2009 Audi R8 e-Tron Concept
-
One of the earlier all-electric concept cars from a major maker was the Audi R8 e-tron, first unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009. Audi has consistently said it will build up to 1,000 of the battery-electric supercar and sell them--for a high price--to buyers who want a high-performance electric supercar. Until now, that is. Car and Driver (via Motor Authority) reports that work on the project has been halted, with the possibility that the program could be ended. The magazine says that Wolfgang Dürheimer, Audi's new R&D chief, plans a complete review of the...
-
The Fastest, Coolest, Sexiest Supercars Now Come With Plugs
Supercars: sleek, blindingly fast, ultra-expensive objects of lust for 14-year-old boys and sober-suited executives alike. For decades, supercars were powered solely by gasoline. But now there's a new gang in town, and they've upended all the rules. The newest, coolest, most jaw-dropping supercars...
John Voelcker -
Audi CEO: No "Euphoria For Electric Cars" Despite E-Tron
Strange as it may seem from the CEO of a company now embarking the electric car bandwagon, Audi's boss Rupert Stadler still seems apathetic at best about EVs. Of course, the aim of any big business is to grow and make money, so perhaps Rupert is thinking of the lack of short-term financial gains to...
Antony Ingram -
Audi Toys With New Electric Car, Pedals Future in Nuremburg
After initially appearing skeptical about the electric car, Audi has been busy over the past few years with a selection of plugin hybrid and fully electric-powered concepts, showing them off at prestigious events such as the Le Mans 24 hour race. But unlike the R8 e-tron, R4 e-tron spyder and A1...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Oh, Audi, How Could You? The French Like Electric Cars, But...
Marketing missteps in naming cars quickly become legendary. There's the urban myth that the Chevrolet Nova failed in South America because in Spanish, no va means "won't go." (It's not true.) But now it turns out that Audi may have committed a blunder in naming its line of electric cars e-Tron...
John Voelcker -
Audi Shows Off R8 e-tron At 24 Hours Of Le Mans
When most people think of electric vehicles, they think of low cost and environmentally friendly vehicles that are about as much fun to drive as the Flintstones’ car. Automakers like Audi and Mercedes-Benz, however, are hoping to alleviate that stigma by targeting the top end of town and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
You have to give Audi credit. When they decide to do something, they go all in. It was just last fall that they showed off the e-Tron, their electric supercar based on the R8 sports coupe. Now, we learn that there will be a range of e-Trons offered, though in small numbers. As we noted last week, Audi hopes to make the e-Tron name as distinctive and powerful as its famous Quattro all-wheel-drive brand. To do that, the company will offer at least two e-Tron sports cars: the larger one, based on the R8, which was shown as a concept at the Frankfurt and Los Angeles auto shows, and a smaller one...
-
Audi To Sell e-Tron Electric Coupes, Hopes Name Has Quattro Clout
After the rapturous reception for three successive models of its e-Tron electric coupe concept at the Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and Detroit auto shows, Audi announced it would build and sell a small number of the electric supercars. Now we know a few more details of Audi's plans. And it seems Audi...
John Voelcker -
Audi's Green Onslaught: A3 Sedan, A8 Hybrid, e-Tron Tesla-Fighter
It's going to take Audi a long time to live down its U.S. chief's infamous quote that anyone who buys a Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is an "idiot." But after sticking to diesel for a long time as its sole green strategy, Audi is now storming ahead into smaller, hybrid, and...
John Voelcker -
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show: Preview
Only a handful of U.S. auto shows count as important. Detroit, in January, is one; historically, New York in April has been another. But the up-and-comer is the Los Angeles Auto Show, which now occurs in late November or early December and focuses on green cars of all stripes: hybrids, electric...
John Voelcker