V10 and W12 Engines Not Long for this World Suggests Audi Exec

Audi plans to eliminate up to 40 percent of its current powertrain systems in the long term.

Speaking to , Audi board member for Technical Development Peter Martens recently shared details on the German automaker’s future plans. Audi plans on debuting one fully-electric vehicle every year from 2018 until 2020 under the new Roadmap E. But along with three confirmed electric vehicles, the company will also be focusing on plug-in hybrids. By 2025, Audi expects one-third of its sales to come from plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.

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With the strong focus on electrified vehicles, that means sooner or later large engines will become a thing of the past. When asked about Audi’s plans to eliminate up to 40 percent of its drive systems in the long term, Martens confirmed the automaker will thin out its engine-transmission combinations, adding that entire engine families might also disappear. He questioned if Audi really needs V10 and W12 engines for the next generation of cars. In fact, Audi already gets questions about the future of the V8, but Martens can’t imagine Audi will do without it.

“We have a very important group of customers that really wants eight-cylinder engines in larger vehicles,” he said. “Will it exist forever? No, but [it will] for a rather long time.”

So for now Audi V8 engines are here to stay, but don’t be surprised of the V10 lurking in the Audi R8 is gone when the next-generation model arrives.