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