If anyone could have done a diesel supercar, it would have been Audi. After achieving utter domination in Le Mans racing with its R10 TDI, the German automaker unveiled two successive turbodiesel concept versions of the R8 supercar at the Detroit show and then at the Geneva salon in 2008. But after whetting our appetites for an oil-burning supercar with instant power delivery and endless reserves of torque, Audi has reportedly canceled development of its R8 TDI program.
Apparently, the R8 was not originally designed to accommodate the company's enormous V12 turbodiesel engine, and re-engineering the car was proving far too costly for Audi to justify under these financial circumstances, especially when the American market, which accounts for 1/3rd of R8 sales, is marred by diesel prices that are higher than gas. Fortunately Audi's already given us the 5.2-liter V10 FSI and has the convertible version in the works, but a diesel R8 just isn't in the cards.
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