Audi wins this category yet again, but this time it’s not the TT or last year’s victor, the A5, but the R8, a victor that best sums up Audi’s upward shift, with the premium brand now moving in the most elite of circles.
Although not a natural fleet pick, there were more than 160 R8s registered to fleet purchases in 2009, closely following 2008’s figure. Rock-solid residual values and head-turning ability a Porsche 911 can only dream of mean there’s plenty of appeal for those lucky enough to afford the near-£80,000 entry price.
A second R8, in the form of the £99,580 V10 with 525PS rather than the V8’s 420PS, was launched in 2009. The developments don’t end there, either, with a convertible version arriving this year, even possibly followed by a diesel; with Audi having tasted Le Mans 24-hour race victory more than once with a diesel racing car, a black-pump powered supercar isn’t that big a stretch any more.
