Audi R8 to get pipsqueak engine
Entry-level R8 coming, but will customers accept five- or six-cylinders? Audi boss "not sure"The all-new Audi R8 scheduled to arrive in Australia in the second quarter of 2016 will be offered exclusively with a mid-mounted 5.2-litre V10 engine. That means the circa-$280,000 'entry-level' V8 variant will be no more next year.
As such, Audi customers can expect to start the bidding at above $350,000 for the 10-pot monster.
But what about former owners of the V8 model, or supercar buyers on a 'budget'? Will they get a chance to buy a five- or six-cylinder R8 in future?
"I wouldn't say it's out of the question," Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle has told motoing.com.au.
"I can't confirm any future product for R8, but that car is a halo car for us. It's a supercar, so performance with a six? I'm not sure.
"For now we're only confirming it as a V10," he said.
The all-new Audi R8 touched down on Australian soil for the first time in July 2015 as part of the German company's sponsorship of the International Championship Cup football tournament, and it turned plenty of heads finished in striking Vegas Yellow.
As we've reported in the past, Audi has confirmed there will be a new entry-level level R8 supercar and it's almost guaranteed to be turbocharged. But the nature of the high-performance powerplant that will be sandwiched between occupants and the rear axle is not yet clear.
Not only is the current naturally-aspirated V8 unlikely to be replaced in the R8 it's also looking unlikely for future passenger cars like the RS 4, but Doyle was circumspect when quizzed on that point.
"I couldn't confirm that... We're always trying new things, so stay tuned, we'll see."
As an alternative powerplant for the R8, the stir-crazy 412kW 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine from the RS 6 is understood to be an ill-fit for the car's architecture, which is shared with the Lamborghini Huracan.
As such, two prospects are looking stronger – a next-generation rebuild of Ingolstadt's five-cylinder turbo, which currently pumps out 270kW and 465Nm in the new RS 3. It's expected to be enhanced beyond 300kW once renewed, thanks to electrically-boosted turbochargers.
The other option is an all-new turbo V6, the same engine that's expected to replace the naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 in the RS 4.
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