Evolving priorities means fewer frivolities, like supercars.
You won’t find CarShowroom ever rallying against the continued evolution of the motor car or their propulsion systems, nor will you see us complaining about emissions regulations. That said, the changing landscape of the automotive industry means that players, either corporations or specific models, aren’t being shown much mercy in light of the fervent, relentless push towards ‘future mobility’ solutions and ‘alternatively-propelled’ cars.
Making moves like that, breaking new ground as it were, costs a lot of money. And anyone who’s ever had to tighten their belt will know that when the pennies aren’t plenty, the first things to go are the luxuries and frivolities, as their names suggest. To a carmaker like Audi, with a strong commitment to keeping up with tightening emissions standards and a highly-electrified future, it means that the first casualty of the future mobility push is the R8.
American publication Car & Driver asked Audi research & development boss Peter Mertens at the sidelines of the recently-concluded Geneva Motor Show about the R8, and whether there were plans to kill it off:
“I would say so [that the R8 won’t be replaced]. I always get [my PR chief] very nervous when I start talking about that stuff. But never say never; Performance cars, are good for Audi.” — Peter Mertens, Board Member (Technical Development), Audi AG
In publishing Mertens’ comments, the report also claimed that it “is known” that Audi is developing a biturbo V6 version of the supercar. If that proves to be true, we reckon we’ll see the 2.9-litre mill from the RS4 and RS5 employed. In those cars, the V6 puts out a pretty impressive 331kW and 600Nm, which should be enough to rocket the R8 from rest to 100km/h in under 5-seconds, while consuming far, far less than the present V10.
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