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Report: Audi R8 to Return with Lambo Plug-In Power
Audi is gearing up to bring back the R8 supercar in 2027, reports Autocar.
Just like its two predecessors the third generation R8 will be built on Lamborghini architecture and powertrain. With the first R8 sharing its underpinnings with the Gallardo and the second version twinned with the Huracán, it’s now the turn of the Temarario to donate its platform to Lamborghini’s parent company.
Autocar claims that the main structure, drivetrain and electronics of the next R8 will be identical to the Temerario, but that Audi will differentiate its offering not just with its styling, but with an added dose of practicality. Using the new Lambo aluminum spaceframe increases stiffness by 25 percent, while also using half as many parts and cutting the number of welds by 80 percent in the process.
The four-liter twin-turbo V-8 will mark the first time forced induction has been used in the R8 and it’ll be the debut of hybrid tech as well. In the Temerario the flat-plane-crank motor, which revs to a heady 10,000 rpm, joins forces with three electric motors for a combined output of 907 hp. Audi is expected to add a plug and bigger battery to extend the electric-only range of the R8 from the rather paltry six miles offered by the Temerario.
There’s still talk of a fully-electric R8 to follow the run of just 100 R8 e-trons based on the second-generation car launched in 2015, however, with Maserati recently announcing the axing of its MC20 Folgore EV, Audi may well be wise to take a watching brief before risking putting an electric supercar on sale when the market appears to be steering clear.
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Another advantage of sticking with hybrid over full-electric would be the chance to put the R8 back on track, with Autocar suggesting that an FIA-homologated version will also be developed to allow Audi to return to its winning ways in endurance racing.
So how long before we see what this car will be?