First things first, the Audi R8 is a fantastic car. Low slung, all-wheel drive, excellent driving dynamics, and powered by a monstrous naturally aspirated V-10 it’s a purist’s dream. It only made sense for Audi to think beyond and explore the idea of an electric supercar. Thus after six years of being displayed in its concept form, the production-spec R8 E-Tron was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Like its petrol burning sibling, it packed in a rear-mounted engine, in this case, two electric motors that delivered 456 bhp to the rear wheels and took Tony Stack’s vehicle of choice to 100 km/hr from a standstill in 3.9 seconds. Looks, performance, it had it all, except for one crucial point. At $1 million you could buy five R8 V10 Plus Coupes for the price of an R8 E Tron.
The astronomical price was the reason Audi managed to sell very few units, according to the company ‘it was fewer than 100’. For now, the company has pulled the plug on the R8 E-Tron. Incidentally, the BMW i8 and Ferrari La Ferrari both of which use a hybrid powertrain have been successful.
[Via : Caranddriver]
