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Audi weighs business case for new R8

Lambo-based R8 comeback possible but Audi Sport says it would have to be profitable

11 May 2026

AUDI Sport managing director Rolf Michl has left the door open for the brand’s R8 supercar to return as a hybrid-powered flagship, while noting that any successor to the two-door would need to deliver a credible business case rather than existing solely as a brand-building exercise. 
 
The R8 bowed out globally in 2024 after two generations and 18 years as Audi’s mid-engined halo model. The car developed a cult following and broadened Audi’s performance image from fast Avant wagons into genuine supercar territory. 
 
Launching in 2006 with a naturally aspirated V8 engine before gaining V10 power, the original was followed up by a second-generation model in 2015 that moved closer still to Lamborghini hardware through its relationship to the Italian marque’s Huracan line. 
 
That history of sharing key architecture within the Volkswagen Group is again seen as a potential enabler for a hypothetical third R8, particularly now that Lamborghini has shifted its own supercar range into the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) era with the Reveulto V12 and Temerario V8. 
 
Speaking with GoAuto, Mr Michl said an R8-style flagship could not be justified by emotional reasons alone. 
 
“In really challenging times – and we’ve talked about regulations, and very cost-intensive developments – every car has to be a business case. 
 
“It wouldn’t make sense just to calculate, let me say, a brand-levering effect … you really have to see that intense spending has a valid chance to realise the specific earnings.” 
 
The most likely technical basis for a reborn R8 would be Lamborghini’s new Temerario architecture, which combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors for a combined 677kW of power. 
 
Mr Michl agreed that hybridisation was becoming more acceptable among supercar buyers than a direct switch to full battery electric power. 
 
“I can also see the market development … I think with a hybrid car, you still have the sound – which you can see with the Temerario – but you still have the electrical part, and the benefits from it,” he said. 
 
“My first experience when I first drove the (V12 PHEV) Revuelto was really amazing to see … (because) it is very expressive, but you are commuting fully electrically. 
 
“You see a lot of manufacturers going this way, and I think they have a reason for that.” 
 
Asked about platform-sharing for a future R8, Mr Michl acknowledged that the earlier R8 and Huracan relationship showed the logic of using Volkswagen Group synergies, provided the Audi retained its own character. 
 
“The R8 and the Lamborghini Huracan basically shared their genes, or their platform. I think for every car project, you have to look for synergies (but) each car, especially for the emotional ones like we do, a definite character has to be sharply formed,” he said. 
 
However, CO2 emissions regulations mean that a pure-combustion successor to the R8 appears unlikely – even if Audi Sport charged a very high price for uber-enthusiasts wanting to spurn electrification. 
 
“Honestly, I don’t see the possibility volume-wise, because it’s very specific … to develop an engine just for a small volume doesn’t make any sense,” said Mr Michl. 
 
As well as the R8, Audi has also discontinued its smaller and more affordable TT model, leaving the brand without a dedicated sportscar below the RS range. 
 
The car-maker has confirmed a battery electric production car based on the Concept C that splits the size difference between the TT and R8, though Mr Michl noted that project is being managed by Audi AG rather than by Audi Sport. 
 
As for media reports suggesting a new R8 could appear as early as 2027, Mr Michl urged caution: “maybe it is another chapter of speculation”.

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