Audi R8 E-Tron: A Step Closer to Reality With New Frankfurt Bound Concept

[AutoGuide.com]

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.

With Audi having announced plans to bring the car to market in 2012, this latest "technology demonstrator" is expected to be quite close to the production model. When it finally does arrive, the R8 e-Tron is set to use four electric motors (one at each wheel) to create a total of 308-hp and 3,319 ft-lbs of torque (collectively) with a 0-60 mph time of 4.8 seconds. Range is expected to be roughly 155 miles, with a charge time of 6-8 hours on a conventional outlet or 2.5 hours with a rapid charger.

This latest E-Tron concept will bridge the gap between several Audi debuts in Frankfurt, with the green Audi Urban Concept and A2 Concept on one hand and the high-performance S6, S7 and S8 on the other. Look for full details with AutoGuide's Frankfurt Auto Show coverage starting here on Tuesday, September 13th.

More: Audi R8 E-Tron: A Step Closer to Reality With New Frankfurt Bound Concept on AutoGuide.com

[AnOutsider]

Another pic:

[Cbot]

Beautiful car for the show. I love the whole eco-friendly car craze; I hope it really does reduce the greenhouse effect.
Anyways, I'm not so fond of the charge time on the car. I guess it is good if you don't travel a long distance in one go though.

[smhb0310]

Here some closer shots from today...

[smhb0310]

Audi will produce a small series of this next year like the GT

[smhb0310]

Electric break in the back. Break by wire. Hood in the front will be produced like this.
Necessary for cooling. I love it!

[smhb0310]

last set of pics...

[exhilR8]

I think they are just showing a dressed-up example of their small in-house test fleet, which they started assembling from existing R8 chassis and body panels a few months ago. I'm still betting the actual production version will look alot more like the one they showed in Frankfurt two years ago, which they still have on the audi website.

[AnOutsider]

Audi will produce a small series of this next year like the GT

Sadly, like the GT, it's not worth the money IMO (assuming it's going to cost just about as much, if not more, than a GT)