Audi R8 2008 World Performance Car

The 2008 World Performance Car award has gone to the Audi R8 as announced today during the awards press conference the New York International Auto Show.

The Audi R8 was chosen from an initial entry list of twelve (12) contenders nominated by forty-seven (47) World Car jurors from twenty-four (24) countries throughout the world. Padraic Deane from Automotive Publications represents Ireland on the jury.
While the winner of the overall World Car of the Year award must excel in a broad range of attributes, there is a segment of the car-buying public for whom performance – in its broadest sense – overrides all other priorities. Vehicles appealing to that clientele may be too narrowly focused to appeal to the masses, but it is an important element in the overall automotive mix. It is for that reason that the World Performance Car award was created in 2005.

Candidates for the World Performance Car award must demonstrate a specific and overt Sports/Performance orientation. They must also satisfy the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car award and may be chosen from that list of eligible vehicles.

Additional entrants may include newly introduced variants that satisfy the same criteria, but are derived from existing rather than brand-new models. In all cases, they must have a minimum annual production rate of five-hundred (500) vehicles.

The jurors voted in January 2008 in order to establish a top ten shortlist. The 2008 World Performance Car was chosen from those finalists as tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

WCOTY's jurors observed that the Audi R8 has solid credentials on paper thanks to its mid-mounted 420-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 engine and aluminum construction. But where it excels is in the exceptional balance, refinement and control that grant the driver the confidence to push to the limit without fear of unintended consequences. That limit is high, with 0-100 KPH (62 MPH) acceleration of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 187 MPH. The R8’s dramatic visible carbon fiber side panels make a traffic-stopping visual statement, one that it backs up on the test track with astonishing precision for a car of its size category. The R8 is a surprisingly good value for its class.

The top three contenders for the third annual World Performance Car in addition to the Audi R8 were the BMW M3 and the Audi S5 Coupé.

“Last year, the Audi RS 4 won the World Performance Car award and we are thrilled to have retained the title with the Audi R8,” said Johan De Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America.

“This award is recognition for the superb work done by the engineers and designers who worked on the R8. It has immediately taken up a leadership position in the super sports car segment. We are also delighted that the World Car of the Year jurors voted the Audi S5 into the top three."

Mobil 1 announced its sponsorship of the World Performance Car award in November 2007. Nancy Carlson, strategic global alliances - sales director, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties. "The Mobil 1 team was pleased to sponsor the 2008 Performance Car of the Year award and congratulates the Audi R8 on the achievement of being named the 2008 world’s top performance car by the global panel of renowned automotive journalists serving on the Car of the Year jury."

Previous World Performance Car winners were the Audi RS4 in 2007 and the Porsche Cayman S in 2006.

From Easier Motoring