#R8E-tron

As we welcome in a new batch of wonderful and exciting cars for 2017, we have to look back and remember all the cars we lost in 2016. 

Audi’s all-electric R8 has been discontinued once again.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the 2016 Audi R8 e-tron, but it simply looks stunning on the track dressed in blue.

Years in development, Audi will not offer its R8 e-tron model to customers, instead building a limited run exclusively for testing purposes.

Audi is backpedalling out of its plan to build the A2, which debuted in September, 2011 in Frankfurt. 

After three years of research, Audi announced today that it’s e performance electric car research project is complete.

The Audi R8 e-tron will be heading to the 2012 Paris Motor Show, bringing with it the bragging rights of being the fastest production EV around the famous Nürburgring.

The Audi R8 e-Tron holds the record for the fastest all-electric production based vehicle to ever lap the Nurburgring, putting up a time of 8:09.099 back in June of this year. Now, a video has been released showing the electric super car making its record setting run at the hands of former DTM racer, Markus Winkelhock.

Everything that Audi is putting into the e-tron R8 seems to be taking time, not that it’s a bad thing, but time is precious and the world is an impatient place.

Originally debuting in 2009 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the automaker’s electrified halo car keeps slipping just out of grasp. in September, 2011 we reported that the car would launch in 2012, but news beyond that has been slow to surface.

The Audi R8 e-tron is going to be heard, even though its four electric engines run silently. Audi has spent three years developing the right sound for its newest all electric vehicle, and they have released a video showcasing the process behind assigning a sound to the R8 e-tron. 

In the video we are introduced to composer Rudolph Halbmeir in the studio, working with his digital audio work space to create the sound that will be emitted from the R8 e-tron. It was essential for Audi to come up with some sort of tone that would accompany the e-tron’s electric engines, as driving with no engine feedback whatsoever would surely be a very unnatural feeling to most drivers.

That €13 billion will mostly go towards new technology, but the company is also looking to add about 1,200 new specialists to their team in 2012. That number is in addition to the 3,500 new employees the company added this year. Audi plans to find the fresh blood by offering permanent contracts to students from vocational academies and StEP program (Study and Experience in Practice) students once they finish their training.

Think there’s a lot of build-up for a car like the Toyota FT-86? Just be glad you’re not waiting for an electric Audi R8. First introduced two years ago at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the German luxury automaker has now come full circle and will be unveiling the next version of the R8 E-tron in Frankfurt this week.

Audi has been teasing the world with rumors of an electric car debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, but executives have gone so far as to flatly deny the existence of an electric R8.