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Sales of the Audi mid-engined supercar have apparently been so bad that the company is going to pull the plug at the end of the decade. Not only that, but all projects related to the R8 are scrapped.
This is based on a report from Automotive Magazine, which we frankly have trouble believing. It's way too sudden for a halo car like this to die, and sales aren't supposed to have anything to do with it, especially when Audi is making plenty of money from its other models, especially the SUVs.
Apparently, 2020 is the year when the Lamborghini Huracan, which shares the R8's platform, will also switch to a new generation. Audi is not investing any more money to co-develop these naturally-aspirated legends.
But that would mean the R8 would have stayed in production for only five years. Its predecessor was available between 2006 and 2015, in which time it managed 28,600 deliveries. Something else that contradicts this story is the R8 RWS from the beginning of the year and the R8 GT which was recently spied.
The R8's demise also means there's no chance of a successor for the R8 e-tron. Honestly, didn't anybody expect them to make one? The good news is apparently an Audi version of the Porsche Mission E scheduled to arrive in 2019 as a modern Quattro. Again, that's something we have a hard time believing, considering the e-tron Sportback crossover is also supposed to come out in 2019.
Apparently, there was also an R8-based supercar in the pipeline with 1,000 horsepower from a V8 fitted with Ducati's desmodromic valve train.
The report also talks about the 2.9 TFSI reaching its maximum potential at 470 HP, 20 more than it currently offers. However, it's expected that a plug-in version will add another 116 HP from an electric motor, something similar to what was in the Q8 Sport concept.
While the hot versions of S6 and S7 are likely to use the twin-turbo V6, the RS models will have a 4-liter shared with Porsche. No surprises there!
Apparently, 2020 is the year when the Lamborghini Huracan, which shares the R8's platform, will also switch to a new generation. Audi is not investing any more money to co-develop these naturally-aspirated legends.
But that would mean the R8 would have stayed in production for only five years. Its predecessor was available between 2006 and 2015, in which time it managed 28,600 deliveries. Something else that contradicts this story is the R8 RWS from the beginning of the year and the R8 GT which was recently spied.
The R8's demise also means there's no chance of a successor for the R8 e-tron. Honestly, didn't anybody expect them to make one? The good news is apparently an Audi version of the Porsche Mission E scheduled to arrive in 2019 as a modern Quattro. Again, that's something we have a hard time believing, considering the e-tron Sportback crossover is also supposed to come out in 2019.
Apparently, there was also an R8-based supercar in the pipeline with 1,000 horsepower from a V8 fitted with Ducati's desmodromic valve train.
The report also talks about the 2.9 TFSI reaching its maximum potential at 470 HP, 20 more than it currently offers. However, it's expected that a plug-in version will add another 116 HP from an electric motor, something similar to what was in the Q8 Sport concept.
While the hot versions of S6 and S7 are likely to use the twin-turbo V6, the RS models will have a 4-liter shared with Porsche. No surprises there!
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