R5 Sportscar
The R8 needs a baby brother and such a car has been called many things, most commonly "R4" but the "R5" is more accurately the name we expect to see if its on-again-off-again finally ends up to simly "on".

According to the latest info, there's still a chance for R5. With developmental control of sportscars, an internal program known as "550" has proceeded at Stuttgart, stemming from the former project known as 'Bluesport' and loosely based on the concept car by the same name.

Where we remain confused is engine configuration. Bluesport had a transverse engine and so too would the Detroit e-tron coupe had it ever been built according to our sources, but the e-tron Spyder that popped up again in Le Mans boasted a longitudinal V6 engine just like the R8.

This 550 program wiill give birth to an entry-level "Porsche 356" by 2014 and also a VW version. Audi had been on the fence and almost pulled out, but that the R5 is again gaining traction internally, believed possible to fit alongside the TT in the lineup and even a shooting brake style 'Sportback' might happen. If so, it'd differ from its VW and Porsche siblings by boasting all-wheel drive and the Audi 5-cylinder turbo, which'd position it above the VW and even above the Porsche in pricing. Assumedly, that'd put it above the TT as well.

A9 Coupe
As reported before, Audi is moving toward its next-generation of multi-material space frames that will evolve the current longitudinal architecture dubbed MLB-evo. At the same time, Porsche is readying its own mid-front engine rear-wheel drive platform dubbed MSB that is intended for other cars including the next-generation Panamera, a smaller Panamera siblingknown currently as Pajun, and also the entire Bentley range, VW Phaeton and any front-engine Lamborghini models such as the Estoque 4-door coupe concept shown several years ago.

At first it was believed that the A8 and an upcoming A9 coupe (rendered below) would also migrate to MSB (from MLB in the case of the A8) in order to achieve higher volume for the new architecture, but this may have been flipped back to Ingolstadt for the MSB-evo use on request of executives in Ingolstadt.

Turns out the Gallardo successor (2013) and R8 successor (2015) based on the MSS platform revealed to us a while back, are still largely Audi developed. So says the report, the next all-new A8 (2016) and A9 (2017) would remain under Audi's developmental control.

As a footnote, Autobild also mentions the A9 could turn up as a concept at Frankfurt which would be a pleasant surprise.



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