Audi Q7 Hybrid

The performance figures promised by the Audi Q7 hybrid give it sports car status: a mere 6.8 seconds are required to reach 100 km/h from standstill. In-gear pulling power is even more electrifying, with the SUV accelerating from 80 up to 120 km/h in 5th gear in 7 seconds flat. These compelling figures are made even more impressive by the fact that the Audi Q7 hybrid tips the scales at 2,410 kilograms and returns fuel consumption figures of just 12.0 liters per 100 kilometers, nearly 13 percent less than the standard-production model: what better testimony to the efficiency of the Audi hybrid drive system?

The concept study's fine all-round capabilities are underpinned by the effective blend of high-performance FSI engine and electric motor, plus, not forgetting of course, the intelligent energy management at work in the Audi Q7 hybrid. After all, it is energy management that enables optimum use to be made of each drive unit's potential, resulting in superior performance going hand in hand with maximum efficiency.

When the bonnet of the Audi Q7 hybrid is first opened, there are no immediate visible signs of its hybrid nature. The 4.2-litre eight-cylinder power unit takes up the entire engine compartment, with no trace of either an electric motor or a battery.

The V8 engine is taken from the latest Audi V-engine range whose trademark characteristics include a cylinder angle of 90 degrees and cylinder spacing of 90 millimeters. A further distinguishing feature is the chain-driven camshaft. Unlike the conventionally powered models, the auxiliary air conditioning compressor and power steering pump units in the Audi Q7 hybrid are powered electrically to ensure their continued operability when the vehicle is driving in pure electric mode.

The V8 under the bonnet of the Audi Q7 hybrid incorporates the same FSI direct-injection petrol technology featured in the RS 4 engine. This marks the first ever use in a series-production eight-cylinder engine of a technology which has powered the Audi R8 Le Mans racing car to five victories.

FSI engines are more powerful and dynamic than conventional indirect-injection units whilst at the same time being a model of fuel economy. The V8 engine was retuned prior to being fitted in the Audi Q7 hybrid. The new engine's credentials now include beefy torque delivery right up to the red line as well as agile responsiveness, all combined with economical running.

These characteristics are partnered by a prodigious output of 257 kW/350 bhp at 6,800 rpm plus a peak torque of 440 Nm at 3,500 rpm.

This solution makes the most economical use possible of the space available, meaning that it does not impinge upon the passenger compartment in any way. Like the standard-production version it is derived from, the Audi Q7 hybrid offers up to three rows of seats and a spacious luggage compartment.

The Audi Q7 hybrid electric motor draws its energy from a battery system housed beneath the luggage compartment floor at the rear of the vehicle. A voltage transducer that supplies power to the vehicle's electrical system can also be found here. The tyre mobility system for repairing punctures has been incorporated next to the battery compartment.

When measured against earlier generations of hybrid vehicles, the electric motor and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery are veritable lightweights, with the study only weighing in at 140 kilograms more than the standard-production model, an increase of less than seven percent.