The A3 eTron suggests Audi may have big plans for electric propulsion
Automakers typically spend a lot of time and money to promote their latest cars and concept vehicles – but occasionally one sits on the sidelines as sharp-eyed motorists might have discovered at the just-ended L.A. Motor Show.
While the German maker put the emphasis on its next-generation performance models, including the S6 sedan, Audi’s stand at the L.A. Convention Center also featured a battery-electric version of its compact Avant, or wagon, a showcar subtly decaled the A3 eTron.
Volkswagen’s luxury subsidiary hasn’t tried to hide its interest in electric propulsion, and has confirmed it will launch production versions of the eTron battery cars it has shown, in concept form, on the auto show circuit in recent years – which raised the question of what it might have in mind for the A3 eTron.
Audi has confirmed a battery-based version of the R8 sports car but it is working on other plug-ins and battery-car designs.
For the moment, at least, the answer appears to be “nothing.” But longer-term there just might be a reason why the compact battery wagon was on display.
The concept vehicle definitely won’t appear as seen at the Audi stand, said the maker’s U.S. PR chief Jeff Kuhlman. That’s because the current A3 body style will be undergoing a complete update in 2014. But the underlying powertrain is clearly something Audi is working on, he told TheDetroitBureau.com, calling it a “progression of the technology Audi is now testing.”
The A3 eTron allows the maker to test its new battery-electric propulsion system “in a body style we already have,” Kuhlman continued.
Audi will have to move fast to keep up with the competition. Both of its key German luxury rivals are planning various electric offerings, from the Mercedes-Benz E-Cell models to the new BMW i brand-within-a-brand.
The Bavarian maker brought to L.A. the first two offerings planned for that sub-brand, the compact i3, a pure battery-electric city car, an the sporty i8 plug-in – the latter getting a starring role in the next installment in the “Mission Impossible” movie franchise.
Audi has confirmed it is focusing its initial efforts on a version of the eTron sports cars it has been showing off over the last two years, Kuhlman noting that, “By the end of 2012 we will be in production of the R8 eTron.”
The maker is also testing a plug-in version of its smallest model, the A1. That version takes an unusual approach to the range-extender concept, turning to a rotary, or Wankel, engine to provide power once its batteries run down. The prototype follows a strategy similar to that used on the mainstream Chevrolet Volt and the planned Cadillac ELR range-extender. The A1 eTron’s Wankel engine serves as a generator, the wheels always being powered by electric current.