In November of last year, Audi execs had confirmed that the German automaker would be introducing an A4 hybrid variant in about 2.5 - 3 years. They claimed that the architecture of the A4 was already designed to easily incorporate a hybrid system.

Well after killing off the plans to bring a Q7 hybrid to the U.S. by 2009 due to the value of the dollar, it seems like the A4 hybrid will unfortunately follow the same fate.

Communications director Jeff Kuhlman has said that the cost of the hybrid system on both vehicles would not offset the anticipated sales of the hybrids. As a result of expected low-volume and the crappy exchange rates, the price would be too high to move the two hybrids out of the showroom.

However, Audi is still planning on offering a 3.0L diesel V6, the same unit used in the Q7 and the Volkswagen Touareg. The engine has already been certified and makes business sense for Audi.

http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/04/03...ill-on-its-way

 

I've said, numerous times, that I thought the diesel would be more the wave of the future than hybrids....for several reasons, but chiefly that they achieve pretty much the same fuel economy as hybrids (but higher emissions), with a lot less complexity under the hood or the need for a heavy, bulky battery pack. Diesels also offer what many American drivers want....a lot of torque at low RPMs. The chief remaining problem is the high price of low-sulfur diesel fuel (currently about that of premium gas), but eventually that will come down and be more cost-effective with more production and diesel sales.

 

1) It's over for diesels in USA, at least for the next 10 years. Its almost 1.5x the price of premium gasoline here in NYC.
2) They are no longer that simple under the hood. The emissions stuff has complicated them a lot, and they are no longer that reliable.
3) They provide a lot of torque, but that mostly applies to turbo diesels, and turbines produce rather annoying whistle. And speaking of torque, test drive yourseld a GS450h... instantaneous silent torque from the electric motor that will make you giggle like highschool girl.
4) Hybrid can be added to any engine for additional efficiency, be it gas, diesel, electric, hydrogen, - anything.

 

boo..... first they blew my "dream" of hybrid q7, and now the hybrid a4..... on side note though, the new a4 looks nice. i love that new headlight design. i hope they change the interior as well so the nav screen is higher like the recent audi's

i don't know about other regions, but here in cali, prepare to pay quite a bit more for diesel over 91 octane. random check at the station around the corner, the 91 octane is 3.73, but disel is like 4.1. compare to say 87 which is 3.59 that some hybrid uses, that's quite some difference.

only time will tell of course, but i think hybrid is still rapidly evolving. i can't wait to see next generation battery, imho that would be critical in terms of weight, size, and capacity (towards future of hybrid)

 

I too believe that diesels will have a hard time gaining ground in the US. While I wouldn't mind a diesel, as rominl mentioned, the fuel is going for a rather large premium as it is. Looking at the bigger picture, diesel for trucks is already very high and if consumers start demanding more, it doesn't look good for them even if we import more which might make other good more expensive

 

diesel is 80 cents more than regular here

next

 

Hey Mike, Hybrids make as much is not more torque off the line than a diesel due to the electric engine.

 

Diesel's going for about $4.05 a gallon down here.

 

Aren't diesel engines heavier than gas engines? so gas engine + battery is heavier than a diesel engine of similar power?? How so?

 

I dunno, the RX400h averages better gas mileage than the ML 320 CDI. And it runs on regular, is faster, costs less, more cargo room.

 

Yeah but people only look at one side and say "zomg the battery is like 5000lbs" but don't realise that a diesel engine is heavier than a petrol engine of the same size.

Don't forget emissions heh

 

I would be more excited about the A4 diesel coming here if I knew it wasn't going to cost a fortune. Besides, I read that Audi is only offering a manual transmission with the FWD 4-cylinder A4 this time. So no manual for the diesel means no interest from me.

 

I think it is a mistake for Audi for not going hybrid in the US, particularly that they should only bring a deisel, yeah, there is more MPG, but when does people look at MPG over the price per tank!

 

I know that the Camry is the number one selling car in America, but when it can sell 40,000 hybrids in its first year, I gotta believe some other automakers can grab some of that share.

 

I would highly disagree. Americans like convenience and refinement above low torque. Americans just don't like to deal with diesel fuel period. No matter how good new diesel vehicles may be, the fact that you still have to stop at a gas station and actually deal with filling up diesel fuel is a big turn-off to a lot of people in North America. Add to the fact that diesel is noticeably more expensive than gasoline right now in North America and suddenly diesel's main advantage is gone.

I disagree that diesels offer less complexity than a hybrid system. Modern diesel powertrains are very complex mechanically speaking. You have complicated fuel injectors, sophisticated exhaust treatment systems, all of which add cost and complexity. Hybrids may seem complex in terms of the electrical systems and the software that runs a hybrid system, but there are a lot less moving parts in a hybrid drivetrain compared to a diesel drivetrain.

Furthermore, as anyone with some engineering knowledge knows, electrical systems are dramatically more reliable than mechanical systems, all other things being equal. In the same environment and under the same conditions, electrical systems are simply much more reliable. For instance, look at how much engine reliability improved when the industry moved to electronic fuel injection all those years ago.

People get the impression that hybrids are "complex" mostly because they don't quite understand exactly how the systems work.

Due to a hybrid being more reliable than a gas or diesel powertrain, it saves you money over the long run. There are several studies out there that show a Prius owner will actually save several thousand dollars in maintenance costs compared to a Corolla owner, over a 5 year period.

Hybrid popularity is also rapidly growing in Europe as well.