Vorsprung durch Technik is usually translated as “progress through technology” but to describe Audi’s progressive evolution and advancements in the premium car manufacturing field, a more suitable translation would be “advancement through technology”.

With 33 models worldwide whose average CO2 emissions are below the 140g/km, Audi have earned the leading position among the premium car manufacturers and – thanks to the Vorsprung durch Technik philosophy – the company has plans to reduce fleet CO2 emissions by another 20% by 2012.

Proof of that, is the newly launched Audi A3 1.6 TDI which was already the “greenest” car in the premium sector. An accolade Audi have managed to crack by reaching the 100g/km mark a long with CO2 emissions of only 99g/km associated with an impressive fuel consumption of 74.3mpg.

But Audi’s environmental concern goes beyond its vehicles and optimised assembly lines. Audi has taken a literal approach to the proverbial “green shoots of recovery” and is funding the reforestation of the Kösching Forest, destroyed in 2007 by dark beetles and heavy storms.

The Korsching Forest is located near Audi Headquarters in Ingolstadt where Audi is funding the planting of 36,000 oak trees that will cover a total six hectares which will be the basis of the “Oak Forest CO2 Reservoir”. The initiative is a partnership between Audi, the Bavarian State Forestry and the Chair of Forest Yield Science at the Technical University of Munich.

Reforesting the Korsching Forest is just the tip of the iceberg of Audi’s environmental commitment as plans are underway for additional sites at international locations such as Audi’s production site in Gyor, Hungary, where 13,000 Pedunculate Oaks will be planted covering an area of 4 hectares.

The newly sown forest is a particularly tangible indicator of the Audi’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection, but it is just one example of the numerous measures the prestige car manufacturer is implementing to conserve resources in both the cars themselves and in their production.

Some renderings of  what the ‘Audi A1 Metroproject Quattro’ concept will look like have been leaked.

Summary of the A1 Metroproject Quattro preview car… 

 Size: 910mm in length (A3 3dr 4,214mm), 1,750mm width (A3 1,765mm), 1,400mm high (A3 1,420mm)

The Capacity of lithium-ion batteries makes a range of up to 62 miles possible without petrol engine intervention. Batteries rechargeable via mains socket.

With the engine and electric motor operating simultaneously a torque maximum of 440Nm (petrol engine 240Nm, electric motor 200Nm) is made available. 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds, 124mph top speed, 57.6mpg, 112g/km CO2.

The interior features innovative Audi mobile hand-held device offering mobile telephony, MP3 and video playback and GPS navigation Driver can also input sat-nav destinations and control in-car functions such as heating before leaving home

It features a new take on Audi’s established Quattro technology. The Audi qutro four-wheel drive system is usually a traditional one engine driving four wheels affair. But the 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine under the A1 Metroproject’s bonnet only powers the front wheels. It gives a respectable 148bhp but is not going to help out with back-end traction.

The secret is instead under the boot floor, where lurks a compact 40bhp electric motor, driving  the rear wheels.

The A1 Metroproject is a hybrid, too. an extra 40bhp might not sound very much, the real bonus of an electric motor is the instant – and we do mean instant – torque. In the Audi A1 Metroproject’s case, the motor delivers an extra 148lb ft of torque. More than enough to propel what is supposedly an environmentally friendly city-car concept to 65mph in 7.8 seconds. The electric  motor can also power the Audi A1 Metroproject entirely on its own at urban speeds, with a range of up to 65 miles thanks to lithium-ion batteries. As with all hybrids the only real downside is the weight penalty; the set-up reputedly adds 70kg to the Metroproject’s overall weight.

The Audi A1 Metroproject is also a ‘plug-in’ hybrid. So it can be recharged at any standard power outlet as well as via the petrol engine. It uses various regenerative techniques to recover energy while driving too, just like the Toyota Prius, and new BMW and MINI EfficientDynamics models. As a result it produces just 112g/km of CO2 and is capable of 57.6mpg. if you do not think that too impressive, remember: we are talking about 148bhp turbocharged petrol engine here, not some kind of diesel. The 1.4 turbo should appear in a refreshed A3 next year, the new A4, and the production A1.