[chittychittybangbang]

I was working on the buying guide for the 2012 Audi A6 hybrid at the other site EVWAudi.com, the vw hybrid forum and audi hybrid forum and I noticed a few key terms in Audi's press releases which make be believe that it's FWD only. If so, I smell some fail on their part since the take rate on quattro is probably relatively high on Audi.

Audi will begin series production of the A6 hybrid, its second hybrid model after the Q5 hybrid quattro

It's very telling that they don't write that the A6 hybrid is also quattro. The word quattro is omitted in a number of places.

The electric motor sits directly behind the TFSI [engine], occupying the space of the torque converter upstream of the modified 8-speed tiptronic. The transmission sends torque to the front wheels.

The hybrid module is sandwiched with the engine-tranny. "torque to the front wheels" is a very suspicious way to phrase things. Why not say quattro or rear wheels?

Furthermore, the Q5 hybrid quattro is a tall SUV. The A6 is a sedan. I suspect that they weren't able to fit the independent rear suspension, the rear drivetrain, the hybrid battery, the trunk, and the gas tank in a limited space. The obvious thing to do is to shrink the trunk or make the rear body taller to fit everything in there. All this makes me strongly suspect that the 2012 Audi A6 hybrid will be FWD only....

This is an exclusive scoop and it could be wrong but I haven't seen a definitive answer through Audi's official materials anywhere. However, I feel their wording is as close to an official answer as you can get.

 

[Superbass]

Yet another reason TDI is superior....I'm sure hybrids will get better but why not give US what they want? I'm sure an Audi A6 2.0 TDI would sell great here. And they don't even have to do much R&D! Just put some on the boat with the Golfs.

 

[golfTDI1]

This thread calls to mind my thought process before I bought my Golf. I wanted better than average fuel economy (without batteries or hydrogen), and the ability to forge through reasonable amounts of snow (my job demands it). I was all set to buy an Audi A3 TDI quattro...'till I found out that I couldn't get an A3 TDI with quattro...at least, not in the U.S., very disappointing.

On the other hand, I now personally feel that AWD is overrated (My girlfriend has an AWD SUV). I'm not saying it doesn't help, but its not as great as people think it is and in most climates, its not advantageous to carry around that extra weight and service those extra parts, and undercut your fuel economy that much for the couple of times it may keep you from working a little harder to get through the wintry conditions. Its certainly not as good as a true 4WD (but that has its obvious disadvantages too). It is a shame though that the quattro system wouldn't be available on Audi's full line. Its a premium car, people should be able to equip it however they choose. With the hybrid system there's plenty of torque there to support it...oh wait, they wouldn't be able to squeeze out that extra 5mpgs on the EPA report