V10 Machine to Stay for Another Couple of Months!
In 2023, Audi announced the discontinuation of its popular TT sports car and also planned to retire the impressive R8 shortly after. However, this did not come to fruition as originally intended. Despite initially planning to end production of the powerful V10 supercar before the new year, the naturally aspirated vehicle continues to be produced.
In an interview with the German business publication Automobilwoche, Audi has confirmed that production of the R8 will continue at their Böllinger Höfe facility, where they also manufacture the RS E-Tron GT. This news is surprising given that the R8 V10 GT RWD, which marked the model’s final iteration, was unveiled in October 2022. With the knowledge that the R8 will soon come to an end, it appears that affluent buyers are hurrying to purchase one while they still can.
In the United States, sales of the R8 showed a significant increase last year. With a total of 631 units sold in 2023, there was a remarkable rise of 101 percent compared to the previous year’s sales of only 314 cars. While Audi has not yet revealed the global sales figures for 2023, it is expected to be announced on March 19 during the investor meeting for the 2023 financial report. However, as of now, we can confirm that in 2022, Audi sold a total of 1,097 vehicles and in 2021, 1,679 cars were purchased.
The latest proposal involves discontinuing the R8 model in March of 2024, which is a slight postponement from the original timeline by approximately three months. We have reached out to Audi to confirm this information.
The Volkswagen Group has no plans for a direct substitute as they phase out the reliable 5.2-liter V10 engine. This also indicates that the upcoming Lamborghini Huracan will bid farewell to its ten-cylinder powerplant. In turn, the Italian automaker intends to introduce a plug-in hybrid system utilizing a smaller combustion engine.
Audi Sport remains committed to the concept of a specialized flagship model, as hinted by company officials. They suggest that an electric version of the R8 could potentially be developed in the future, utilizing the upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) from parent company VW Group. This versatile platform can also be tailored for other iconic vehicles, such as sports cars. Could this also pave the way for the return of the beloved TT? Only time will tell.
It should be noted that Audi has previously introduced an electric version of their popular R8 model. However, this venture was not met with success as the R8 E-Tron saw limited sales and was ultimately discontinued after being purchased by less than 100 customers. Unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, the vehicle only remained on the market for a mere year in Europe, where it carried an exorbitant price tag of €1 million. Due to its exclusivity, the relatively unknown electric supercar was not widely available and could only be ordered directly from Audi’s headquarters.
In reality, it wasn’t even listed in the configurator, consequently lacking adequate promotion which eventually led to its downfall. Additionally, the exorbitant price tag only added to its struggles. Hopefully, Audi will develop a more effective plan for their next electric R8, and one that doesn’t carry such a hefty price tag. The futuristic PB18 E-Tron gave us a glimpse of an R8 without a traditional engine, although the concept is nearly four years old.
