During the recent unveiling of the new Audi A8, Rupert Stradler, chairman of Audi, came under a horde of questions from journalist, enthusiasts and dealers eager to find out about the new model.

Stradler was able to confirm much speculation around whether there will be a Hybrid A8 and other tech questions surrounding efficiency, commenting:

“Yes. We are working on a full hybrid solution for Audi and we’ll be announcing something in spring 2010… We want to take out weight and want to further diesel and FSI technology. We can still improve fuel consumption.” A statement that’s assuredly reflected in the A8’s efficiency stats, as the average fuel consumption in the new Audi A8 has fallen by 20 per cent.

Another interesting topic of questioning was the potential for electric within Audi’s performance based technology, to which Stradler made clear that Audi envision hybrid as a significant step towards the electrification of the car, but brought expectations down to reality by saying it’s impossible to tell if that eventuality is 10 or 20 years away.  However he was able to say with confidence that:

“Electric power will give Quattro more possibilities, such as powering the rear axle like in the Audi A1 concept, or four wheels in motors like the E-tron. In fact, we want to launch a production E-tron in small volumes at the end of 2012.”

He also declared with assurance that the integration of Porsche into the VW Group would not change Audi’s plans for the worst, stating that:

“Audi has a clear product portfolio and a clear strategy with or without Porsche. Engineers are now talking about a lot of things with Porsche. We would work without them, but Porsche will make it better.”

When asked the precarious questions ‘how are Audi doing at the moment?’ was again grounded in his assertion that reaching 2007s ales levels would most likely not be possible until 2012, given the current economic climate, but went on to explain that 2010 will undoubtedly be a growth year because:

“Audi has got momentum and the product is accepted. The luxury market will start growing again in the mid and long-term. But there’s no doubt that it will come back again.”

Lastly, when asked about the possibility of a four cylinder A8, stradler replied with:
“This is not a question for engineers, it’s a question for the customer.”

So that’s exactly the question we’ll propose to you, Audi enthusiasts. Does the prospect of a four cylinder Audi A8 sound like an attractive prospect or not a fitting match?