GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Next-gen Audi R8 looming

UPDATED 10:00pm: Sources have confirmed the R8 e-tron plug-in hybrid will not incorporate a V8. Instead Audi is deciding between a V6 or a four-cylinder engine, suggesting the production version is at least three years away.

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Sources have confirmed that Audi will debut its long-awaited replacement for the range-topping R8 supercar at next month's Geneva motor show, to be held in the Swiss city over March 3-15.

The second-generation R8 will make its debut with just one engine variant: the 5.2-litre, naturally aspirated V10 it shares with its sister car, the Lamborghini Huracan.

Sources have confirmed the entry-level R8 with its 4.2-litre, all-alloy V8 engine has been killed off, though there will be some surprises over the life cycle of the new model.

There will be a plug-in hybrid variant of the R8 (possibly with the V8 as its petrol engine) and there may even be a fully electric version, while sources at Audi refuse to rule out a turbo-diesel R8 at a later stage.

The original R8 almost received a turbo-diesel V12, though it was killed very late in the production engineering process and the stand-alone V12 ended up powering the monster Q7 V12 TDI – the only car in the Audi lineup with an engine bay big enough to host the narrow-angled engine.

But the petrol-engined V10 will be the star of the show initially, and is expected to get a power hike of around 20kW to reach up towards 425kW.

The direct-injection, all-alloy V10 is expected to adopt the same cylinder deactivation and start-stop technology Audi fits to its twin-turbo V8 in the RS6 and RS7 to deliver a significant reduction in fuel consumption.

The R8 received a facelift in 2013, which included the addition of a dual-clutch, seven-speed transmission to go with its faster all-wheel drive system. The second-generation R8 is likely to take that technology further, with an even faster shift system and an electro-hydraulic Haldex V all-wheel drive system that will be much faster than the outgoing car’s viscous coupling unit.

All of this tech will be busy inside the chassis it shares with the Huracan, which means it is a hybrid design that combines spaceframe aluminium parts and a carbon-fibre rear bulkhead structure for stiffness and lightness. Fully 23 per cent of the chassis will be in carbon fibre, saving almost 25kg in weight.

The bonnet and the roof are both likely to be made from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP), while composites will be found all through the car. There are expected to be glass-fibre-reinforced polymer springs offered at each corner, the brakes will be carbon-ceramic and even the anti-roll bars will be CFRP.

That doesn’t mean the metal parts will be ignored, because Audi has turned to make the rear wheel hubs out of titanium, sources say, helping achieve a kerb weight beneath 1500kg.

The test prototypes have all had one thing in common visually – the signature vertical 'blade' on the side is gone. Sources at Audi have suggested this is because the designers wanted to stress the R8's length, rather than its height, this time around.

Other than that, the visual upgrades seem modest and the design is evolutionary, right down to a redesigned single-frame Audi grille and new air intakes at the front. The rear end gets square exhaust tips and a new diffuser, plus a pop-up active rear wing.

Expect plenty of the TT's ground-breaking interior technology to transfer to the R8, too, but tweaked to be more appropriate to a car that's even more focused on speed. The rear-view mirror is also likely to be digital, taking its images from a rear-facing camera.