Audi hybrid vehicles

It was powered 100-kilowatt (136 PS; 134 bhp) five-cylinder petrol engine that drove the front wheels, and a part-time electric motor that could be activated when the vehicle was stationary, developing 9-kilowatt (12 PS; 12 bhp) and drove the rear wheels.

The batteries would be recharged during highway or country driving, or by plugging the car into an AC power outlet.

[2] The hybrid was unable to achieve fuel efficiency much greater than the standard 1.9 TDI, due to the extra weight the lead gelatin batteries added.

[4] However, in the back of the car, beneath a perspex peephole, is a 30 kilowatts (41 PS; 40 bhp) electric motor which drives the rear axle, and can generate an additional 200 newton-metres (148 lbf⋅ft) of torque, designed to create a zero emissions driving[4] experience in residential or city areas, and increase torque while the 1.4 TSI engine is accelerating.

[4] When both the engine and electric motors are working in unison, the car is transformed into a genuine quattro, with a combined torque output of 440 newton-metres (325 lbf⋅ft) being shared between all four wheels.

As a result, Audi claim a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency when compared to exclusive use of the internal combustion engine.

Audi is planning an alliance with the Japanese electronic company Sanyo to develop a pilot hybrid project for the Volkswagen Group.

The alliance could result in Sanyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future models of the Volkswagen Group.