A recent report by Auto Express claims Audi’s chief technical officer Ulrich Hackenberg announced the company plans to introduce an e-tron version of the facelifted A8.

Audi A8 e-tron – more powerful plug-in hybrid version of V6 diesel

Audi recently confirmed plans to add plug-in hybrid powertrains across its main line-up in the next five years. The report from the publication further claims the full-size A8 sedan will be among the first vehicles to be electrified, following closely on the footsteps of its younger sibling – the A3 Sportback e-tron showcased at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

There were no details on the size of electric motor, but Audi did confirm that the upcoming A8 e-tron will get its power from a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine (most likely to be sourced from the RS5 TDI Concept), coupled with one or more electric motors delivering a combined output of about 271 kW and up to 700Nm of torque. The manufacturer also confirmed that the system will have an all-electric range of up to 48 km running only on electric power and in hybrid mode it will have CO2 emissions of less than 100 g/km.

The new e-tron system is said to be available by early 2015, and production of A8 e-tron is most likely to commence after that, with the same setup of other prominent models A6 and Q7 will follow.