Audi e-tron R8 Rendered with AI:ME Concept Influences Looks Adequate

The three models have only been shown under wraps so far, letting little else than their silhouette to be seen, but the German carmaker has recently teased one of them, the Grand Sphere, in slightly more detail. By the looks of it, what we'll be looking at in September is the future of Audi's luxury class - think a cross between the A8 and A7 Sportback - after the switch to electric power.

The other two are called Urban Sphere and Sky Sphere and, based on the little we've seen of the Grand Sphere so far, we're quite excited to see how Audi applied this new design direction to other body styles. Especially since Sky Sphere promises to be a long-hooded (weird layout for an EV, but we guess it could hide a large frunk) two-door, two-seat (2+2 at best) sleek-looking coupe, something the EV world is still missing.

Well, with the Rimac Nevera just around the corner, you can't really say it's also missing a super sports car, but if life so far has taught us one thing, it's that you can never have too many of those. Enter the Audi e-tron R8, the logical successor of the German company's successful model.

What we have here is just an independent rendering, which is probably why it uses an old Audi concept for inspiration instead of the new direction shown by the three upcoming concepts. Still, there's no denying the AI:ME's aggressive face suits the sports car better than the compact hatchback it made its debut on back in 2019.

Being a mid-engine sports car, the R8's exterior doesn't need too many major modifications to become a feasible EV, especially if you look at what Rimac did with the Nevera's battery to limit the customary thick floor most other EVs get - i.e., it stuck the bulk of the battery cells between the two seats and behind them.

In that sense, SRK Designs' take on the e-tron R8 makes perfect sense, but given what Audi seems to be preparing behind closed doors, we suspect we're about to witness a major change in the company's exterior design philosophy, which includes a departure from the way it's been doing things lately.

That would be a little ironic since almost everyone agrees Audi's been on a rampage lately as far as exterior designs are concerned, with the e-tron GT, the RS6, or the RS Q8 being the first examples that come to mind. Still, that doesn't mean there is no room for improvement, and maybe that's exactly what the new range of vehicles will bring. If not, we'd be more than OK with something similar to the e-tron R8 in this rendering.