---
title: "The Audi R8 E-Tron Is Dead"
description: "Electric R8, we hardly knew ye. "
date: "2016-10-12"
modified: "2016-10-12"
authors:
  - name: "Will Sabel Courtney"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/will-sabel-courtney"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/5532/the-audi-r8-e-tron-is-dead"
categories:
  - "Audi News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Audi"
  - "Coupe"
  - "Electric Cars"
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "R8"
  - "Supercar"
---

# The Audi R8 E-Tron Is Dead

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/audi-r8-e-tron-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The era of the electric supercar is almost upon us...but it’s not quite here yet. [Audi has killed the R8 e-tron](<https://blog.caranddriver.com/the-e-tron-is-gone-audi-pulls-the-plug-on-its-electric-r8/>), according to *Car and Driver*.

To be honest, we’d almost forgotten that the R8 e-tron was even in production...if you can call an electric supercar made in double-digit numbers a “production” vehicle. Originally rolled out as a concept based on the first-gen R8 back in 2009, the production consumer version arrived roughly a year and a half ago at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

*Car and Driver*’s report states that Audi sold fewer than 100 copies of the R8 e-tron in the car’s brief lifespan, with the sales occurring exclusively in Europe through Audi corporate itself. Each of those, *C/D* claims, went for €1 million (around $1.1. million at current exchange rates).

Aside from the electron-based nature of its power, the e-tron was notable for being the only rear-wheel-drive member of the street-legal R8 lineup; its twin electric motors powered the aft axle alone. But it wasn’t exactly a golf cart; [the R8 e-tron cranked out 456 horsepower and 679 lb.-ft. of torque](<https://www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/press-releases/audi-presents-the-new-r8-the-sporty-spearhead-just-got-even-sharper-391>), and could travel more than 279 miles on a single charge. The [carmaker even apparently sent the car to the Nurburgring](<https://www.carscoops.com/2015/11/we-spotted-audis-new-electrified-r8-e.html>) to see what it could do; while Audi never released an official ‘Ring time for the 2016 R8 e-tron, we’re betting it could have beaten the 8:09 lap set by a less-powerful [e-tron prototype built on the first-gen R8 platform back in 2012](<https://blog.caranddriver.com/audi-r8-e-tron-sets-world-record-lap-time-at-the-nurburgring/>).

Considering how every luxury carmaker is planning a massive push into electric vehicles, we fully expect examples of the Audi R8 e-tron will sell for insane prices at Pebble Beach 2050.

## Author
Will is the former managing editor of *RIDES Magazine* and the former online editor for *0-60 Magazine*. He has worked for *Time Out New York* and *Rolling Stone*, and was the creator of *College Cars Online*, the first automotive blog specifically targeted at college students and young professionals.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/willsabelcourtney>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/willscourtney>)