2020 R8 supercar gets new styling, more hp; TT coupe faces uncertain future

NEW YORK — The latest updates to Audi's two high-performance twin- seaters — the 2020 R8 V-10-powered supercar and the more diminutive four-cylinder-powered 2019 TT RS — are not only aimed at different buyers, they appear to be aimed in different directions.

Both were shown at last week's New York auto show.

The updates to the 2020 R8 include fresh exterior styling, new colors inside and out, and new wheels to go with enhanced performance from the naturally aspirated 5.2-liter gasoline engine. Audi says it gained 30 hp from the R8 V10 Coupe, lifting the total to 562 hp and allowing the supercar to go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 201 mph.

An even more powerful version, the R8 V10 performance coupe, keeps its 602-hp rating and can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds.

Audi is releasing a limited-run 10-year anniversary edition of the higher-performance R8 coupe called the Decennium for the 2020 model year, featuring Mythos Black metallic paint, matte bronze-finished milled 20-inch wheels and intake manifolds, and special badging.

Only 222 of the numbered Decennium versions will be manufactured globally, including 50 that will be sold in the U.S., Audi said.

The 2020 R8 V10 Coupe will start at $172,450 including delivery and gas guzzler tax, and the Decennium version will start at $217,545.

While the R8's future looks relatively secure, the same likely can't be said for the German luxury brand's smaller TT sports coupe. Brand head Bram Schot hinted this year that the TT's days may be numbered, at least in gasoline-powered form, telling Autocar magazine that he's "got some things cooking which could replace TT, though not necessarily directly."

Until then, the latest updates for the 2019 Audi TT RS include a modified front fascia, a redesigned fixed rear-wing spoiler, newly standard 19-inch titanium matte-finished five-arm wheels, and a newly available Dynamic package that includes 20-inch wheels, red brake calipers and sport exhaust tips.

The 2019 Audi TT RS starts at $67,895 including delivery.