When the next-gen Audi Q7 turns up in showrooms next year, it will be the first among Volkswagen AG’s offerings to have a diesel PHEV option.
Automotive News reports the plug-in option will follow standard gasoline and diesel models, and will be sold in the United States and Europe. The Q7 PHEV will only be the second diesel PHEV sold in Europe, joining the €56,200 ($69,000 USD) Volvo V60.
The announcement follows statements made this summer by development chief Ulrich Hackenberg, who said the Q7 and the A8 would come with a diesel PHEV option, combining a 3-liter V6 engine with an electric motor, but didn’t say which would be the first out of the gate with said option.
As for the move itself, Hackenberg and CEO Rupert Stadler both proclaimed PHEVs would be the company’s best solution for low-emission vehicles, with greater range than pure electrics being the biggest factor.
I dont know the particulars but why not just sell a diesel hybrid? I have been waiting on one and have advocated for Mercury now Lincoln to have it as their sole engines to differentiate from Ford.
Do you want Lincoln to sell less cars than they do now?
I don’t get the question. Isn’t a PHEV a hybrid with a plug in feature? Did I miss where the diesel can’t charge the batteries?
yes they are hybrids however they have larger battery packs and dont get the same mileage as the regular hybrids do. They are more expensive as well. I was asking why not just a non plug in model.
If you live out in the country, the battery wouldn’t help much, but if you life in a city or suburb, the overall energy consumption of a PHEV is much less.
Yeah, I think most buyers will choose much greater energy savings overall, for a small loss in mileage when not plugging in. As charging options grow, more and more will be better off with PHEV.
“$69,000 USD Volvo V60”
HAHAHAHAHAHA
The should just close up shop if that’s the best they got.
Wow, a diesel PHEV drivetrain. I suppose if they think harder, Audi could come up with a more expensive drivetrain, but I don’t know how. Gas turbine, maybe.
VW has an engine with a turbocharger and a supercharger, connected to a seven speed dry clutch DSG. As a former VW owner, that gives me nightmares. The Jetta Hybrid uses that powertrain plus adds a hybrid system.
Perhaps they could have a twincharger diesel PHEV hybrid with a 10 speed DSG and AWD.
VW gave up on the twin-charging some time ago. All of the engines labelled “TSI” nowadays are simply turbocharged, and that includes both the base 1.8 TSI engine in the new Golf/Jetta and the 1.4 TSI in the hybrid.
Thanks, you are right. I second guessed myself and changed my comment. Should have left it the way it was. I get confused with their four cylinder engine timeline because everything is about the same displacement and naming scheme.
>>> could come up with a more expensive drivetrain <<<
Hydrogen fuel cell!
The plug-in feature is needed for solo use of the carpool lanes in California. Other than that, it would make more sense to have the plug-in feature on inefficient vehicles, not efficient ones.
They jumped the shark on complexity a while back. At this point, you have to ask why not go all the way. It’s clear they expect these things to be recycled in ten to 12 years.