In 2012 Audi’s then-R&D chief, Wolfgang Dürheimer, made it public information that the corporate was contemplating launching a hybrid supercar geared up with a diesel engine to fit in above the R8, whose second era was in growth on the time.
It seems Audi was severe concerning the challenge as an idea was constructed, although it hasn’t been seen till now. Referred to as the Skorpion, the idea was by no means publicly introduced, although it is now on show to the general public on the August Horch Museum in Zwickau, Germany.
In line with the museum, the idea was developed to discover the outside design and aerodynamic properties for the automobile. The design is clearly impressed by early variations of Audi’s vastly profitable R18 Le Mans sports activities prototypes, although the chassis is predicated on the chassis used for Audi’s DTM entry on the time.
Have been the challenge to be given the inexperienced mild, the automobile was to borrow know-how from the R18 race vehicles as properly, notably the R18 E-Tron Quattro that mixed a diesel engine with a pair of electrical motors and was unstoppable at Le Mans from 2012-2014.
2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 race automobile
Some efficiency figures talked about in 2012 included a mixed output of 700 hp, 0-60 mph occasions of lower than three seconds, and a prime velocity of greater than 200 mph.
A 12 months after Dürheimer first talked about the challenge, he was reassigned to the CEO function of fellow Volkswagen Group manufacturers Bentley and Bugatti. It seems with him went any probability of a hybrid supercar from Audi. The corporate is now fully and not using a supercar as manufacturing of the R8 resulted in March. A successor is deliberate, although timing is unsure and an internal-combustion engine, gasoline or diesel, is a non-starter as Audi plans to completely launch electrical automobiles past 2026.
Curiously, Porsche final decade additionally explored the thought of launching a supercar impressed by its personal 919 Hybrid Le Mans sports activities prototype. Porsche received round to constructing an idea in 2017, however the automaker, identical to its VW Group sibling just a few years earlier, finally pulled the plug on the challenge.