Audi R8 manufacturing has come to an finish after 17 years and two generations.
The ultimate instance of the mid-engine supercar rolled off the road at a plant in Germany final week, but it surely is not destined for a buyer. As an alternative, Audi will preserve it at its official museum in Ingolstadt, Germany.
The automobile was an R8 V10 Efficiency coupe completed in Vegas Yellow, much like the one proven right here.
R8 manufacturing was initially scheduled to finish in 2023, however Audi prolonged manufacturing after it acquired a flood of orders following the announcement final 12 months of the automobile’s demise. A particular R8 V10 GT RWD mannequin launched in late 2022 to mark the automobile’s run.
2023 Audi R8
Audi hasn’t stated whether or not there might be a direct successor to the R8, however ought to there be one it’s going to virtually definitely be an electrical automobile. Audi plans to launch its closing automobile geared up with an internal-combustion engine in 2026, after which the automaker will solely launch EVs—and that dedication extends to the Audi Sport division that’s accountable for the R8.
The PB18 E-Tron idea Audi rolled out in 2018 is one of the best illustration of what an R8 successor may very well be. The idea featured solid-state batteries, that are lighter than present liquid-type batteries and faster to cost. It is a know-how Audi’s Volkswagen Group father or mother is making ready for the second half of the last decade.
The R8’s company cousin, the Lamborghini Huracán, can be on its approach out. A successor arrives in late 2024, and is tipped to make use of a model of the Revuelto’s carbon-fiber platform and a brand new V-8 plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The R8 was conceived as a strategy to have fun Audi’s success in endurance racing, in addition to to unfold the funding price of the Gallardo supercar from fellow Volkswagen Group model Lamborghini. The R8 was previewed on the 2003 Geneva motor present by the Audi Le Mans Quattro idea, and reached U.S. shores as a 2008 mannequin. It was initially powered solely by a 4.2-liter V-8, however just a few years later Audi dropped the Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V-10 into the R8, creating within the course of one of many first unique automobiles that may very well be used as a each day driver.