Audi continues to introduce more and more plug-in hybrids but they remain off the cards for Australia at the moment.

    “Clearly on the roadmap for electrification over the next 5-10 years, models like this will take up a proportion of that electrification but at this stage it’ll be something that we’ll be rolling out in future years,” said Shaun Cleary, PR director for Audi Australia,

    “We’re just a few weeks away from introducing our E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback and that’s definitely our focus for now.”

    The company is continuing to roll out plug-in hybrid models across its European range. The Q5, A6 and A7 are all available in 55 TFSIe variants in Europe with a 270kW/500Nm four-cylinder powertrain, while the larger Q7 and A8 offer a 60 TFSIe plug-in version with a 335kW/700Nm six-cylinder powertrain.

    These models all use a 14.1kWh lithium-ion battery except for the Q7, which packs a 17.3kWh unit.

    Next on the agenda for Audi are PHEV versions of the new A3, Q3 and Q8.

    Audi has also promised a performance plug-in hybrid that will wear RS badging. The company has previously said its vaunted RS label would be used for both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, with reports indicating the first RS PHEV will be the next-generation RS4 Avant.

    Although the company is rolling out its E-Tron-branded electric vehicles, it’s committing to plug-in hybrid vehicles.

    “For us, the PHEV is anything but a transitional technology. It’s here to stay,” said Bernhard-Michael Decker, Audi’s technical project manager for electrification.

    Though Audi has previously offered PHEVs here, their absence today is notable as BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue to introduce PHEV models to Australia.

    BMW offers PHEV versions of its 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series and X5 lines, with a plug-in X3 xDrive30e in the pipeline. Mercedes-Benz offers PHEV versions of its C-Class, E-Class and GLC.

    Audi previously imported the A3 e-tron and Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrids in limited numbers. The A3 was sold from 2015 to 2016 while the Q7 was sold from 2017 to 2018.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

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