Audi R8: Turbodiesel V12 Canceled, Convertible Coming Soon
Filed under: Wheels
The Audi R8 took the supercar market by storm when it launched in 2006. But if you were waiting for a better version, we've got good news and we've got bad news. The good news is, after launching the V10 version at the Detroit show late last year, plans are reportedly moving ahead to introduce an open-air version of the Audi supercar which should be on the road within the next two years. That's bad news enough for the likes of the Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Jaguar XKR, but the real disappointment is that Audi has reportedly canceled the development of its V12 turbo-diesel version. After previewing the idea as a concept car at the Detroit show in January 2008 and then again in Geneva the following March, Audi has determined that the costs involved with reshaping both the engine and the chassis to fit the former into the latter are just too high to be justified in this economy, particularly wit diesel prices as high as they are in the United States, a key market for the R8's financial success. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.
