Smart, perfect for this economy. The R4 would make a cheaper Cayman available to laymen.

Mid-engined diesel - I love it. Might be the only thing to get me out of my Z06.

This whole article is gold.

R4 sounds sweet.

I’m in love

“The R4 – which will adopt the R8’s mid-engine setup – will slot above the Audi’s TT but steer clear of the R8’s performance territory.”

Only line that scares me though. Because the last thing we need is another over-priced under performing Porsche Cayman….

I agree Need4SSpeed if it is priced between the TT and the R8 it will prob be in the 65k-75k dollar range, if its only going to offer horsepower in the 200-300hp range will make it a pretty hard sell against the cayman S, M3 and Z06.

best news all day

My god… ive been waiting for this announcement forever
…and LLN i really need a side job for some cash so if you would like a spell checker so that everyone can rest assured that audi “has NOT” forgotten the R8, im up for hire.

and i really dont believe the V12 is going to end up in the R8 after they said a million times it just wont work

twin turbo that 4. Do it Audi… just do it!

There is no way Audi is planning an R4 AND a 3rd-gen TT.. this will be the replacement.

I am all about that direct-inject 2.0T for the R4, what a great engine. With some mild massaging, it is easily capable of 300+ hp. And with an optional I-5T as the range-topper, this car will surely become an icon.
What was the original diesel “earmarked” for the R8? Was it a 4.5L V-8TT or the V-10 from the Touareg? Either way, I’m glad to see it will be getting the torque-monster V-12.

It seems like they’re gonna be splitting some very fine mid-engined hairs over at Porsche/VW/Audi. They’re planning to get at least six models out of this single architecture, and then they’ll build even more cars? So it’s going to look something like this:

VW Roadster
Audi A4
Porsche Boxster
Porsche Boxster S
Porsche Cayman
Porsche Cayman S
Audi R6 (?)
Audi R8
Audi R10 (? which I speculate would be called the R12 if it has the V12 TDI)
Lamborghini Gallardo
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lamborghini Renventon
Bugatti Veyron

It’s just occurred to me that one company essentially dominates the global market for rear-mid-engined cars. The only other real players would be Ferrari and Lotus.

edit: I obviously meant “R4″ where it says “A4″

Need4Speed and Fromes are right. The TT is overpriced as it is and if this car is going to cost 65K the base engine better have more than 200hp…

I call bull**** on this whole article.

Pursang- just because you can’t afford it, doesn’t mean its overpriced, cheap-ass

AWE-SOME!

Yes, best news all day!

By third gen TT they should adjust he naming scheme to match.. R2

But… if Audi and Porsche are bed buddies, wouldnt they cannibalize sales?

And Audi continues to produce the most perfect and beautiful cars on the planet.

uhmm R2 would have nothing to do with the TT.. thats just stupid
these R cars are mid engined two seat types with a very different styling direction than that of the TT. The R4 will look like a smaller R8, im sure complete with a side-blade and the different styled grille with a lack of rings within it. The styling directions between the R models and the TT are very different, and the TT is an icon for Audi and wont ever change its style.

i can also pretty much guarantee this car will NOT be “200hp” like you think pursang; that is the 2.0T in its most subdued form. The S3 2.0T puts out 265 hp and there is more available from this engine, so expect AT LEAST 265hp in the R4 from the lightweight 2.0T.

sweet.

Just like you can’t stop a prostitute from turning tricks, you can’t stop Audi from putting a wheezy four-banger in every platform.

Typical rumor mill article. Everybody is going through economic recession and Audi is planning on building 2 new rear engined sports cars in the near future. Yeah RIGHT!!!
I call bull**** by saying that Audi is just desperately trying to impress their investors!

A4 even with 265hp the Audi TT is still going to be slow. It’s a heavy “little” car. Whatever the TTRS is going to have like some what 330-350hp is what it’s going to need to compete.

Hmmmm…. I like the idea, but will it really work out like they say it will? I mean a less expensive mid-engined coupe would be great. The handling would be heads and shoulders above the TT, but will porsche be happy about this?

As for the V12 TDI, they’ve been talking about that forever, so whatever. The proof’s in the pudding, and there’s no pudding.

The article seemed somewhat plausible right up until the R6 card was played. Then, the whole thing just fell apart for me. Yeah, like Audi is going to have mid-engine cars in Small, Medium, and Large, and they’ll all look ” reminiscent of the R8, including LED headlights, similar air intakes and the same overall body lines.” Oh, AND the TT. So four sports cars for a brand that never even had one until 10 years ago. More sports cars than sedans…yeah. That’s what VW bought Lambo for. This is going to have to be filed in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” bin, along with the BMW & Porsche rumors…

Need4SSpeed, I believe A4 was referring to the R4, not the TT. That being said, I do think that Audi will end up pulling its punches with this car to differentiate it from its platform-mates. There’s no way Porsche will stand for the R4 outperforming the Cayman, and juicing up the Cayman isn’t an option because they can’t have it outperforming the 911.

It moved………..

I think the R4 will be a great addition to the Audi line up and fresh looking car in Mid priced sport coupe market.

Haha. I’m with you ‘wakeNbake.’ That picture should be labeled NSFW.

Need4SSpeed.. i was referring to the 2.0T going into the R4, not the TT… the TT already has this engine. Im aware of the TTRS.

I’d take an Audi over any BMW or Mercedes-Benz any day.

Great look, though borrows a bit too much from the R8. Both, great looking.

Very progressive thinking. I’d take a look.

oh ok. Gotcha. Yeah well if the R4 is going to compete it’s going to need at a minimum “265″ horsepower. Any lower and it won’t be a good thing. 330-350hp would be a nice healthy competitive range for the R4.

Although I think Audi would be better off on holding off with the TTRS and instead reserving that for the R4, because surely the TTRS and R4 (if it were to come out) would probably compete against eachother.

I like the R12? its gonna be a monster, especially with the 738 ft. lb. That much low-end torque should give that ridiculous accel.

I love it. No way can I afford one, but I love it..