Audi Open-air R8 Spider

In what seems likes a war brewing between car manufacturers in Germany, Carupdate has come across an artists impression of the Audi R8 open-air convertible due to be released in 2009.

Our guess is that this picture is not far off what the production version will look like. Reports indicate that this very attractive machine will give up the conventional drop top up in favour of lift off targa panels, a decision that will help reduce overall weight of the vehicle and will also ensure that people within range of sight will have a sore neck.

Other news on the Audi front is that there are plans for a 4 door coupe style competitor aimed for the niche Mercedes CLS market, named the A7 it will most likely share its platform with the current A6.

To ensure Audi are well and truly pissing off the bigwigs at BMW and Mercedes, there are also plans for a Mini rival. Dubbed the A1, it will be available in a range of body styles.

Darcy