Green vehicles were the focus of this weeks North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Many carmakers are finally coming out with product lines full of new electric or electric-hybrid vehicles. And by “many,” think “everyone” in some way — even Porsche. So, it comes as no surprise that, along with the new Audi A6, comes the A6 Hybrid.
The A6 Hybrid is part of Audi’s Electrification plan, which is all about getting the mileage up. They’ll tell you that fuel consumption is going to be better and the tech is very advanced, which it is, but they won’t tell you that they’ve had the technology to get similar fuel economy for years. It comes by way of the dirty D-word, which no one in America wants to talk about. That’s neither here, nor there — though Mercedes and Audi have promised to use more of fuel whose name we dare not speak in the future.
It’s now time, all you well-to-do people, who preferred trending-out in a Prius, to return to the lap of luxury and solidity with the A6 Hybrid. It’s unlike other hybrid attempts by other luxury companies (the Mercedes S400, for instance) the A6 Hybrid isn’t a mild hybrid, instead, the A6 is a parallel hybrid.
The A6’s powertrain is based on the award-winning 211 hp, 2-liter TFSI gas engine, combined with a 45 hp electric motor, with power coming from a 1.3kWh battery located in the trunk, for a total output of 245 hp. Not only are we hearing sporty acceleration numbers, but also a 38 US mpg average fuel consumption, which is very good for this size of vehicle.
By using lots of aluminum and special steels, Audi was able to keep the weight down, but were also able to increase strength and torsional rigidity. While many believe that all Audis have AWD, the Hybrid opts for front-wheel-drive, losing the heavy Quattro system.
Some really neat tech features on the A6 are the optional MMI navigation with MMI touch, which we covered late last year, GPS based headlights (see video below), and the heads-up display, new to Audi and not on the 2011 A8. The heads-up display will feature a number of customizable features, and is placed far out onto the road, such that drivers won’t have to refocus on the content. I’m personally excited about heads-up display and want to see more vehicles adopt this drive-style innovation. The A6 Hybrid will certainly come to the US. In fact, I’d put money on it that the A6 Hybrid was made just for the US. Everywhere else they accept the not dirty, but clean, D-word.
Video Highlights
Walk around
GPS Head-Lighting