Audi R8 e-tron Wont be Offered to Customers

Years in development, Audi will not offer its R8 e-tron model to customers, instead building a limited run exclusively for testing purposes.

The electric R8 has been spotted as recently as April by our spy photographers undergoing cold climate testing. At that time, Audi confirmed to AutoGuide that the car was being used simply to continue electric vehicle testing with corporate communications manager Brad Stertz commenting that, “The testing and manufacturing around those few models are helping engineers in Germany with future electric technologies and cars.”

One such car is the A3 e-tron, which rather than being fully electric is a hybrid that uses a 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and 75 kW electric motor to offer 204 hp and 258 b-ft of torque, with a 0-60 time of 7.6 seconds and a claimed 157 mpg.

This latest report confirms those hints that the R8 e-tron will not go on sale, as Audi grows weary with the slow development of battery technology and the equally slow decrease in prices.

This news comes several months after rival Mercedes announces its SLS e-Cell model would be offered to the public, though at a dramatic price of over a half a million dollars.