Audi Reinvents the Supercar with its R8 V12 TDI:

Audi has done it again. First, they set the world on fire with design. Pick your own favorite example: the A4 (B5 chassis), the first A8 or the original TT -- a car I believe is qualified to someday join the Jaguar E-Type on permanent display at the Museum of Modern Art. Next, they rewrote the rulebook on interior fit and finish, becoming the standard by which other manufacturers are evaluated.

Then, the overachieving continuum that is Audi created an all-conquering racing car... that just happened to be diesel powered. I remember thinking, "Are you kidding me?" as the R10 started collecting Le Mans trophies (current tally: 2). What could possibly be next? Well as it turns out, the reinvention the supercar as we know it in the form of the Audi R8 V12 TDI.

I won't spend a lot of time on the design of the R8 V12 TDI because it's just slightly modified aesthetically from the standard R8. What I will say of its design is that it isn't quite as simple and clean as the production R8. You decide whether that's good or bad and we'll move on... Okay I can't resist, it's bad. And that wing? Come on guys; give us something better than aisle 4 at Pep Boys. All right, now we can move on.

This car is my choice as the best concept car at the North American International Auto Show. I make this claim not because of its styling, but for its significance and audacity. In a single move, the R8 V12 TDI makes all other supercars seem completely irresponsible, if not downright silly. It's got all the performance (some 700+ lb.-ft. of torque will see to that), all of the flair (gorgeous R8 base), and it's environmentally sound. Crazy. And brilliant.

Let's face it; no one has ever looked at an environmentally responsible car and thought, "OHMYGOD! I've got to have one of those!" Think about it. When was the last time you did a double take as a Prius went by? How about a Honda Insight? Let's face it, pure, heart-pounding desire has never been in the same time zone as this class of car.

But now comes the R8 V12 TDI and suddenly decreasing our carbon footprint has a sexy poster. And we all know sex sells. How better to get the citizens of our planet on board the green express than to add desirability to responsibility? To make your heart pull you towards what is "right" for our environment instead of just your conscience? Never before has being good to the planet looked so good.

That more than anything else is what makes this car so bold. You could almost hear the collective jaws at Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, et al., hitting the floor as the significance of this car sank in. That is why the Audi R8 V12 TDI is my pick as best concept at the NAIAS, 2008.