# Fourtitude Intel Report: Audi R-Cars and the Future of Mid-Engine Supercars at the Volkswagen Group



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Audi’s sports car concepts have dominated auto show news for most of 2010, and now projections of a mid-engine Audi slotted below the R8 are fueling the gossipsphere like a splash of petrol doused on a hot exhaust. With all the conjecture in the media, we figured we could offer some analysis based on our own inside knowledge. What follows is a comprehensive breakdown of what we know as well as some educated guesses for the future of mid-engine cars at the Volkswagen Group and specifically Audi. 

* Full Story *


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## cnimativ (Jul 21, 2010)

wow mid and rear engine. sexy... 

hope they keep MT/hand e-brake on all the Porsche and R models...


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

Audi R5 mid-engined sports car approved: here in 2014 
By Tim Pollard (artist's impression by R.Varicak/Motor Forecast) 
Spy shots 
29 October 2010 11:33 

Volkswagen's new 'MiMo' sports car architecture has been approved at last - paving the way for a trio of sports cars from Audi, Porsche and VW. 

The project had been up in the air while the engineers pondered the layout and the bean counters counted, well, beans. CAR understands that the project has now been given the green light. 

Mimo stands for Mittelmotor, hinting at its mid-engined roots. Porsche will lead much of the platform development, with its experience in mid- and rear-engined applications. And that means - for the first time in years - a rear-engined Audi is on the cards. 

Audi R5: the lowdown 

Our artist's impression (red car, above) shows how the E-tron concept car is likely to translate to the production R5. Both a coupe and open-top roadster models are expected (the E-tron Spyder concept car previewed the convertible). 

Underpinning the business case is careful positioning of the Audi R5. This is no sub-TT cheapling; instead the R5 will be positioned above the TT and below the R8 supercar. 

How the R5 measures up 

That's a brave move by Audi, since the R5 has a compact footprint. At just 3933mm long, it's supermini short, a simple two-seater just a centimetre-and-a-bit longer than a Lotus Exige. But in this age of downsizing, people will pay a premium for a quality, compact sports car. It seems an apposite model for our times. 

Although Audi has shown the E-tron concept car powered by electric motors - and a production EV is in the pipeline - the majority of R5 models will in fact feature conventional combustion engines. Word is the top motor will be the five-cylinder 2.5-litre turbo from the TT RS, enough for some 350bhp; but sub 2.0-litre engines are a certainty. 

When will the Audi R5 be launched? 

Now the programme has received the first stage official go-ahead, the Audi R5 is tentatively pencilled in for a 2014 launch. Audi's already shown two concept cars - the E-tron coupe and Spider - and we can expect further hints over the coming years. 

Porsche is investigating its own version, dubbed 356, to slot beneath the Boxster, while VW plans to spin off a cheaper model based on the Bluesport concept. It's like the Q7-Cayenne-Touareg off-roader trio all over again. 

Volkswagen's sports car will be built at the Karmann factory in Osnabrück, Austria. It's unclear at this stage where the other derivatives will be built.


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## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Interesting piece. I'm assuming Mimo is the set we've termed MQB-Mid. Still, referring to the Audi as R5 is a little confusing and doesn't account for the longitudinal solution that will eventually be needed for Boxster/Cayman.


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

This MIMO based Spider will be 4.26m' long.


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