Revived Audi R8 to be equipped with a 2.9l V6 petrol engine

ABU DHABI: Audi is planning to introduce a more economical and affordable R8 model across the globe and it will be powered by a V6 turbocharged engine, as part of a model upgrade by the end of this year.

The 2.90-litre V6 twin-charged petrol engine will be shared with the Porsche Panamera and Audi’s RS4 and RS5 models. As a result, the refreshed R8 model will penetrate the sports car segment and in return, the vehicle will complete the void that was left by Audi's previous version of the 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine.

The six-cylinder V6 engine has been developed by Audi and Porsche in a joint venture and is also part of the latest modular engine category termed as the KoVoMo.

Audi did not add the V8 engine with MK2 R8 due to the high upgrading cost - keeping in mind the future requirements of emission standards and risk in markets like China, where the road tax is directly linked with the engine capacity.

Meanwhile, in the new Porsche Panamera 4S, the V6 engine delivers a maximum power of 434 bhp at 5640rpm and a torque of 459 Nm between 1750 rpm and 5500 rpm while driving at around 0.4 bar of turbocharger boost pressure.

With lighter variations and enhanced boost, the V6 engine is expected to deliver more than 500 bhp and maximum up to 677 Nm, although Audi has not declared the output of the upcoming R8. Audi officials during a report suggested that the R8 will arrive with more than one power output

To predict Audi’s desire to enhance the limitations of the R8, one can look at the company’s recent launch of another V10 model, the R8 RWS that came with a rear wheel drive. Audi is yet to reveal whether the upcoming R8 V6 version will also come with a rear wheel drive. The RWS model was launched at £112,450 (AED 547,515), hence pointing towards the fact that the V6 model could end up below the £100,000 mark.