British outlet Autocar reports that the Audi R8 supercar is slated for a comeback, but with a twist. The R8 that was discontinued in 2024 packed a roaring naturally aspirated, Lamborghini-derived V10 behind the cockpit. The next-gen R8 is rumored to be a plug-in hybrid.
Autocar says the Audi R8 is in the engineering process with the approval of chairman Gernot Döllner, and it’s tentatively slated for a 2027 debut. In a similar way that the original Audi R8 was a mechanical relative of the Lamborghini Gallardo in the mid-2000s, the rumor says the new R8 will have kinship with the new Lamborghini Temerario.
The Temerario that succeeds the Huracán retires the V10 and introduces a twin-turbo V8 PHEV powertrain with three electric motors; two in front, one in back. Its total output is a whopping 907 horsepower good for an estimated 0-62 mph time of 2.7 seconds and a 213 mph top speed.
An aluminum spaceframe structure planned for the next-gen Audi R8 will use 50 percent fewer components than the second-generation R8 and bring 25 percent greater stiffness.
Like the R8 models that came before it, the next one will be a more road-focused touring car with supercar performance, intended to be driven by its owners more regularly than its Lambo cousin. The R8 might have a slightly slower 0-62 mph time and top speed than the Temerario, and the Audi will almost certainly be more affordable and widely available than the Lamborghini.
If the Audi R8 does come back, it will have the same Audi Böllinger Höfe production site in Heilbronn, Germany that its previous generations did.
An obvious rival to a new Audi R8 with a plug-in hybrid V8 powertrain is the Chevy Corvette C8 E-Ray. Although the E-Ray isn’t a PHEV, it’s a hybrid, mid-engine, all-wheel-drive two-seater with a six-digit price tag. The Corvette E-Ray’s 655-horsepower hybrid 6.2L V8 LT2 powertrain is good for a 0-60 mph time of just 2.5 seconds, which will likely be very close to the next-gen R8’s acceleration.
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Imagine what the Cadillac ELR could have been with a PHEV V8, instead of a dead-end Volt power train.