German newspaper AutoBild has revealed a few new details and renderings of the Audi e-Tron Spyder. The car, suspected of being called the Audi R4, is expected to be introduced on September 30 at the Paris Motor Show.
Audi has not officially revealed the car's hybrid powerplant, but AutoBild claims to have a few details. They say it will get a center-mounted 3.0-liter V6 TDI sending power to the rear. Working with two front-mounted electric motors and a DSG transmission, the hybrid is believed to be capable of short, all-electric commutes of under 50 kilometers (31 miles).
This is vastly different when compared to the original e-Tron concept. The Audi R8 e-Tron was shown off a year ago with four electric motors combining for 230 kW (313 hp) and up to 4,500Nm of torque. With that massive figure, the car cruised to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds en route to a 200 km/h top speed. Its range of 248 kilometers came from the 213kg lithium-ion battery pack, which required up to eight hours recharge time on a 220V outlet.
The car will likely hit production in a limited 1,000-unit run beginning in 2012. If successful, the R4 may then be sold on a wider scale. All the rumors will hopefully be cleared up in Paris at the end of the month.