Well, that’s that, then.
Audi – like Ferrari, Lamborghini and other purveyors of supercars – will not offer a three-pedal setup in the new 2016 R8.
The head of Audi’s Quattro GmbH, Heinz Hollerweger, told Automobile that the seven-speed dual clutch transmission in the 2016 R8 is just plain faster than any manual transmission Audi could develop. But that’s not the only reason. According to Hollerweger, a three-pedal setup in the new R8 simply doesn’t make sense from economically. The quattro chief says that orders for Audi R8 units with a manual gearbox, especially in Europe, were next to nothing.
Of course, one could always “keep it in the Volkswagen Group family” by taking his or her money to a Porsche dealer and plunk down some cash on a new Porsche Cayman GT4. Sure, might not be as fast as the new GT3 RS or the R8, which can only be had with a V10, but at least you get to row through the gears yourself. For many some of us, that’s really all that’s needed. Meanwhile, that sound you hear is the value of manually-equipped first-generation R8s going through the roof.
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