Ferrari's hybrid V6 to make big power while Audi considers electric R8

Wednesday, 17 February 2021

The convertible version of Ferrari's F8 is now in New Zealand. We are the first to check it out.

Ferrari is hard at work on a new model, rumoured to be an entry-level revival of the Dino badge sporting a hybrid V6 powertrain. We know it exists but nothing more, although a report from Car Magazine aims to shed a bit more light on the subject.

The original source of the information is unknown, so take with a grain of salt, but word is the electrified Ferrari will use a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 and a single electric motor to generate something in the vicinity of 522kW.

Ferrari will mount the motor in line with the engine to give the new sports car rear-wheel drive with a small electric-only range topping out around 32km.

Ferrari is working on a new sports car with a hybrid V6 powertrain.

Interesting, because ex-stablemates Maserati has just minted a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 making 470kW for its forthcoming MC20… Could we see the Italian band getting back together already? We’ll have to wait and see.

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At the other end of Europe, Audi is considering converting the R8 into an all-electric supercar. According to Top Gear, CEO Markus Duesmann said that while an electric R8 “wasn’t the original idea… it could make sense. We could do it if we wanted to.”

Some of you may recall Audi’s 2015 effort at a battery-powered R8, the E8 E-Tron. It had two electric motors making 340kW/920Nm and weighed 1840kg. Needless to say, it wasn’t all that quick and Audi sold fewer than 100 of them. The price tag of a million euros probably didn’t help either.

Last we heard about a second attempt, Audi was waiting for battery tech to improve as it reckons the cost per kilowatt of the battery was a big pitfall six years ago.

In the meantime, Audi’s Project Artemis is chugging along nicely, set to come with “a new onboard network and Level 4 autonomous driving.” The production version will arrive in 2024, with Bentley and Porsche getting their own versions later.

Duesmann did say that Level 4 autonomy may not be available at launch, which could be down to the difficulty of getting the tech to work as well as legal ramifications.