Audi CEO confirms compact electric city car in 3 to 5 years
At the launch of the new Audi A7 Sportback in Munich, Audi’s CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed that the automaker is working on an electric city car that will not be a spin off of the Volkswagen Up! electric minicar. The German automaker already has plans to introduce the Audi R8 e-tron electric supercar in limited numbers in 2012.
It is not known whether the Audi electric city car will be a spin-off of the Audi A1 or a smaller vehicle that will fit below the hatchback.
“Almost certainly, yes, we will have a small electric car,” Stadler told WhatCar? “It is being investigate. What we then need are customers willing to pay a premium these vehicles demand.”
Stadler said that it will be at least 3 to 5 years before such car hits the markets.
Audi unveiled the A1 e-tron concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. The concept is powered by a synchronous electric motor that produces a continuous output of 61-hp with a peak output of 120-hp available in short bursts. On a full charge, the compact Audi A1 e-tron concept can travel 31 miles in city traffic. After the battery has been depleted, the A1 e-tron uses a Wankel engine as a range-extender along with an electrical generator with a charge rating of up to 15 kW. That allows it to travel an additional 124 miles.
Audi A1 e-tron:
– By: Omar Rana
Source: WhatCar
