THE first Audi model capable of blasting past the 200mph mark will hit the streets this autumn.

It is the second generation of the R8 mid-engined sports car and in the case of the range-topping V10, produces a massive 610PS.

Officially unveiled at next week's Geneva Motor Show, the latest R8 has been newly developed from the ground up.

And when the order book opens in May, performance car fans can look forward to a car that's both more dynamic and lighter than before.

The 5.2-litre FSI engine at the heart of the Audi comes in two versions - one with 540PS, the other producing 610PS.

The flagship model can scorch from 0-62 in 3.2seconds and on to a potential top speed of 205mph, its power transmitted to the road via a seven-speed Stronic transmission and a newly developed quattro all-wheel drive system.

Yet despite extra equipment and greater rigidity, the R8 V10 plus variant weighs up to 50kilograms less than its predecessor.

Inside the Audi virtual cockpit, where the displays are digital, the principal controls are grouped together in button clusters - which Audi calls satellites - on the steering wheel.

The driver is given the impression of sitting in a racing car and MMI navigation plus with MMI touch is standard.

Audi says the second generation R8 will form the basis for more models, like electric supercar the R8 e-tron with its 462PS of punch and 0-62 time of 3.9 seconds.

Courtesy of new battery cells, its range could be more than doubled compared to the first version of the car, which now exceeds 280 miles.

Audi's technical chief Dr Ulrich Hackenberg said: "With the new Audi R8, our engineers are bringing accumulated racing expertise from the race track onto the road. No other model of ours evokes more dynamic emotion.

"The new R8 V10 plus is the most powerful and fastest series-production Audi of all time."