Euro-Only Audi A8 Hybrid for 2012 Revealed, Four-Cylinder and Electric Motor Combine for 245 hp

Audi showed off a seemingly production-ready A8 hybrid “concept” at last year’s Geneva auto show, and now it has announced the production specs for the big Euro-market sedan. The A8 hybrid’s dirty bits are nearly identical to those of the concept, meaning the car will combine a 211-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four with a 54-hp electric motor that replaces the eight-speed automatic’s torque converter. Audi claims the A8 hybrid is good for 37 mpg on the Euro combined cycle, and that it can motivate itself to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds.

The four-cylinder and electric motor are good for a combined 245 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, slightly higher than Audi claimed for the concept. The production A8 hybrid can also accelerate up to 62 mph and travel 1.86 miles on electric power alone, both improvements compared with the 40-mph and 1-mile figures quoted for the concept. As we reported from the A8 hybrid’s Geneva reveal, the car won’t make it to the U.S., despite such natural competitors as the Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid and Lexus LS600h. Audi sells the A8 in small volumes here, and there isn’t much justification for sending over an even smaller-volume model such as the hybrid.

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