Audi goes soft

The Audi R8 Spyder will be the priciest Audi yet. Photo / Supplied

Audi will launch an R8 Spyder variant late next year. The topless car will be the priciest Audi yet.

The car is powered by a 5.2-litre FSI V10 pouring 386kW to all four wheels for a 0 to 100km/h time of 4.1 seconds, and a top speed of 313km/h.

Audi has kept the centre of gravity as low as possible by using a cloth top that weighs 30kg, activated electronically at speeds of up to 50km/h.

Carbon-fibre composites were used to cut weight, with carbon for the side panels and to cover the soft top when it's folded.

Audi says reinforcing the wide sills, centre tunnel, floor pan and pillars plus the roof apparatus has added 216kg over the coupe, to take the car to 1720kg.

The Spyder shares Audi's aluminium space frame structure with its roofed sibling, but goes without that car's side blades behind the doors. However, it does feature arched cowls containing integrated air vents to impart a unique rear profile.

As for the cabin, one option for tech-savvy owners is a seatbelt microphone for the hands-free phone.