The luxury AudiA8 sedan will soon be available as a hybrid. There is no word yet on whether or not the Audi A8 Hybrid will be hitting South African dealerships but it is set for release in Europe in 2012. The hybrid version of the A8 comes with impressive fuel consumption figures as well as some decent output as well.

Impressive fuel consumption for Audi A8 Hybrid

Audi note that the hybrid A8 has the power of a 6-cylinder car with the fuel consumption of a 4-cylinder. The vehicle comes with a 2.0 TFSI gasoline engine and an electric motor, which combined generate a peak output of 180 kW (245 hp). Fuel consumption is obviously one of the biggest factors for a hybrid vehicle and the Audi A8 hybrid does not disappoint, coming in at just 6.4 litres/100km. The car can travel up to 100km/h on just the electric motor although it has a range of only 3km while traveling on electric power and at a constant speed of 60km/h.

The performance is impressive in the Audi A8 hybrid and it completes 0-100km/h in just 7.7 seconds before topping off at 235km/h. CO2 emissions are also quite low at just 148 grams/km. Audi do note though that all figures are so far provisional.

The lithium-ion battery sits in a crash-proof area of the trunk and by itself produces up to 40 kW of power. The battery is cooled via air that is blown from the passenger compartment by a fan and by a separate cooling circuit coupled to the aircon. This cooling allows the battery to be kept at temperature that allows full function.

Look for more information on a local release of the Audi A8 Hybrid should it become available.