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The Audi R8 is the brand’s halo sports car. It’s charming. But it has grown a bit dated since debuting in 2015 with its naturally-aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine, its rear-wheel-drive layout and its relatively steep starting MSRP of $148,700. And the present model is about to become even more outmoded as Audi makes a massive push toward electrification.
We don’t know whether Audi will build a third-generation R8. But Audi Sport confirmed to Roadshow that the new R8 or whatever replaces it will be an electric car. Some of Audi’s RS-branded vehicles will have a transition period as hybrids — Audi expects 80% of the RS cars to have some electrified component by 2026 — but the R lineup “will be fully electric.”Audi plans to have the entire lineup be all but fully electric by 2033.
Oddly enough, the new electric car would not be the first electric R8. Audi actually built an R8 e-tron, based on the second-generation R8, back in 2015. And it went into production in Europe. It achieved a decent 280 miles of range under European testing, put out 339 lb-ft of torque and accelerated from 0-62 mph in under four seconds. The main issue was the price tag, a staggering $1.1 million. Audi canceled the car after one year and double-digit sales.
Whatever the next Audi R halo car looks like, it should be absolutely insane. That car would likely have to outdo the current RS e-tron GT , which can tap up to 637 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds with the boost engaged. And we can hope the starting price will be a tad more reasonable.