The German auto maker has come up with a pleasant surprise for the sports car lovers in India. It shall soon launch its new sports car model R8 in India. The company announced that the new sports model shall be available by the end of 2008 for the lovers of sports model in the country.

"India is an important market for Audi, and there has been a tremendous interest in the Audi R8 up to pre-orders by our exclusive customers in India, so it was inevitable that we launch the Audi R8 here," Audi India Managing Director Benoit Tiers said in a statement. “The Audi R8 is the epitome of Vorsprung durch Technik – it embodies everything it stands for – advancement through technology," explained Benoit Tiers. "It also symbolises progressive design, our pursuit of perfection and unrivalled handling built from Audi’s motor sport history.”

The R8 model has already won considerable kudos and accolades in Germany and Europe. It comes with "Quattro", the all wheel drive system, 420bhp mid-mounted engine mated to 6 speed R-Tronic transmission which propels the sports model from zero to 100 kmp in 4.2 seconds.

An official price for the car is yet to be announced by the company but dealerships in Gurgaon, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune and Bangalore shall soon showcase the models at their outlets.