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Audi cancels the hybrid-powered A4 in the US
By Yoann Besnard on 5 April 2008 | 
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After the Q7 hybrid, the plummeting value of the dollar makes another victim among the Audi future hybrid lineup. The carmaker has announced that the Audi A4 hybrid won’t cross the Atlantic ocean.
The Q7 was canceled due to its price expected to be too high in the US. The A4 gets the same fate, but Audi USA communications director Jeff Kuhlman also explained that cost of homologating the hybrid system on both vehicles would likely not be offset by the sales expectations.
Instead, Audi plans to sell a diesel-powered A4. The selected engine would be the 237bhp 3.0-litre V6 unit also available on the Q7. What’s interesting about this news is the trend followed by the market. It seems that there will be two schools. One one side, there will be Japanese and Americans promoting hybrid technologies. On the other side, there will be the German clique with its diesel engines. How will the American market react to both offers. Generally recalcitrant to diesel engines, will the German brand image be powerful enough to convince consumers to switch?
