2014 Audi R5

The much-rumored baby R8—which everyone would like to call an R4, but can’t because of a Renault by that name—has fallen out of the limelight since the last Audi e-Tron concept was shown. The seemingly on-again, off-again mid-engine coupe has long been believed to be based on a platform co-developed by VW and Porsche. We’ve seen a VW version with the BlueSport concept, but Porsche recently has backed away from speculation that it would have its version of this 2-seater as a sub-Boxster entry.

This rendering is enticing, and if the Audi is still on, we believe it could arrive in 2014 as the R5. Still, nothing’s official. Our best guess is that it will be introduced with a transversely mounted 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 driving the rear wheels. But because of the attention given to alternative powertrains in Audi concepts, don’t be surprised if this sporting coupe is introduced with diesel or hybrid technology as standard.