[chernaudi]

The R18's old louver package does the same effect from certain angles--and I do believe that I see a carbon strip in that hole like one of the louver plates. With as big as the holes are supposed to be as far as surface area, we should either see a cut out in the top of the rear fenders, or more light entering the wheel well.

Audi may have the 2012 parts as far as those devices at Sebring, but they don't seem to have been used in the PR test photos released to the press.

As to the redesigned nose, it's now suspected that the front suspension has been altered for either improved mechanical grip, to cater for the hybrid system driving the front wheels (sort of unlikely because of ACO restrictions on the activation of such systems), both, or neither--hard to tell since Audi has only released these three photos and no details of technical specs or info, though one has to say that if Audi are confident enough to test the car at Sebring--which is visible to the public--that info may be out fairly soon.

Mike has also hinted that the turbocharger intake has been enlarged--possibly to cool a component of the hybrid system, or, more likely, feed more air to the turbocharger intake to try and force more air though the air restictor and, theoretically, make more power. It seems that Audi is following the way of Peugeot--have one main standard areo package, and refine mechanical grip and engine power to their practical maximums. After all, the R18 was faster than the 908 over a lap at Le Mans, but even there, the R18 was noticeably slower down the straights (they needed to draft with the Pugs to try and make overtaking moves at about every track, not just LM), and areo grip doesn't help a lot in low speed corners and the dirty air of traffic.

And has a meaning to the intake in the lower engine intake of the old R18 been discovered--I think it may've been a dual function component, to feed air into the cockpit and maybe as a boundary layer enhancer or separator.