We've known for some time that Porsche has wanted to build a supercar placed above the 911 but below the upcoming 918 Spyder. It would specifically do battle against the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia, the McLaren MP4-12C, and the upcoming Lamborghini Gallardo placement. However, a new report from Autocar has stated that the car may be built on the next-generation Audi R8 architecture. Porsche, welcome to being a part of the VW Group.

In a way to divide up corporate tasks, Porsche has been designated to be the sport model developer within the automaker. However, they may be making an exception to this rule for practicality reasons. Autocar is also claiming that the new Porsche will utilize a part-carbon fiber architecture that's already been mostly developed and was previewed on the Audi R8 e-tron prototype last September at Frankfurt. This same architecture will also be used for the Gallardo replacement, since Lamborghini is also a part of VW.

Porsche will likely price this car in the $250,000 to $400,000 range, but we still don't know what engine will be used. The next R8 will be powered by the automaker's new 4.0-liter TFSI twin-turbo V8 that's currently used in the new S8. Porsche though may use an engine of their own in order to differentiate it from its R8 corporate cousin. No planned launch date has been revealed, but we're guessing Porsche would like to reveal the car at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show. Photos displayed are of the 2010 Porsche 918 Spyder Concept.