High art meets high-tech

German premium carmaker Audi last week unveiled high-tech installation art showroom named "Audi R8 Spyder Matrix" for a three-day public display in downtown Beijing.

A 9-meter-high, glass-walled building houses Audi's 12 most-appealing models, including the R8 Spyder sports car, the A1 subcompact, the A7 Sportback and the brand's flagship A8L W12 quattro sedan.

The R8 Spyder, which hit the Chinese market last month carrying a tag price of 2.5 million yuan, features a mid-engine design usually seen only in racecars. Its 5.2 L V10 FSI engine can power the R8 Spyder from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds and to a maximum speed of 313 km/h.