The Audi R8 may survive into a third generation but it could prove to be quite different from the current car.
When the R8 first launched way back in 2006, it hit the market with a 4.2-liter naturally aspirated V8. A more powerful variant with a 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 was introduced a couple of years later and as the car was updated for its second generation in 2015, the V8 was dropped, leaving the V10 as the sole engine option.
A new report from Auto Bild now claims that the third-generation R8 could return to V8 power, albeit a twin-turbo unit related to the 4.0-liter mill of the Lamborghini Urus and various other VW Group models. Auto Bild suggests that it could produce around 700 hp with some form of hybridization.
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The German publication fails to mention any other details about the next-gen R8, other than suggesting that it could launch in 2023 and may also be offered with an electric powertrain. Such an electric model could be positioned as the flagship variant, unlike the previous-generation R8 e-tron that produced just 456 hp and 679 lb-ft (920 Nm) of torque yet cost around €1 million ($1.15 million). Audi sold fewer than 100 examples of the R8 e-tron so any new electric version would need to be significantly more powerful and much, much cheaper.
Reports about the third-generation Audi R8 have been circulating for a couple of years now but the German automaker has yet to comment on the matter.
