Audi A8 Hybrid concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Thanks to the Volkswagen Group’s strategy to be the leading player in the alternative-powertrain market within the next decade, Audi has announced a rapid expansion of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years. The German automaker wants to improve efficiency of its internal combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel) by 30 percent – and it wants five percent of the brand’s model line to be electric. “In the future, our customers will be able to choose from an increasingly broad range of driveline technologies,” said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.
Joining the A8 Hybrid sedan, shown in concept form at the Geneva Motor Show, will be the A6 Hybrid arriving on its next-generation platform within the next two years. That will be accompanied by the soon-to-be-launched Q5 Hybrid crossover. Audi intends to brand its “e-tron” name to represent the company’s electronic mobility lineup (just like it did with “quattro” – now synonymous with all-wheel drive). Unlike its competitor BMW, which is working on smaller commuter-type urban-based EVs, Audi is engineering its vehicles for a more expensive niche. The new models are expected to debut in 2012.