Audi’s US website mentions a few facts we should know, it says, diesel sports a greater power density than traditional gasoline, which means that a gallon of diesel fuel has about 15% more energy than a comparable amount of gas, and combusts more efficiently in the engine. The Audi R8 TDI Le Mans Concept, displayed at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, was to use a 6.0 litre V12 engine utilising Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) technology. This engine was rated for 493 bhp and 1000 Nm of torque, you read the torque figures right. However, plans to put it into production were cancelled, as the cost of re-engineering the petrol R8 to accommodate the massive twin-turbocharged diesel engine was simply too great.
According to reports, Audi plans to launch the R8 TDI in 2017. The car will not use the 6.0 litre V12 from the concept, however, a 4.0-liter V8 TDI engine or a 5.0-liter V10 TDI that is being developed for Bentley. The R8 V10+ version should also make a comeback in the new guise, which will develop around 600 bhp and around 560 Nm of torque.
Source: Automobilemag