The premium small city car sector has been dominated by the Audi A1 this year and the trend looks to continue into 2011
. In November of this year the Audi A1 was driven in central London by top celebrities from the Battersea power plant and then around the City.
Actors Dominic Cooper, Gemma Arterton, Naomie Harris, Toby Kebbell, Keeley Hawes, Nat Parker and Colin Salmon were among the stars mingling with more than 450 exclusive guests at the launch event.
The Audi A1 is the most efficient in the Audi model portfolio, with such low CO2 emissions that all models are exempt from road fund license in the first year. The Diesel A1 can deliver a combined fuel economy of 70.6 miles per gallon. But, Audi aim to make the A1 even more efficient and eco friendly, in Germany they are trialling twenty Audi A1 e-trons. The e-tron is Audis innovative battery-powered 'Mega City vehicle' (MCV).
The A1 e-tron will be used on a Germanys normal roads as part of pilot project undertaken by Audi in partnership with E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke Munchen (SWM) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
The electric version of the A1 has an output equivalent to 102bhp; the lithium-ion battery is mounted within the floor assembly in front of the rear axle. It has a top speed of 81mph and has a range of more than 31 miles in city traffic. From start up it is classified as a zero emissions vehicle over this distance. A compact internal combustion engine recharges the battery when its energy is low.
If the pilot project goes well then it will not be long till the Audi A1 in Plymouth becomes powered by electricity.