Electric Turbo

The turbine and compressor aren't physically connected.

There's a chance that the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan might get the turbocharged and electrically supercharged, 2.5-liter five-cylinder from the Audi TT Clubsport Turbo. The move would be a way to lower their displacement and lower the models' vehicle taxes in China.

An electric turbo system boosts efficiency between 15 and 20 percent, according to Audi.

Formula 1 and endurance racing are already harvesting energy from turbos on the track, and now it's apparently time for a similar idea of boosting the efficiency of forced induction to hit the streets in a high-performance, diesel SUV.

For years, the concept of an electric turbocharger was essentially a joke sold on eBay to boost power in your slammed Civic, but in the last five years it has moved from an idea on a piece of paper to a feasible reality. Audi has already toyed with a showcase of the cutting-edge tech in road cars with the RS5 TDI concept.

Subaru has been trying to figure out the direction for its three-headed monster, as the Impreza and its WRX and WRX STI variants have grown increasingly at odds over the past two generations.