All-new Audi R8 sent back to drawing board after disappointing engineering brass

By Nick Jaynes Published January 24, 2014

Built for men named Sergio who bathe in Perrier and whose hair is far too coiffed for hats, the all-new Lamborghini Huracan is an impressive thing indeed.

But did you know it’s not the soul iteration of the all-new performance platform?

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That’s right. The second-gen Audi R8 has been constructed on the bones of the latest Lambo. Slated for reveal later this year or early next, the R8 was to be Audi’s shot across the bow of Porsche and BMW.

That is, it was supposed to be at least.

After wildly disappointing head Audi engineer, Ulrich Hackenberg, the all-new R8 was sent back into development and then-quattro head Francisus van Meel was exiled to Audi’s China outfit. In his place, Audi has appointed Heinz Hollweger to head of quattro GmbH.

What does this jumble of German surnames and acronyms mean? Essentially, the new R8 will be delayed a bit, but should be far better than it was going to be.

Also, according to Autoexpress, the R8 e-tron – the electric version of the R8 – will be headed into production after all, to take on Mercedes’ SLS AMG Electric Drive.

All good news for us Audi enthusiasts.

Former Automotive Editor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

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