2010 Detroit Auto Show: Audi to Debut A8 Full Hybrid At Geneva Show in March
By Scott Doggett January 12, 2010
#NAIAS - Speaking with reporters at the ongoing 2010 Detroit Auto Show, Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler revealed today that a hybrid version of its new A8 will be introduced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March.
Stadler said the vehicle's lithium-ion battery technology is being developed by Sanyo Electric Co. Sanyo and Audi's parent company, Volkswagen, signed a cooperative agreement in May 2008.
Stadler says that the fuel economy of the 2011 A8 is improved by 15 percent when compared to the current A8. That said, the automaker hasn't yet disclosed fuel economy figures for the A8.
Audi views hybrids as a stepping stone towards full electric vehicles, Stadler said, which is why the hybrid A8 will be a full hybrid rather than a mild one; the vehicle can be propelled using an electric motor or a gasoline internal combustion engine.
The A8 (pictured) won't be the platform for Audi's first hybrid vehicle, however. The Q5 will have that honor. The Q5 hybrid is slated for production early next year. Expect the hybrid version of the A8 to appear in showrooms thereafter.
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