Detroit 2011: Audi A6 Hybrid is Teutonic efficiency

While we have already met the 2012 Audi A6, we weren't clear on what the A6 Hybrid would look like. As it turns out, we had a pretty solid idea, as Audi officials say they have gone out of their way to keep it aesthetically true to the conventional gas-powered model.

The new A6 hybrid is a front-wheel drive affair that offers Audi's 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder with a 45-horsepower/155 pound-feet of torque electric motor sitting ahead of the eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox. A modest 1.3 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack is resident in the trunk to generate 39 kW. Audi quotes an estimated combined fuel economy rating of 38 miles per gallon, noting that the A6 Hybrid can be coaxed up to 62 mph strictly on electricity, and it has a pure-electric range of three kilometers (1.86 miles).

Audi isn't confirming when this new model will go on sale, but it is widely understood that the gas-electric model was conceived with the U.S. in mind, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it roll into American dealerships before it hits the rest of the globe.