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Set for US release in 2012, Audi's first hybrid sedan stays true to the company's product strategy: visually, it's business as usual
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Audi has come under fire for its Russian-doll approach to sedan design. Each model in the prestige manufacturer's four-door line-up -- from its junior A4 through midsize A6 to A8 limo -- all look like inflated or shrunken versions of each other.

That hasn't deterred the company, which this week announced a new hybrid-engined version of its 2011 A6, due for release in the US in 2012.

The FWD-only car marries Audi's 155 kW 2.0 litre TFSI four-cylinder petrol engine -- already employed in the Q5 Hybrid -- with a 33kW/210Nm electric motor tucked in between the burner and the all-new eight-speed Tiptronic transmission. Powering the electric motor is a boot-mounted 1.3kWh Li-ion battery pack.

Audi is claiming fuel economy of 6.2L/100km for the car, adding that the hybrid model has an electric-only range of about three kilometres, reaching speeds of over 100 km/h. By comparison, the 2.0 TDI diesel A6 achieves 4.9L/100 km.

The company's officials were staying quiet at the Detroit show about launch dates and pricing. What isn't in doubt is the key role the car and its drivetrain technology are likely to play in parent company Volkswagen's Strategy 2018 business plan. For Audi, this means selling 200,000 vehicles a year in the US by 2018. Its final figure for 2010 was 101,629 units, the A6 pulling less than its weight achieving that figure.

Picture: Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG at NAIAS in Detroit

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