We had bet that this would be called the R4, but the English from CAR say it will the R3. The little sister to the R8 will be a sports car with mid-engine , developed in conjunction with Volkswagon. The car could be out in 2013, and will substitute the TT with a four culinder engine so as not to rob its Boxster and Cayman cousins of any market share. It should also save Audi from the embarrassment of having developed a very expensive “Golf Coupè”.

The R4, based on the same platform as Porsche, loses out in Audi developments, being shelved for reasons of marketing and competition in the company. In the meantime Porsche will debut with a couple of new models in 2010. CAR has some optimistic ideas on Volkswagon and Audi, which it believes will release the R3 and Roadster at prices of between 20,000 and 35,000 euros, challenging the Mazda MX-5.

The R3 should appear with a 1.8 litre TFSI at 180hp, the 2.0 litre at 220hp, and a sports version producing around 280hp. Diesel engine models should have figures of 125, 170 and 204hp, but given the 2013 debut, we could see some hybrid options considered that haven’t been confirmed.

Source | Carmagazine

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