With an electric future on the cards, the Managing Director of Audi Sport, Oliver Hoffman, has indicated that the third generation R8 could instead feature a hybrid powertrain that will pair the existing V10 engine with an electric motor.
Having confirmed to Australia’s motoring.com.au last year that the normally aspirated 5.2-litre engine will prevail as the sole powerunit option for the next R8 out in 2023, Hoffman, in an interview with Britain’s Top Gear magazine this past week, said that while no decision has yet been made, a commitment needs to be made to racing customers as the R8 serves as a base for the LMS campaigned in various GT3 and GT4 championships.
“With this next generation we have to fulfil all the regulations worldwide. That means it will be a car with an electrification part. But the current model is the base model for our customer racing and we have to fulfil that demand in the future,” Hoffman said.
“We work very closely with the guys from motorsport regarding battery technology, regarding power electronics and so on. So for us this is a good chance to get experience from our sports guys, and we bring it in our series cars”.
Despite not revealing any details about an estimated power output, Hoffman confirmed that more power is in demand from customers, adding that, “we have the chance to fulfil this demand with electrification in the platform”.
“With electrification we have the chance to increase the full system power. I remember a few years ago that everybody was talking about downsizing and decreasing weight and we don’t need to, there’s still a high demand of power from our customers,” he said.
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