FRANKFURT, Germany — Audi pulled off the biggest surprise of the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show, announcing it would offer a hybrid version of its first SUV, the Q7, which is making its world premiere here.
The first member of the new Q7 family, with a 350-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 gasoline engine, goes on sale in the U.S., its primary market, next June. The 3.6-liter V6 gasoline version follows in September. Both engines feature Audi's FSI direct injection. In Europe, a 3.0-liter TDI diesel engine will also be offered.
Scheduled for a 2008 debut, the hybrid version couples the 4.2-liter V8 with an electric motor to boost torque to 472 lb-ft. Its 0-60-mph time is expected to be less than 7 seconds. Audi predicts the hybrid version will be 15-percent more economical than the pure-gasoline counterpart.
Sources tell Inside Line that debate has raged within Audi over which direction the automaker should go: diesels, which in Europe account for about half the market, or hybrids, the preferred alternative fuel vehicle in the U.S. The company finally settled on both. While the Q7 diesel is not expected in the U.S. anytime soon, diesel is planned for the near future in the A4 and A6 models.
What this means to you: Audi takes on Lexus with a hybrid SUV — though the turbodiesel will be the better off-roader.
The first member of the new Q7 family, with a 350-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 gasoline engine, goes on sale in the U.S., its primary market, next June. The 3.6-liter V6 gasoline version follows in September. Both engines feature Audi's FSI direct injection. In Europe, a 3.0-liter TDI diesel engine will also be offered.
Scheduled for a 2008 debut, the hybrid version couples the 4.2-liter V8 with an electric motor to boost torque to 472 lb-ft. Its 0-60-mph time is expected to be less than 7 seconds. Audi predicts the hybrid version will be 15-percent more economical than the pure-gasoline counterpart.
Sources tell Inside Line that debate has raged within Audi over which direction the automaker should go: diesels, which in Europe account for about half the market, or hybrids, the preferred alternative fuel vehicle in the U.S. The company finally settled on both. While the Q7 diesel is not expected in the U.S. anytime soon, diesel is planned for the near future in the A4 and A6 models.
What this means to you: Audi takes on Lexus with a hybrid SUV — though the turbodiesel will be the better off-roader.
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