Audi working on hybrid supercar that will sit above R8
May 7th, 2013 by Road Test TV
Audi’s boss Wolfgang Durheimer has confirmed that the company is working on hybrid supercar and that the model is on track for production.
The new model will sit above the R8 in Audi’s line and will use a gasoline engine mated to an electric motor instead of a diesel option. The move comes due to endurance racing rule changes.
“It’s progressing in design, but the technical platform isn’t yet decided,” Durheimer told AutoExpress. “The question is the TDI engine. It needs to be a global car, and diesel isn’t great in China.”
He said that the “new law regulates the amount of energy in a tank of fuel, which [would] eliminate the diesel advantage, turning the picture upside down.”
Durheimer also said that there may be room for another mid-engined sports car below the R8. “We have already designed and packaged cars like this,” he revealed. “If we do do it, a mid-engine layout makes sense, with one trunk [boot] in the front and one in the back.”
Source: AutoExpress
