As we have already seen, the presentation of the new Audi R8 should not take long to show signs of life, and after knowing that Audi would not develop more internal combustion engines, those responsible for the brand let us know that the future of the R8 was going to be electric. Autocar colleagues have reported that the Audi R8 will return on a Porsche platform. The design seems to be already underway, but it will probably not be called Audi R8 nor will it follow the design line of the previous ones, meanwhile we will continue to call it that.
The Lamborghini camouflaged as a German gentleman, which has given us so much joy (and has given the brand) will have an heir to the Audi throne. It will stay true to the pure sports car concept, with two doors and more power than any car in the Audi range. Before this arrives, the current R8 will still be in production, and a series on the powered Audi R8 is expected to be announced, which will go on sale before the R8 has to say goodbye to us.
The R8 is built alongside the Audi e-Tron GT and RS e-Tron GT at the Audi Sport factory in Böllinger Höfe, Germany. This factory is at the forefront of Audi’s innovative production techniques, so the facility is already primed to produce high-end electric vehicles. Despite Audi Sport rushing to develop the successor to the R8, the team responsible for hand-building the R8 will remain in the factory after production ends, allowing Audi to ramp up production of the Audi e-Tron GT. This reflects the capacity that this team will have to assimilate the manufacture of the successor to the R8 in a couple of years and, in addition, Audi’s claim that the new model continues to have handmade elements, which would justify its price and position. within the Volkswagen Group.
Another detail that we can be almost sure of is that the Audi R8 will return on a Porsche platform. Recently, Porsche confirmed the SSP Sports platform, which will be used in SUVs and saloons and will come to replace the J1 platform, which is currently used in the manufacture of the brothers Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT. This new platform can be a good option, as long as it can be reduced to the right size for the new Audi R8.
On the other hand, there is another possible platform on which the new R8 is being developed. The platform that Porsche is preparing for its future electric Porsche Boxster and Cayman. This platform aims to mimic the driving characteristics of a mid-engine vehicle, by stacking batteries behind the front seats a similar weight distribution is achieved, in addition to a lower center of gravity. If their purposes are similar, it is possible that, finally, this will be the shared platform between Porsche and the new Audi. On the subject of platforms, Grams said: “We have brands across the Volkswagen Group that can create synergies. Despite being on the same platform, the Audi E-Tron GT and the Porsche Taycan are different.”
Given the statements, it is clear that for Audi Sport the successor to the Audi R8 is not going to be a rehash of another product of its group. The future R8 must exceed the figures of the Audi RS E-Tron GT, so it should have more than 637 hp and drop from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, in addition to exceeding a range of 237 km. What I am sure of is that Audi Sport will not leave us indifferent with its new model, it has a lot of life left in the RS range.
