2012 Audi R4

2012 Audi R4

2012 Audi R4

A mid-engine design that's likely to be called R4 and will be marketed as a baby brother to Audi's impressive V8- and V10-powered R8 coupe and convertible. The R4's go-ahead status was more or less confirmed at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show with the unveiling of a second e-tron Concept, itself a baby brother to the R8-size battery-powered special seen at Frankfurt the previous fall. Britain's Autocar magazine and other sources say the Detroit e-tron accurately previews the R4, only with an electric drive system instead of a fossil-fuel powertrain. But because Audi has already confirmed a limited-production version of the "big" e-tron, there's a chance the R4 will also be available with battery power, now that Audi is moving full-bore into the world of pure-electric vehicles (EVs).

The R4 is due sometime before the end of calendar 2013, according to Audi sources quoted by Autocar. We suspect it will bow in time for the 2012 model year as the first of three 2-passenger sports cars sharing a platform now being developed at VW Group. The other two, expected as 2013 debuts, are a VW-badged roadster inspired by the recent BlueSport Concept and a "baby Boxster" convertible for Porsche, which VW acquired in late 2009.

Given Audi's place in the corporate brand hierarchy, the R4 should be the trio's middle child in price and performance, but may be sold only as a coupe to help it stand apart. Then again, we can't rule out a convertible version being added at some point, a la the TT and R8. Pricing is still a long away from being decided, but we'd expect the R4 to cost more than a comparable TT.