Auto: Audi looks to"wow"you with its electric cars

четверг, 24 марта 2011 г.

Audi looks to"wow"you with its electric cars— Autoblog Green

Audi e-tron Detroit Concept– Click above for high-res image gallery

At the2011 Geneva Motor Show, Frank van Meel,Audi's head of electromobility strategy, said that the firm is fond of the idea of a battery-powered car that"goes off like a catapult."Meel toldAutomotive News(sub. req.) that Audi is looking for"more or less the 'Wow!' effect"to prove that electrics can be"cool"and don't necessarily have to be drab little golf carts.

Lightning-fast electric cars like theAudi R8-based e-tronare sure tograb headlines(for proof, see:Tesla Roadster), but even Audi admits that a more conventional battery-powered auto will be needed to round out the automaker's electrified lineup. That's where a vehicle like theA1 e-tronconcept could slot in.

Though Audi has not committed to launching the A1 e-tron just yet, the automaker does refer to it as"a near-series production vehicle,"which leads us to believe that the A1, while not as"wowing"as the R8-based e-tron, could quickly become the vehicle that balances out Audi's electrified lineup.