While earlier reports seem to suggest that Audi won’t be planning to create a direct successor of its halo model, the R8, it appears that the four rings are planning something even more rapid – a hypercar, to be exact. That’s right, the next-generation Audi R8, which is due to debut in 2022, could be an all-electric hypercar.
According to an Autocar report, Audi’s short term plan is to wind down the use of V8 engines, a trend which saw the RS4 and RS5 adopt a smaller but more potent V6 engine. The eight-cylinder engine is only reserved for the more upscale products such as the A6, A7, A8 and SQ7 SUV.
Senior executives in Audi have hinted that the third-generation model will only be offered as an electric car, and will likely take design inspiration from the PB18 e-tron concept which debuted earlier this year at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It features three electric motors to churn 775 hp (570 kW) – a top speed of 300 km/h is touted, as well as a blistering zero to 100 km/h sprint time in the low two seconds.
However, word is that Audi is planning to develop the next R8 with pure performance intent, pushing output beyond the 1,000 hp mark. That will reportedly bring the century sprint time down to two seconds flat (thanks in part to all-wheel drive), easily making it the quickest-accelerating Audi ever. We could possibly get our first look at such a potential model in the form of the e-tron GT concept when it debuts in Los Angeles soon.
Originally, the decision to axe the R8 was due to plateauing sales, with Audi barely making the 1,500-unit per year mark in Europe. Sales in the US have also slumped. Fortunately, the company is positioning itself as a leader in electric cars, with plans to sell 800,000 electrified cars (about a third of its global sales) by 2025. The push will be spearheaded by the upcoming Audi e-tron, followed by the Audi e-tron Sportback in 2019. Well then, would the next R8 mark the return of the R8 e-tron moniker? What do you think?
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This Audi looking more and more like a Lambo.