Audi celebrates world premiere of R18 hybrid race car

Audi will be entering the 2016 motorsport season with the most powerful and efficient race car it has ever built, with the new R18 celebrating its world premiere on the occasion of the Audi Sport Finale at the Audi Training Centre Munich.

The R18 has been fundamentally redesigned for the 2016 season. The LMP1 race car that competes in the Le Mans 24 Hours and in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) features innovative aerodynamics, represents the next stage in lightweight design and has a modified hybrid system with lithium-ion batteries for energy storage, plus an efficiency-optimised TDI engine.

"With our new Audi R18, we're setting a clear signal: Audi continues to put the pedal to the metal in motorsport, deliberately relying on TDI - the world's most successful automotive efficiency technology - at Le Mans," said Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.

The 2016 FIA WEC will start at Silverstone on April 17^th, and Audi Sport Team Joest will be fielding two new R18 race cars.