Audi R8 V10 production extended for three months

Audi R8 V10 production did not end last year as anticipated – and will continue to be built until the end of next month – after sales doubled in the US in 2023.

German media outlet Automobilwoche and US website Motor1 report the end of Audi R8 production has been pushed to March 2024, rather than the end of 2023 as had long been expected.

"The statement that the R8 will be discontinued at the end of 2023 dates back to 2019. From this point of view, it is not surprising that the actual end date has changed by a few weeks," Audi TT and R8 spokesperson Liza Kellner told Motor1.

The Audi R8's V10-powered sibling, the Lamborghini Huracan, is due to conclude production sometime before the end of this year.

Plans for a successor to the Audi R8 are unclear, as reports of a new electric Audi supercar due towards the end of the decade were refuted by the company in 2022.

The Huracan will be replaced by a new model due to be revealed later this year, expected to use twin-turbo V8 plug-in hybrid power.

The previous two generations of Audi R8 and 'junior' Lamborghini supercars (Gallardo and Huracan) have been twinned, but the Italian car maker says it has been able to go it alone this time because it has posted record profits in recent years, including nearly $AU1 billion in 2022.

The extension of R8 production comes after sales doubled in the US last year, with 631 deliveries, up from 314 in 2022 – though it is down from 649 vehicles in 2021, and 927 in 2018.

Internationally, sales have been declining, with 1097 deliveries reported globally in 2022, down from 1679 in 2021.

The Audi R8 has not been available in Australia since 2021, after the emissions and power tune of the 5.2-litre V10 engine used in the supercar locally was phased out overseas.