The future of two of Audi’s most popular sports cars – the R8 and TT – is in doubt after the German brand suggested the models might face the axe as part of the firm’s future product strategy.
According to a report in Autocar magazine, Audi’s new chairman, Markus Duesmann, is looking at ways to increase cost-cutting to the Audi Transformation Plan that was put in place by his predecessor.
Questions have been raised about the future of models like the TT and R8 largely because of their development costs and because of the way technology is moving into alternative powertrains, such as electric.
While much is shared with Volkswagen on its MQB platform, Audi’s development costs on the MLB structure – used on the A4, A6, A8, Q5, Q7 and Q8 – are still high.
It has been suggested that a closer working relationship between Audi and brand partner Porsche could help ease costs. The two are already working together on developing an electric platform called PPE (Porsche Premium Electric), which will first appear on the next-generation Porsche Macan.
