BrandsThe Audi R8 Is Coming Back — CEO Calls It a "Good Idea" and Praises the Lamborghini V8
AI-generated concept illustration of the next-generation Audi R8 — not an official Audi image. | Rev N Rise
Audi killed the R8 in 2023 after nearly two decades and two generations of one of the most beloved supercars ever built. Three years later, its CEO is sitting in a room full of journalists, unprompted praising the Lamborghini Temerario's V8 engine, laughing and calling a new R8 a "good idea." In the carefully controlled language of automotive executive communications, that is not nothing. That is very much something. The Audi R8 is coming back.
During a media roundtable in Munich in May 2026 — held ahead of the launch of the new 2027 Audi RS5 — CEO Gernot Döllner was asked directly about a third-generation R8. His answer was not a flat denial, a deflection or a carefully rehearsed non-answer. According to multiple journalists present, Döllner immediately mentioned the Lamborghini Temerario's engine without being prompted — noting "It's a great V8 engine in the Temerario. 10,000 rpm, really outstanding engine." He then paused, smiled, and when pressed on the R8 specifically, laughed and said: "Good idea!"
In any other industry, "good idea" means very little. In automotive executive communications, where every word in a media context is weighed and measured, a CEO who has genuinely ruled something out does not laugh about it. A CEO who finds a question interesting — who has thought about the answer before the journalist asked — responds with precisely the kind of warm, amused deflection that Döllner produced. He also knows the Temerario's redline off the top of his head. That is not a coincidence. Audi's CEO does not memorise the technical specifications of cars he has no plans to use.
The Lamborghini Temerario replaced the Huracán in 2024 and brought an entirely new powertrain to the mid-engined Lamborghini segment — a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre flat-plane-crank V8 that spins to 10,000rpm. That redline figure is extraordinary for a turbocharged engine — it belongs in naturally aspirated territory. The V8 alone produces 789 horsepower. Combined with three electric motors — two on the front axle and one integrated between the engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox — total system output rises to 907 horsepower. The small 3.8kWh battery enables a brief period of pure electric driving and provides power for the electric motors during performance driving.
The relationship between Lamborghini and Audi within the Volkswagen Group has a clear historical precedent. The Lamborghini Gallardo shared its V10 with the first-generation Audi R8. The Lamborghini Huracán shared an updated version of that V10 with the second-generation Audi R8. The natural evolution of that relationship is the Temerario's V8 PHEV system sharing with a third-generation R8. Döllner's unprompted praise for the engine — and his knowledge of its specific redline — makes the direction of that conversation extremely clear without requiring him to confirm anything officially.
Based on the Temerario relationship and reports from Autocar, the third-generation Audi R8 is expected to debut in late 2027 in both coupe and convertible body styles — matching the two-body formula of both previous generations. The powertrain, based on the Temerario's V8 PHEV architecture, is expected to produce close to 1,000 horsepower in the R8's configuration — with higher-performance Temerario variants expected to be available by the time the R8 launches, potentially giving the R8 access to an even more potent setup.
The performance envelope would be extraordinary by any measure: 0-60mph in under 3.0 seconds and a top speed exceeding 200mph are the most credible estimates. Pricing would sit below the Temerario's $300,000 entry point — consistent with the historical pricing relationship between the two cars. Audi Sport Managing Director Rolf Michl confirmed separately that Audi is "weighing the business case" for a new R8 and that it "needs to be profitable" — language that indicates the conversation has moved from wishful thinking to financial modelling.
A persistent source of confusion in Audi enthusiast circles has been the relationship between the new Audi Concept C — an all-electric sports car arriving in 2027 — and a potential new R8. Döllner confirmed directly that the Concept C is not an R8 successor. It sits between the discontinued TT and the R8 in terms of positioning and price — a separate product for a different buyer. Its platform is shared with Porsche's electric 718 project, not derived from Lamborghini's mid-engine supercar architecture.
The distinction matters because it means Audi has room in its lineup for both: an accessible electric sports car in the Concept C, and a full-blooded mid-engine supercar in a potential new R8. If both arrive in 2027, Audi's performance lineup will suddenly be the most exciting it has been since the original R8 launched in 2006 and redefined what a German supercar could be.
| Status | Not officially confirmed — CEO strongly hinted — "Good idea" |
| CEO statement | Gernot Döllner — praised Temerario V8, laughed, said "Good idea" |
| Expected platform | Lamborghini Temerario — same VW Group relationship as R8/Huracán |
| Expected engine | Twin-turbo 4.0L flat-plane V8 + 3 electric motors — PHEV |
| Temerario V8 redline | 10,000rpm — CEO knew this unprompted |
| Expected output | ~1,000hp — above Temerario's 907hp base |
| Expected 0-60 | Under 3.0 seconds |
| Expected top speed | Over 200 mph |
| Body styles | Coupe + Convertible — both expected |
| Expected debut | Late 2027 |
| Expected price | Below Temerario's $300,000 |
| Business case | Audi Sport MD confirms it is being evaluated — must be profitable |
| Concept C | Separate electric sports car — NOT an R8 replacement |
| Previous R8 production | 2006-2023 — two generations |
"It's a great V8 engine in the Temerario. 10,000 rpm, really outstanding engine. Good idea!"
— Gernot Döllner, CEO, Audi AG — Media Roundtable, Munich, May 2026Three words and a laugh. That is all it took for the internet to catch fire — and rightly so. Gernot Döllner knows the Temerario's redline by heart, praised it without being asked and called a new R8 a good idea with the warmth of someone who has already had the conversation behind closed doors. The business case is being evaluated. The platform exists. The engine exists. The historical precedent is unambiguous. The only question is timing. Late 2027, with close to 1,000 horsepower from a Lamborghini-derived V8 PHEV in a car priced below $300,000, would make the third-generation Audi R8 the most compelling supercar announcement of the decade. We are ready.