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Audi R8 Spyder (2010) first pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 10 September 2009 10:15 These are the first pictures of the Audi R8 Spyder, after the images were leaked onto the internet ahead of the car’s debut at the Frankfurt motor show next week. Power is only expected to come from the 5.2-litre V10 engine, so the Spyder will send 518bhp and 390lb ft to all four wheels via either a six-speed manual or an automated-manual R-tronic gearbox. The R8 Spyder also has the same double-strake front intakes and rear vents as the V10, plus the chrome-surrounded central grille and twin oval exhausts.

News watch April 2010: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourThursday 29 April 2010• The European Commission has published a document outlining plans to encourage the take-up of electric cars. It includes a strategy for a common charging socket (Financial Times)• BMW has leapfrogged Toyota as the world's most valuable automotive brand, according to the BrandZ Top 100 survey.

Michelin Challenge Design competition celebrates 10 years

Michelin has released a short video documenting the last ten years of the Challenge Design competition. With excepts from jury members Freeman Thomas, Director of Advanced Design at Ford; Victor Nacif, VP of Design at Nissan Design Europe; Geza Loczi, Director of Design at Volvo Monitoring Concept Center; Dave Marek, Advanced Design Director for Honda North America; Steward Reed, Chair of Transportation Design at ACCD; Frank Saucedo, Design Director of GM's Advanced Design Studio in California and Chris Chapman of BMW Designworks USA, the video outlines some of the 2700 entries Michelin has received since the competition's inception in 2002. That year, the MCD display at the NAIAS in Detroit featured cars from European design houses.