Followup: In March, Audi executive vice president Johan de Nysschen said the planned Q7 Hybrid would not be imported to America due to the declining U.S. dollar. Now, an Audi spokesperson has told Germany’s Der Spiegel the Q7 Hybrid has been shelved entirely.
According to the report, sales projections were not sufficient to warrant production of the vehicle. We suspect Audi launched a review of the program after deciding not to offer the car in America. Undoubtedly, without the world’s number-one SUV market in the equation, the numbers simply didn’t add up.
Original Story (March 24th): The weak U.S. dollar has halted plans to launch the Audi Q7 Hybrid in the United States. Originally scheduled to go on sale in early 2009, the hybrid SUV will not make it to the U.S. market as planned, said executive vice president Johan de Nysschen.
The crossover SUV will still be available to some U.S. customers, but it will be special order and extremely low volume. It will also probably carry a disproportionately high price tag.
“If you look at the way the economics are going, it was a very hard car to make the numbers work,” de Nysschen told trade publication Automotive News.
Audi will move ahead with plans to offer a diesel version of the Q7, which de Nysschen and team feel will be sufficient to satisfy U.S. customers looking for better fuel economy or more environmental friendliness. Availability will begin in under a year.
Output for the 3.0-liter diesel V6 is 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet torque. Audi claims the new engine is 35 percent more efficient than a comparable gasoline engine. The hybrid model offers 280 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque.
