Audi Moving Forward with Plans for Diesel Hybrid Supercar

AudiAudiGermany, 1909 > present83 models
8213 photos
27 videos
is moving forward with planning for its next supercar, tentatively titled the R10. The plan for the car right now is that it will use a diesel hybrid to draw a link to the R18 e-tron QuattroAudi R18 e-tron quattroGermany, 2012 > present8 photos
2 videos
prototype similar to the way the R8Audi R8Germany, 2006 > present44 versions
141 photos
1 video
drew a link to the R8Audi R8Germany, 2000 > 20057 versions
10 photos
prototype.

The R10 would have a minimum of 600hp with a mid-mounted diesel engine and all-wheel drive. The chassis will be a brand new, carbon fiber monocoque. The R18 does not actually use an electric hybrid powerplant; it has a flywheel to store its power, but that technology does not work as well for road cars as it does in racecars. 

The current suspicion is that power will come from a tuned version of Audi's 3.0-liter V6 diesel that will only power the rear wheels. The hybrid will give power to the front wheels, and the total system output will be around 600hp and 700lb-ft of torque. 

According to Wolfgang Dürheimer, Audi's head of research and development, the car is still in production evaluation. It may be shown as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 10. 

“We run product evaluation on different ideas, looking at market positioning, brand image, development cost and time to market. Once this is done we will have a clear decision on what happens next. I would expect an update at the Frankfurt motor show. I’ve seen the styling proposal and it looks great,” said Dürheimer.

Audi has abandoned the idea of building a pure electric R8Audi R8 e-tronGermany, 2011 > present3 photos
because it would be too expensive and have too short of a range. Instead, it believes that a hybrid with links to racing would be a better choice. 

According to Dürheimer, the R10 is not the only car currently in production evaluation.

“It is one out of five potential projects, but it is definitely my personal favorite,” he said.

Source: Autocar