Audi nears Q5 hybrid launch

Top Audi executives have confirmed in interviews that the company's Q5 4x4 will be the first model in its current line-up to get a hybrid drivetrain. Few details have been released so far, but insiders are hinting that the hybrid Q5 could use a diesel internal combustion engine rather than the petrol engines offered by existing models from manufacturers such as Lexus.

This is not Audi's first hybrid in fact – the company produced a very limited run of A6 Avant hybrids in the late '80s. The Q5 hybrid will be unveiled at the end of 2010 and should appear on forecourts at the beginning of next year.

2010 will be another busy year for the German company, with launches planned for the small A1 hatchback, the Mercedes CLS-rivalling A7, the A8 luxury saloon and the drop-top version of the R8 supercar.