2016 Audi R8 to Ditch Manual, Gain Diesel Engine

A host of changes are due for the upcoming 2016 Audi R8, and more details on what to expect have emerged.

According to Automobile, the manual transmission option that is currently available will no longer be a choice when the new car is revealed, which means customers will get a seven-speed auto whether they like it or not.

The other major change coming to the R8 is the addition of a diesel powerplant, though it won’t be available until 2017. A pet project of Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piëch, the Audi R8 TDI will get its power from either a 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 diesel or an even larger 5.0-liter V10 diesel.

SEE ALSO: 2016 Audi R8 Spy Photos

The new Audi will be closely related to the Lamborghini Huracan, with both cars riding on the same platform made from aluminium and carbon fiber. Other shared attributes between the cars include uprated control-arm suspension, dynamic steering and laser-beam matrix headlights.

On the engine front, the 2016 R8 will still offer a V8 and a V10, though the V8 is a new twin-turbo 4.0-liter unit that should make around 460 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 returns, and will be available with two different power ratings. The base ten cylinder will make 540 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque while the most powerful option will push out 600 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque.

SEE ALSO: Audi to Produce R8 E-Tron

An all-electric version of the R8 is also in cards, known as the R8 E-Tron.