Work on the second-generation Audi R8 is nearing completion and a test mule has been spotted at the Nurburgring.

 

The new R8 seems to stick to the same basic dimensions as its predecessor but appears to feature new front air intakes , a smaller grille and a new headlight cluster. At the rear, the new R8 seems bigger than the current car and there's new exhausts and a large diffuser.

 

While Audi bosses have confirmed the new R8 will follow the "same general layout" as the Huracan, the Audi car includes wider tracks and a longer wheelbase. Tech carried over from the Huracan includes that car's innovative rear firewall, as well as its central tunnel made from a single carbon-fibre moulding, which weighs as little as 50kg.

 

Following the precedent set by the first R8, majority of the new car's components will be made from aluminium to save weight. The same structure will also be used for the upcoming R8 e-tron.

 

A range of carried over V8 and V10 engines will power the new R8, with the latter unit closely related to the 5.2-litre engine found in the Huracan. That engine puts out 602bhp in the Huracan, giving the new Lamborghini a 0-100kph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 322kph. Like the new Lamborghini, the R8 will be available in all-wheel drive only and will be offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto gearbox.

 

The new R8 could also get the option of smaller-capacity turbocharged engines later in its life cycle. Audi's technical boss Ulrich Hackengerg has admitted the R8 "will need a turbocharged engine" at some point, saying, "In some countries, you need to reduce the capacity of engines also and we need to find solutions for those markets. So we're looking at smaller engines, yes".