Audi announced today that by 2014 they intend to bring a plug-in hybrid vehicle to market. Of course they are a little late to the game in this department with Toyota PHEV Prius and Chevy Volt preceding them.
But, apparently competition is good in this department because Audi has now vowed that by 2020 they will be the leading worldwide seller of electric vehicles. This is pretty big talk from the German automaker.
But it’s not all talk. Audi has developed its own e-tron electric vehicle department along with a new electric drive testing center in Germany at the Ingolstadt headquarters. Audi will be introducing standard hybrid vehicles over the next couple of years including the Q5 and A8 (hybrid plus 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder).
At the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show Audi showed off its R8-based e-tron supercar that wowed the crowd. By willing itself to become the leader in EVs, HEVs and PHEVs in the premium car division, Audi has set the bar very high and emissions very low.