With little said about the Audi R8’s replacement this year, the German automaker has broken its silence on the third generation, which is due to be introduced in the “mid-decade”.
Confirmed to be an all-electric model in line with Ingolstadt’s move away from combustion engines by 2026, Audi Sport boss Sebastian Grams hinted in a lengthy interview with Britain’s Autocar that the replacement would be a closet item for the GT3 race car. they are about 60% identical to the current R8 GT3.
Although the executive order was not officially signed, she stated: “I am fighting for [an R8 successor] and therefore the Audi board. We’re looking at different kinds of concepts and the direction is electrifying. If I get my wish, it will be an electric R8. And if you make a super sports car, then this is a two-door concept.
Until now a hybrid was planned, combining a smaller 4.0-liter V8 engine with a biturbo engine and an electric motor, rumored to be installed on the RS7 as early as 2017, Graham said that the recent success of the Audi e-tron models, led by the RS e- tron GT, proves that electric is the way forward.
READ ALSO: Change? The successor to the Audi R8 will be exclusively electric
“We have already proven that it is possible to create RS love in an electric model. If you look at the E-tron GT, 60% of the sales come from the RS. With the RS E-tron GT, we’re in charge [electric] a forerunner among competitors,” he said.
“We need to be bold, as we were with the first generation R8. It was a brave decision to make this car. We need to be innovative and move into the world of electricity and digitalization.”
The edition is no longer scheduled to arrive in 2023, as previously reported, in which production of the current model is set to end. The publication goes on to report that the newcomer will indeed have a different name and will ride on Porsche’s newly launched SSP Platform, which is poised to underpin the next-generation Taycan, 718 Boxster and Cayman.
Expect more details to become apparent in the coming months.
