Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan may get five-cylinder engines for Chinese market

The Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan may get five-cylinder turbocharged engines for Chinese market. The reports suggest that this move is being done purely for tax purposes in a bid to ensure the cars remain relatively easy on the pocket in the highly competitive Chinese market.

The tax law is believed to state that those who buy new cars with a displacement under 4.0-litres will have to pay 17 per cent as compared to the 40 per cent tax on cars with larger V8 or V10 mills. The engine that will power these lower versions of the German and Italian supercars is likely to be the 2.5-litre five-cylinder mill from the RS3 and TT Clubsport concept car. In the latter, using an electric twin-turbocharger, the engine produces 600bhp and 650Nm of torque making it decently powerful and seemingly worthy of both supercars.

However, purists will obviously be up in arms, saying naturally aspirated is the only way when it comes to both these cars and that numbers should not matter in the face of mechanical purity.    

Source:autoevolution