The Weird, Complicated Life of the Audi R8 E-tron Silently Comes to an End

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Maybe buyers weren’t ready for an electric supercar. Maybe there wasn’t enough hype and star power. Hell, maybe no one knew about it.

Whatever the reason for the Audi R8 e-tron’s lack of sales and visibility, we do know one sure thing about this environmentally friendly phantom — it is stone cold dead.

The shadowy model that received more press as a concept car than a production vehicle was quietly killed off by Audi, Car and Driver confirms.

How many of these European status symbols rolled off the assembly line? Less than 100, an Audi spokesperson told the publication. Apparently, well-heeled buyers had better things to spend one million euros (1.1 million greenbacks) on, because it wasn’t as if Audi couldn’t build more of them. They could have, the spokesperson claims.

Exclusivity usually sells, but not in this case. While the model never appeared in official car buying channels — it was a no-show in sales literature and Audi’s online model lineup — it seems that pure lack of interest killed this model. DiCaprio was never photographed in one, and high-end models like the BMW i8 captured the eye of the six-figure EV crowd. Blame those alluring doors.

Appearing first as a 2009 concept vehicle, the model seemed bound for a 2012 production run. Audi rebooted that idea, with a second concept appearing the following year in Detroit. After that, silence — at least until a production version cropped up in Geneva in early 2015. Fully fleshed out, this electric R8 variant promised 456 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque, plus a late 2015 production date.

The automaker hinted that the e-tron would serve as something of an electric testbed for a future high-volume model. Audi, like its German rivals, has big EV plans, but it isn’t known how much the R8 e-tron’s development helped this effort.

[Image: Audi AG]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 12 comments
  • TonyJZX TonyJZX on Oct 14, 2016

    I like to think I keep up with 'car news' but this is the first time I read about a million dollar R8... and it comes down to this...why would anyone buy a car thats a million that doesnt look a million... A Pagani is a million, a Koeniggegg is a million, this is an electric r8...

    • Henkdevries Henkdevries on Oct 14, 2016

      why would anyone buy a car thats a million that doesnt look a million… The answer to that question is ... the question.

  • 05lgt 05lgt on Oct 14, 2016

    my own personal million + dollar car won't see enough miles for the carbon to fuel it to make a percentage difference compared to the carbon to make it. So, since the difference is negligible, I'll take the Pagani please.

  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
  • Ted “the model is going to be almost 4 inches longer and 2 inches wider than its predecessor”Size matters. In this case there is 6” too much.
Next