We have been reporting a fair bit about the upcoming Audi R10 supercar that would become the new flagship product of the German auto maker and would be positioned above the R8 supercar.
It is quite a well known fact that Audi is busy working on developing a diesel hybrid powerplant for its upcoming supercar. The engine technology which the manufacturer is putting to use is the same that features on the well known Audi R18 e-tron Quattro race car that competes in the 24 hours of Le Mans. The R18 Le Mans car sports electric motor each front wheels. These motors use electric power from the flywheel and give the R18. The upcoming diesel hybrid supercar will be called as the R10. Coupled with the electric motors will be a V8 oil burner and underpinning the car would be a carbon fiber monocoque.
The V12 TDI in the Audi R8 Diesel concept, which has been showcased at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, won’t be put to use owing to it being too heavy. Further, the torque generated by this engine is too much for any of Audi’s current transmissions to handle. The R10 could instead be powered by a V6 diesel engine that would send power to the rear wheels. The combined power output could be in the vicinity of 600bhp and the upcoming supercar could become the most powerful car in Audi’s line up of cars.
Enough has already been speculated about the new car’s design. While many believe that the R10 would sport a design that would be an evolution of the R8, there is a section of car enthusiasts which feels that the R10 might have a design that would be inspired from the R18 Le Mans race car.
Here is a speculative rendering of the upcoming supercar that suggests that the R10 might borrow design cues from both the R18 Le Mans contender and the R8 e-tron supercar.
The Audi R10 is currently in the product evaluation stage and won’t be launched before 2016.
Stay tuned for more info on Audi R10 Diesel Hybrid.
Source: Topspeed.com