Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Audi supposed to launch the R8 e-tron already? It's been delayed, canceled and re-designed, but the super-powerful and fast Tesla P90D must have thrown a spanner in the works. Curious to see what was going on, we scoured the internet and found out the electric sportscar was spotted over a month ago.
The guys at AutoTopNL (website from the Netherlands) were out testing the new S8 Talladega R from MTM when they sighted a peculiar R8 with blocked off air intakes.
Immediately, they recognized what it was and began their chase. Considering the tuned S8 had 802 horsepower, the 456 hp R8 e-tron had no chance of escaping.
The second version of the R8 e-tron was ultimately revealed in early 2015. However, test engineers are never happy if you film them. Seeing as he couldn't get away, the man driving the electric car pulled over in a lot, waited until his pursuers got out and then gave them the slip.
There is also another video of the same car in Austria back in May, when the Worthersee GTI gathering was happening. So for whatever the reason, Audi is still working on the project.
We know that electric mobility and full autonomy are a big part of Audi's plan for recovery after Dieselgate. But rumors suggested the 500-kilometer range hasn't been perfected yet.
By the end of the year, a T-shaped 92-kWh lithium-ion pack will be completed by partners LG Chem and Samsung SDI. Even though the e-tron 2.0 was developed due to customer demand, we can't help wonder what those people paying around €250,000 are thinking.
Compared to Tesla's 700-ish-horsepower monsters, this has only 456 coming from two electric motors, enough to go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). That number drops to 130 mph (209 km/h) when low rolling resistance tires are installed. We think the visual impact is also nothing like that of the BMW i8.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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