The new Audi A8 will not be offered with an all-electric variant, with Audi instead choosing to focus on its traditionally fuelled line-up as well as a plug-in hybrid to be introduced next year.
Audi's large cars boss, Peter Fromm, said: "For this model, we do not plan an electric A8. But in future [A8 models], yes."
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Based on current product lifecycles, that means it’s unlikely there will be an all-electric A8 until 2024.
However, a flagship A9 e-tron electric luxury saloon is due to be added to the line-up in that time.
Audi’s first foray into electric vehicles will be the E-tron SUV next year, which will have a range of 310 miles. Another two electric models will be introduced in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Talking about the E-Tron, Audi UK boss Andrew Doyle said: “We might not have been first to market but we will have the best EV on the market. It's not going to be huge-volume from the beginning."
He added that the Government’s plans to roll-out more public fast chargers is important for the take-up of EVs.
Talking about the recently announced plans to make all cars electric in France by 2040, Fromm said he believed this was a reasonable timeline: "By 2040, we're going to make it [all electric]."
Audi A9 e-tron production confirmed
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This has to be the greatest...
...example of guff from the VAG guff machine ever. "Here's something we're not going to do..."
Stop the presses blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. What next? Let me guess, Bentley aren't going to start producing mopeds?