Oh No: Audi Rumored to Axe the R4!

We admit, we weren’t totally in love with the idea of R4, as the TT-RS already delivers R8-like acceleration, though it’s not as exciting to drive. But any sportscar that is being built instead of a crossover or SUV is OK in our opinion.

Imagine our disappointment when we read the report from Auto Motor and Sport. While nothing is official yet, the sportscar might not see the light of day because it would eat up sales from the TT an Porsche’s Boxter and Cayman. In addition, the Volkswagen Bluesport variant would likely have been too expensive to be competitive.

We don’t completely agree with the decision, as the Audi R4 did sound more like a marketing exercise, but VW doesn’t really have a car like this in its range.

At this year’s NAIAS in Detroit, Audi showed a second version of the e-tron concept first seen in Frankfurt back in 2009. It was 27 cm (10.63 inches) shorter in length and 12 cm (4.72 inches) narrower and 1 cm (0.39 inch) lower then the previous concept. It also has a gross weight of around 1,350 kg (2976 lbs), which is 250 kg (551 lbs) less than the Frankfurt e-tron.

In the concept form, two electric motors drive the front and rear axles. Together they make 150kW (204hp) and 2,650 Nm (1954.54 lb-ft) of torque which can be freely varied between the wheels as required. Audi says the car is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100km/h (62 mph) in 5.9 seconds and is limited to 200km/h (124mph).