Audi Supercar to Replace V-8 with Turbo-5?

Audi AG may offer a souped-up version of its 2.5-liter turbocharged 5-cylinder engine in its R8 supercar, Auto Express reports. Without citing its sources, the U.K. enthusiast magazine says the five-pot powerplant would be a “highly re-worked” version—possibly assisted by an electric motor—of the 360-hp turbocharged mill offered in the current RS3 sportback.

The 5-cylinder model would replace the 4.2-liter V-8 offered in previous versions of the R8. The second-generation R8, which launched this summer in Europe, currently is available only with a 5.2-liter V-10 engine, which makes 540 hp—and 610 hp for the V10 Plus model. Audi also plans a new all-electric R8 e-tron model, according to the report.

If approved, the smaller engine likely won’t bow in the R8 for at least a year, Auto Express notes.