A few months ago, we first learned that Audi->ke14 was planning a new supercar inspired by the automaker’s very successful LeMans racecar, the R18, and that it would feature a hybrid powertrain. Initial rumors suggested the model could be named R20,. New rumors are now pointing toward the new supercar being called the R10, which makes more sense to us, considering it will sit right above the upcoming second-generation R8. With this new rumor comes an all-new rendering for you to enjoy (above).
The R10 is rumored to combine a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine driving the rear wheels with a pair of electric motors driving the front wheels. The total output will be in the 600-horsepower area.
Ok, so how we designed our rendering? We started with an R8 and increased the proportions to make it more hypercar-ish. The front is enhanced with design elements from the e-tron Concept and quattro Concept, while the A-pillars are inspired by the R18 racecar.
Why do we think this car will really happen? Because Audi spent lots of money on the R8 E-tron that won't make it to production because of the current market situation and all the things they have learned designing it need to be used somewhere.
However, don’t expect to hit up your local Audi dealer for one next year, as the R10 is currently in the product-evaluation stage and likely won’t arrive until 2016 or 2017.
Click past the jump to read more on the Audi R10 and its history
Competition
The upcoming Audi R10 will feature a hybrid configuration similar to that of the Porsche 918 Spyder. The Porsche model - set to arrive before the R10 - will feature a hybrid system that combines a 4.6-liter V-8 engine delivering a total of 570 horsepower with a pair of electric motors, with one powering the front axle and one on the rear. Initial rumors suggested the output will be somewhere in the 795 horsepower area, but new details suggest the 918 Spyder will deliver in fact a total of 875 horsepower. The supercar will go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3 seconds and up to a top speed of 202 mph.
The upcoming i8 - a model that will also arrive before the R10 - will be a little less powerful than the R10. It will combine a three-cylinder turbocharged diesel powerplant combined with two electric motors that put out 95 horsepower each. The i8 will go from 0 to 60 mph in only 4 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph.
History of the Audi supercar lineup
Audi is a relatively young maker on the supercar market: the R8->ke1440 was unveiled at the 2006 Paris Auto Show as a production version of the 24 Hours of Le Mans winning R8 Le Mans Prototype (LMP). The model was initially offered with a V-8 engine delivering 420 horsepower, but a 525-horsepower V-10 version arrived two years later.
Since its official unveiling, both the V-8 and V-10 engines evolved allowing the 2013 R8 to deliver a total of 430 horsepower for the V-8 version and 550 horsepower for the V-10 Plus version.