Audi R8 V12 TDI Concept

"Here to change the world"

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The 2008 Detroit Auto Show is all about fun, fashion, and in many cases, fast. Beautiful concepts are paraded that give a glimpse of future design or body styles, but often powered by wild 16-cylinder monsters or fuel cell/hybrid/solar/ethanol eco engines that may only exist in theory.

This year's show delivered a different kind of all-star ... one that sports a word seldom used in conjunction with 'sexy' or 'gotta have it': diesel. If you spent any time driving in Europe in the last decade, you know what diesel engines have become. They provide better fuel economy, more power, and are almost impossible to differentiate on the exhaust or noise scales from their gasoline brethren. And we in the U.S. market are on the brink of being able to take these gems home, thanks to new diesel fuel standards and advanced exhaust filtering.

Audi R8 V12 TDI Concept

And the flagship for this next wave has to be the incredible Audi R8 V12 TDI Concept. This is one of those moments where the word 'concept' really just means you can't buy one today or maybe even later this year. But it is coming, and with it are pinned Audi's hopes that you will give their mainstream diesels a try when considering one of the new oil-burners from Mercedes, BMW, Honda, and others later this year and into 2009.

We already know and love the V8-powered R8 as one of the certified "rock stars" in the 2008 automotive universe. To drive one is to know what it feels like to hear your name announced at the Academy awards or to see it up in lights at Carnegie Hall. But the R8 will soon have an option to be powered by a 6.0 liter V-12 diesel that hits 62 mph in just 4.2 seconds, on to a top speed of more than 186 mph. But most impressive is the torque rating of 738 lb-ft at just 1750 rpm. And that rating is what will impress American drivers, as torque is what you feel under acceleration. If a team of R8 V12 TDIs were lined up and all took off at the same time, the earth's rotation would no doubt be knocked off a degree or two.

Posted on 2008-01-21 | Permalink | |

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