The Audi Electric R8: Everything You Need to Know

Audi finally bid goodbye to the venerable, V10-powered R8 for the 2024 model year. But the brand does not plan to go without a halo sports coupe — albeit in a slightly different form — for long. Reports suggest that a successor to the R8 is in the works, and may arrive before the end of the decade.

Here’s what we know about the Audi R8 successor so far.

The next R8 will be electric, if it happens

Audi did not confirm an R8 is happening. But the brand did note that any hypothetical return would be as an electric car. At least as of right now — Mercedes just backtracked on its EV plans — Audi is planning to launch its last combustion car (probably the upcoming Q9 SUV) in 2026 and phase out combustion vehicles entirely by 2033.

The new R8 won’t be the first electric R8, for what it’s worth. Audi built an all-electric R8 E-Tron in 2015 with 455 horsepower, 679 lb-ft of torque and 280 miles of range. The slight issue with the R8 E-Tron … was that it cost $1.1 million.

The future R8 should use next-gen Porsche and Audi EV tech

According to Autocar, Audi’s next flagship sports car will use a bespoke architecture created using “elements of” the upcoming next-gen SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) EV platform. That platform shouldn’t be a hindrance to performance; VW’s CEO has said it will be able to accommodate vehicles making up to 1,700 horsepower.

Audi’s next R8 won’t pack a V10. But the batteries may provide a lot more oomph.Audi

The next R8 should still be a traditional sports coupe

Powertrain aside, the next R8 should fulfill the same role it did in Audi’s combustion lineup per Autocar. It should still have two doors, be race-inspired and be at least partially hand-built (to the extent that’s possible in an EV). And, of course, it should have the most power of any vehicle in the Audi lineup.

Audi probably won’t call the next R8 the R8

Car and Driver reported back in 2022 that the new car could be known as the “Rnext.” We hope Audi workshops that before production.

We’ll hope Audi uses the intervening years to come up with a better name than “Rnext.” Audi

How much will the electric R8 cost?

The next R8 could be significantly more expensive than the previous model. The outgoing R8 started at $161,395 in its final model year. Car and Driver expects a starting price between $250,000 and $300,000 for the next version.

When will the electric Audi R8 arrive?

Audi hasn’t confirmed a timeline for the R8 replacement yet. We don’t expect it to arrive imminently. The SSP platform isn’t supposed to arrive until 2026 (and could be delayed beyond that). That would be the absolute earliest date to expect the new R8. Car and Driver reported the vehicle won’t arrive until 2029.

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