The production of the R8 consists of 80 percent manual work, all Audi employees in red instead of white overalls. The only colour available at no extra charge when ordering a R8. However, meanwhile the production is outsourced. The body shell, weighs only 240 kg and has almost 100 metres long welds and is held together by 782 punching rivets.
That's exactly the typical aluminum processing, the keeps the kerb weight of the coupé incl. driver still just below 1,700 kg despite all wheel drive and V10 engine. The possible two engines are pure Audi products, related to each other and with the V6 by shared bank angle.
However, the V8 is manufactured e.g. in Györ, Hungary. The all-wheel concept comes from Lamborghini, more precisely the Gallardo, also a 'relative'. However, it's probably the barely rationalized production that makes the car relatively expensive and therefore is spread so little. 02/15