Audi Has No Plans for a Third-Generation R8, Report Says

It may be the end of the line for Ingolstadt's supercar.
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Bad news, German speed junkies: The current, second-generation version of Audi’s stylish R8 may just be the last we see of Ingolstadt’s supercar. I guess Tony Stark will just have to borrow King T’Challa’s Lexus LC from here on out. 

Speaking to Car and Driver at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi R&D boss Peter Mertens confirmed the company currently has no plans for an R8 replacement. 

“It has a long life, and it’s doing okay,” Mertens said of the R8 before conceding that, as far as he knows, a third-generation isn’t happening. “I always get [my PR chief] very nervous when I start talking about that stuff. Never say never; performance cars are good for Audi.” 

Speaking of nervous PR reps, we’ve reached out to Audi ourselves for further comment and will update this story if we hear back.

News of the R8’s apparent death is frankly surprising to us and more than a little disappointing. With its 540-horsepower (610 if you opt for the Plus model), rock ‘n’ roll-era screaming V-10, and runway model good-looks, Audi’s halo model will be sorely missed.

As for the future of other fast Audis, Merten confirms that the company is working on performance products with powertrains that vary from traditional combustion, plug-in hybrid, to all-electric. 

“All three concepts will have a future,” said the Audi exec. “There will be very traditional combustion-engine high-performance vehicles, pure battery-electric vehicles on the high-performance side, and our sister brand Porsche also very much proves with their plug-in hybrids that the combination of both is a fantastic answer as well.”

The 2018 Audi R8 starts at $164,900.