intouch1:
RC:

Update on that 2.9 l Biturbo V6 engine in the R8: The engine is rumored to get around 450 hp (not 500 hp) in the R8, so I guess the 540 hp V10 will stay. The new R8 V6 is supposed to compete with the 911 Carrera and AMG GT models. Price tag is rumored to be around 135-140k EUR, so substantially lower than R8 V10 model (166k and 179k base prices in Germany). Introduction in Germany is planned for 2017, in the US for 2018.

As always...take rumors with a grain of salt.


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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Audi R8 V10 Plus (2017), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

 

 

if that is true, then audi are diluting the R8. no longer will be a halo car for the brand.

its different with the 911.....Porsche manages to cover a wide performance base as it has a history like that and as it is regarded as the daily driver sportscar.

the R8 is more in the league of huracan and 488 etc...very wrong imo to dilute it with a small engine.

Exactly what I am thinking. I would replace the 540 hp V10 with a 500-540 hp V6 engine (yes, the 2.9 l is capable of making 540 hp with the right setup, boost pressure and turbo chargers but I think this would be the maximum possible output, which would also be good to avoid tuners messing up things...) and keep the 540 hp V10 an option for the Spyder only (since the 540 and 610 hp engines are identical, no hardware differences, they even have the same part numbers, this wouldn't be a logistical/cost problem).

A 450 hp V6 would certainly dilute the R8 model line but from a resale point of view, this could be a good thing for the V10 models. Could...if the V6 doesn't dilute the R8 so much that people don't consider it a supercar anymore (which could be disastrous for Audi since they already have an image problem in this class).

I also heard that the 2.9 l V6 is necessary for countries like China, where people probably don't care about the engine type but more about looks. It seems to have something to do with taxes and prices (I think we already discussed this in a Cayman 718 thread).

To be honest, I think a V8 Biturbo with 540 hp would make more sense in the R8 but... Smiley


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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Audi R8 V10 Plus (2017), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)