Do you guys think we'll see a lot more diesel-powered race cars after seeing the Audi R10 win LeMans? Do you think they should capitalize on this by offering performance turbodiesel production models?  

Well diesels have now proven themselves in the mainstream raceing world and people have taken notice. Its only a matter of time before demand from potental customers becomes so great that they will need to do something to keep profitable. supply and demand. they need to supply what the majority damand. and audi wouldent have a hard time detuneing the R10 diesel or increasing the power of the diesel Toureg motor. I bet thats what some smart engineer over at the vw group is tinkering wih it on a napkin somewhere just waiting to unleash his/her Genius. atleast i hope so  

Good news: the V12 TDI is confirmed for the next-generation Audi A8. Whether it'll be in full race trim, we'll see, but it seems that the engine's design is its main strength and not the Shell V-Power gas-to-liquid fuel mixture they're using.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=149426

That thread contains anecdotal evidence from Audi engineers indicating that the engine could make well over 1000hp before blowing up, so in the luxury-sedan segment, they could readily contend with Mercedes' top-end AMG models while offering superior fuel economy. As fuel prices rise, even luxury buyers will start to weigh fuel economy more heavily, so diesel could seal Audi's place as a serious luxury marque. God knows, if they offered an RS8 sedan with the V12, then I'd lie, cheat, and steal to get one.

Ultimately, though, I think the most important push will be to ramp up production of passenger diesels with near-equivalent power ratings to their base-model gasser counterparts. BMW's 330d and 525d are good examples of this: Both employ an inline-6 of equivalent displacement to the same gasser, with a bit less power but substantially more torque and better fuel mileage.

Same with VW's upcoming common-rail 2.0 I4: 140hp compared to the gasoline I5's 150hp, but once again, much better torque and twice the fuel mileage. In the suddenly cost-conscious American market especially, diesels will see a resurgence on the lower end of the market first. Audi will test the waters with a truly high-performance engine, but I remember hearing rumors of a V10 TDI Lamborghini Gallardo prototype and hearing a bunch of supercar enthusiasts jeer. It'll be a while before that segment will be accepting of a diesel option.  

Yeah, a diesel Lamborghini would be a little strange, but the irony is that Lamborghini started as a tractor company! How's that for a little history. Porsche has likewise said it won't produce any diesels because it doesn't fit with their "character." Well, nobody thought diesels fit with Honda's character, except for their reputation for being progressive on environmentally-friendly technologies. I guess it will just be a matter of time before people start seeing diesels as legitimate "performance" vehicles.  

The R10 has now won the 24 hours of Le Mans two years in a row, this year a v12 Peugot diesel split the 1st and 3rd place Audi R10s.

There has been talk of a V8 or V12 diesel in the R8 - but I have seen very little on a V10 diesel version - which makes more sense to me.  The V8 would have a bit less power than the gas V8, a bit more wieght, gobs more torque.  The V10 would have more power, more weight and TORQUE.  The V12 would be very HEAVY and very powerful.