No electric car plans in the immediate future for Audi
With Audi recently dashing American hybrid hopes it doesn't come as a shock that, unlike the other German manufacturers, they have no plans for an all electric vehicle in the near future. It's a shame, too, because if they could make one that looked like their 2006 R-Zero electric concept (pictured above), they could probably rack up more than a few sales at a price that would guarantee a profit.
We only bring it up because our hopes were briefly raised by the headline, "Audi ponders the all-electric car" above an interesting interview with Willibert Schleuter, head of Audi AG electronics development in Tuesday's EETimes. He puts it all down to the state of today's battery technology offering a product that, in his opinion, is still too heavy and expensive. That, and a desire by Audi to focus on their successful diesel program for now. When pressed, he does admit to a belief that there will be a role for such a vehicle in the not-too-distant future as a second car for city driving and grocery getting and such. In the meantime we will wait and see what BMW and Daimler are planning to offer up in the way of (potentially) carbon-free driving.
[Source: EETimes]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
eddy 8:15AM (4/09/2008)
VW has an electric car program scheduled for 2010.
The new VW Lupo will get an completely battery-electric version to compete with the Mitsubishi Miev and the Subaru G4e. I read an interview with Martin Winterkorn, where he said that the first Volkswagen EV will launch in 2010 or 2011.
Audi has a Plugin-Hybrid-Programm with the new A1 Platform. That car will get 60 miles electric range, which is enough for most people in Europe.
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rgseidl 8:41AM (4/09/2008)
There's a lot less EV hype in Europe than there is in the US. I'm guessing Europeans simply have less of a desire to pay top dollar for ueber-green street cred. Most seem to prefer continuous improvement across the whole vehicle fleet so they have choice of high volume models that deliver relatively good fuel economy without sacrificing everything else on that altar - especially affordability.
Audi's A2 is a highly sought-after used car these days but while it was in production, sales were lackluster and profits disappointing. It was too far ahead of its time.
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Throwback 12:32PM (4/09/2008)
The A2 was also very expensive new. I have a friend in GB that has one and she loves it. She bought as a 1 year old used car with low miles.
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Lad 1:58PM (4/09/2008)
I'm amazed that Audi can compete in the U.S. because their cars are so expensive. I think the strength of the euro against our sinking dollar is largely to blame by adding a 50% premium to the exchange rate.
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Kevin Nugent 6:53PM (4/09/2008)
If all evs had that type of styling and had performance as these fats cars . You could not find one in any dealership you would have to reserve it . that is how fats these cars woudl sell.
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Murc 9:12PM (4/09/2008)
that car looks.....Bad F*cking Ass!
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Val 6:43AM (4/10/2008)
Wow, looks like a TT on steroids... lots of steroids
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Lupo 5:00PM (4/10/2008)
i wish they build this, it would be nice to have an attractive and economical alternative
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