghini model with
12-cylinder engine the most popular supercar in the world.