The Audi R8, presented in 2006, has been for the last fifteen years one of the flagships of the firm with the four rings. The German supercar, created to enhance the brand’s image and increase its cache, received a second generation in 2015 that brought with it, among other novelties, a 100% electric version.
Baptized as R8 e-Tron, this model was a resounding failure, because after just one year on sale its production was canceled. The company produced only 100 units of this exclusive car, whose role as the “flagship electric sports car” of the Audi range has now been taken over by the the e-Tron GT saloon, a derivative of the Porsche Taycan.
For years, numerous rumors have circulated that, with the launch of the third generation of the R8, the e-Tron variant could return to the market. However, it was not clear if Audi was working on developing a new R8, the role of which as a representative model has taken a back seat of late.
The contradictory statements of the leaders of the brand have not helped either: while the former managing director of Audi Sport, Oliver Hoffmann, hinted at the time that the replacement for the R8 would be a hybrid model, the company’s CEO, Markus Duesmann went on to point out that an electric R8 “might make sense” in the future.
The Audi R8 e-Tron only lasted one year on the market
Linda Kurz, director of product marketing at Audi Sport, has now tipped the balance towards the second option, having confirmed during an interview that the heir to the R8 will be electric. According to the executive, the next challenge for Audi Sport after the e-Tron GT will be “to transform the R segment, and the R segment will be completely electric. This is our job for the next decade. “
This does not mean per se that the next R8 is going to be electric, but that its replacement, whether it is called R8 or not, will be. Audi Sport also plans to rapidly electrify its sports model lineup (by 2026, 80% of the RS range will have some form of electrification), following the example of the recently launched RS e-Tron GT.
