Audi would work on replacing its R8 with an electrified version whose design would be completely new. Why not the prototype seen in the animated film The Incognitos Where Spies in disguise in its original version? ©Audi
Who has never dreamed of finding themselves in the place of Tony Starck, alias Iron Man, driving the only copy of an Audi R8 e-tron, apart from my esteemed colleague Yves Maroselli from Pointwho had this chance?
In reality, more than a movie prop, this Audi R8 e-tron was a rolling development laboratory meant to lead to series production. But in 2013, Audi managers judged that this R8 e-tron, whose selling price was estimated at more than €400,000, would not be profitable.
However, the idea of electrifying the R8 has not been buried. According to our British colleagues fromCoachthe firm with the rings would be in full development of a successor to the R8, whose production should end at the end of 2023.
Always according to Coach, this future electric supercar will bear a new name and display a completely renewed design, without sacrificing the DNA of the R8. We should therefore find a strict two-seater car and offering the greatest power of the entire Audi range, electric included.
What if the next Audi electric supercar looked like this? © Audi Sports
There remains the thorny question of the choice of platform, knowing that Audi is spoiled for choice. Nevertheless, it is likely that the manufacturer will use a platform developed by Porsche, whose level of expertise in sports cars is well established. We are talking in particular about the new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) on which the next Porsche SUVs and sedans should be based, replacing the J1, currently used by the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. The only constraint, and not the least important, is that the SSP will have to be reduced for these purposes.
The famous new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). ©Audi
The other option, which seems the most plausible, is also from Porsche. It would consist of using the next platform intended for the future electric Porsche 718 Boxster and Porsche Cayman. The architecture of this new platform “notably aims to mimic the handling characteristics of the current mid-engine 718 duo by stacking the batteries vertically behind the seats for a low center of gravity and optimal weight distribution“.
Whatever the choice of platform, this future electric supercar will have to surpass the Audi RS e-tron GT, which develops 637 hp and has a range of 380 km.
Like the R8, this new line-up flagship will be manufactured and produced at Audi Sport’s plant in Böllinger Höfe, Germany, alongside the Audi e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT. This factory is the pride of Audi since it is considered the spearhead of innovative production techniques.
Now remains to convince the board of directors of Audi so that the R8 has an electric descent. This is also the mission that Sebastian Grams, the boss of Audi Sport, has given himself: “We have to be brave, as we were with the first-gen R8. It was a brave decision to make this car. We must be innovative and transform ourselves in the electric world and digitalization“.
Let’s cross the wires…