Luxury MPV mooted by Audi
* MPV would be good looking and sporty, says Audi
* Plug-in hybrid cars within two years
Audi could expand its range to include a Ford S-Max-style MPV, a motorbike and a family of plug-in hybrids.
Speaking to What Car? at the launch of the Audi City dealership in London, Peter Schwarzenbauer, global boss of sales and marketing, admitted that a luxury six- or seven-seater was being considered.
'We don't want to do a [traditional] MPV because that's not part of the brand,' he said, 'but we would do something good looking and sporty. Imagine an S-Max the Audi way.'
Schwarzenbauer also admitted that Audi's plans for 'mobility solutions' would include two-wheelers, potentially a luxury urban scooter. He revealed that Audi's recent acquisition of Italian bike maker Ducati would help the company with technical know-how, but that it probably wouldn't be making superbikes.
This follows on from other premium makers such as BMW and Mini hinting that they will also be marketing electric scooters.
Coming first, though, is likely to be a family of plug-in hybrid versions of Audi's passenger cars. Schwarzenbauer conceded that a full-electric Audi was some way off because the technology is not well enough resolved yet. However, we're likely to see a plug-in Audi A3 hybrid 'within two years', with similar technology available for the A4, A8 and Q5 models arriving soon after.
Chas Hallett
