All Torque, No Action: Audi reportedly cancels R8 TDI
Audi R8 TDI Le Mans concept – Click above for a hi-res image gallery
If anyone could have done a diesel supercar, it would have been Audi. After achieving utter domination in Le Mans racing with its R10 TDI, the German automaker unveiled two successive turbodiesel concept versions of the R8 supercar at the Detroit show and then at the Geneva salon in 2008. But after whetting our appetites for an oil-burning supercar with instant power delivery and endless reserves of torque, Audi has reportedly canceled development of its R8 TDI program.
Apparently, the R8 was not originally designed to accommodate the company's enormous V12 turbodiesel engine, and re-engineering the car was proving far too costly for Audi to justify under these financial circumstances, especially when the American market, which accounts for 1/3rd of R8 sales, is marred by diesel prices that are higher than gas. Fortunately Audi's already given us the 5.2-liter V10 FSI and has the convertible version in the works, but a diesel R8 just isn't in the cards.
Gallery: Audi R8 V12 TDI Concept
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Gallery: Audi R8 TDI Le Mans
[Source: Auto Express]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
zamafir 2:04PM (5/07/2009)
Boo. V12 was to crazy. it'd be nice to see.... I dunno... a V10 based off the R15 which would be smaller and fit better... or even a V8 revised with what they've learned from LeMans.
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srDRIVEN 2:05PM (5/07/2009)
what a bummer
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MikeofLA 2:05PM (5/07/2009)
Sad News... give us that class roof with the intake on the V10 to make up for it...
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audi_arena 3:28PM (5/07/2009)
^Now I second THAT idea!
georgeA 2:16PM (5/07/2009)
I agree, a lightweight (comparatively) V-8 in this type of car would be ideal, especially at around 500 lb-ft.
FYI, in my part of Massachusetts, diesel is dropping below premium at some stations.
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Tomac 2:12PM (5/07/2009)
Audi had an opportunity here to create a niche for themselves, but they squandered it. I suppose they prefer instead to forever be chasing BMW's tail...
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zamafir 2:16PM (5/07/2009)
I'm not sure if you've not had the chance to drive the new Z4, or 1 series, or X6, but BMW's hardly the undisputed king anymore. The TT-RS is as quick as the m3 and hundreds of pounds lighter. The R8 is unrivaled by anything in BMW's portfolio. The new Z4 gained hundreds of lbs over the previous model in another bid, which BMW is very honest about, to soften the car and get more buyers. In short, with BMW taking the direction they currently are, I'm not so sure Audi's chasing anything, if sales in their most important markets (not North America but Europe and china) are any indication. But keep it up, these north American centric views of European car companies are entertaining.
audi_arena 3:23PM (5/07/2009)
oh SNAP son!
Zamafir in the hizz-ouse!
Tomac 7:57PM (5/07/2009)
The BMW Z line doesn't interest me in the slightest, and while I would concede that Audi's S-trimmed cars are top notch, they still lack the steering and handling dynamics that I find so appealing in the BMWs. Moreover, anything below an Audi S is fairly pedestrian from a driver's perspective. Even a base 328i is a treat to drive through the twisties. I've been impressed with A4s and 6s in their acceleration and amenities (damn sharp interiors), but they are simply no fun to drive. As much of an improvement as they made with the TT, it still feels like a pumped-up Golf.
Don't misunderstand, I think the R8 is awesome. But a diesel R8 would have been ground-breaking.
rob 2:12PM (5/07/2009)
blasphemy
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Joe 2:16PM (5/07/2009)
"...the American market...is marred by diesel prices that are higher than gas"
#1 - Diesel is currently cheaper than premium gas
#2 - Say diesel goes back up. Would potential 6-figure car buyers really worry about a few cents difference in fuel prices?
I highly doubt the price of US diesel was a big factor
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zamafir 2:19PM (5/07/2009)
It's not, but something's going on. I'm thinking perhaps dealers here in north america. I just got word from Audi yesterday that the Q5 TDI is back on hold which disappoints me greatly. They gave me some sort of BS regarding technical hurdles but really it just smacks of dealers being trepidations about the prospects of diesels. I'd be supremely confident purchasing a Q5 TDI, but a Q5 Hybrid, which is currently almost done developing, not so much.
When I bought my first VAG diesel in 2001 gas wasn’t more expensive than diesel, I wish autoblog would stop towing the BS line.
Kobla Fiagbedzi 2:16PM (5/07/2009)
I don't believe they ever intended to make it. Give the new Audi R15 a chance to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and you may see the idea re-surface.
www.quattrovideos.com
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audi_arena 3:28PM (5/07/2009)
Yeah- I had never heard anyone credible even hint that it was a possibility for production. Hell- even the show car never had a transmission that could handle that power.
mean2u 2:22PM (5/07/2009)
Looks good. Nice gate shifter too.
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Xa 2:38PM (5/07/2009)
it seems like a good idea, but even if diesel was cheaper than premium gas, how many people in the market for an r8 would want a diesel?
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MikeW 2:53PM (5/07/2009)
Why would you not?
http://gallery.audiworld.com/gallery/album408/Q7080008_medium?full=1
With tall gearing 10,20,30,40,50,60, you still be able to go 180mph in 6th, and shoot for 200mph in 5th (but if you end up drag limited to 'only' 190mph in 5th, no big deal)
jgp 2:57PM (5/07/2009)
Two words: torque monster.
Xa 4:20PM (5/07/2009)
yeah, so when are you guys picking up your r8's? remember, audi doesn't build cars for people to look at, they build them for people to buy. a 45 year old dentist from del boca raton, florida doesn't care about torque. why spend millions you don't have to redevelop a car that doesn't have a market? internet street cred doesn't pay the bills.
Mark 2:49PM (5/07/2009)
Diesel gasoline is cheaper than premium gasoline in the United States.
Awesome fact checking, guys! Awesome!
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