Look For a Turbocharged Audi R8 Soon

2016 Audi R8 (Credit: © Audi)

Motoring.co.au had a conversation with Audi executives, Ulrich Hackenberg and Heinz Peter, and they gave us a little taste of what to expect in the coming years. The biggest piece of news they had to offer was that the R8 is all but guaranteed to get a turbocharged engine in its current generation.

It was only a matter of time before Audi realized that turbocharged rivals, like the 911 Turbo, the Ferrari 488 GTB, and the Mercedes-AMG GT all delivered more exhilarating performance thanks to boost. All three of these cars deliver punchier torque at lower revs, resulting in a quicker launch, and this lack of initial punch could push fringe buyers away from the R8 V10.

Though the two execs confirmed turbo power, neither would give the details on which engine Audi is thinking of using. Currently, there are two possible engines in the works, and they are a turbocharged five-cylinder that is currently under development and a twin-turbo V-6 that is set to replace the RS 4’s V-8.

Despite not outright confirming which engine the boosted R8 will use, a person in marketing made it clear that the brand prefers the five-cylinder engine. He said, “As a configuration, it’s got such a rich history with the Audi brand and there is no sound more ‘Audi’ than the five-cylinder motor in the RS3.”

I must agree that the sound from a five-cylinder engine with a perfectly tuned exhaust system is magical. I can only hope that this is an indication that the five-pot will be the engine of choice.

For those Audi fans who are starting to hyperventilate thinking that the brand will soon send its naturally aspirated V-10 to pasture, you can rest assure that this is not going to happen any time soon. According to Dr. Hackenberg, “It’s quite unique to build naturally aspirated engines today and our customers love it. It doesn’t mean we are not going to do a turbo, but naturally aspirated is here to stay as well.”

Breathe…

We’ll bring you more details as they become available. Audi is likely hard at work on this new engine now, so the wait for more details shouldn’t be too long.