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Current A8 W12 Is The “Last Installation” Of A 12-Cylinder Engine In An Audi

Remember the report from October 2017 according to which Audi plans to kill off the V10 in the R8 and W12 in the A8? It turns out the 12-cylinder won’t live past the current generation of the A8. The V10 in the R8, meanwhile, is facing the ax.
2018 Audi A8 96 photos
Photo: Audi
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Because of the greater focus on electrification and the Premium Platform Electric that Audi is co-developing with Porsche, it’s getting tougher and tougher for the four-ringed automaker to justify the V10 and W12. But more importantly, most of the funds for powertrain development have been re-directed toward electrification.

Speaking to Car & Driver, research & development head Peter Mertens explains: “We will not have the 12-cylinder forever. There are customers who really want the 12-cylinder and they are happy with it and are going to get it. But this is going to be the last installation.” On second thought, does this mean Bentley prepares to bid farewell to the 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged W12 as well? It’s extremely likely, yes.

The British automaker, as you’re well aware, is also going electric. The Bentayga Plug-In Hybrid represents the first step in this direction, with the Barnato sports car confirmed to arrive in 2019 with an all-electric powertrain. Based on the timing, it’s best to look forward to the J1 platform of the Porsche Mission E, not the PPE that will see its first application in the year 2021 with the likes of the Audi e-tron GT.

What will happen to the R8 after the 5.2-liter V10 kicks the bucket? Based on more or less official reports and a handful of spy photos, the mid-cycle refresh will bring forth the 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 from the RS4 Avant and Porsche Panamera 4S. In the R8, the engine could be tuned to produce close to 500 bhp and 500 pound-feet.

Transitioning to a force-fed V6 would downgrade the R8 from supercar to a rival for the Porsche 911. And with this move, the price is also going down to the level of the Carrera 4S. Think of a retail price in the ballpark of $120,000, not $164,900.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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