Audi A1 e-tron concept wins 2010 "e-car-award"

Germany's Auto Test magazine presented its first annual "e-car-award" at an electric trade show last week. The recipient of the award was none other than Audi's A1 e-tron, an electric concept car that we saw earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show. Out of 24 cars, Audi managed to make the list not once, but twice. First with the aforementioned A1 e-tron and a second time (placing fourth) with the e-tron show car, which we saw at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. Auto Test turned to its readers to narrow down the group of 24 cars. In all, more than 36,000 readers cast votes to crown the victor.

Audi's classifies its award-winning A1 e-tron as a Mega City Vehicle (MCV). The A1 e-tron offers an electric range in excess of 30 miles and sports a small, single-rotor Wankel engine in a range-extending role similar to the setup utilized on the Chevy Volt. Audi believes that the A1 e-tron is ideally suited for metropolitan areas of North America and Europe, but has yet to announce any production plans for the electric hatchback.

Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Audi]

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Audi A1 e-tron wins "e-car-award 2010"

- Audi e-tron show car presented in Detroit takes fourth place
- Votes cast by 36,212 readers of Germany's "AUTO TEST" magazine
- Competition included 24 models

INGOLSTADT, Germany, Jun 7, 2010 - The Audi A1 e-tron has won the "e-car-award," presented this year for the very first time. The innovative Mega City Vehicle (MCV) with an electric motor was selected the winner from a field of 24 models, with 36,212 readers of Germany's "AUTO TEST" trade publication casting votes. The Audi e-tron show car, which was shown at the beginning of the year at the Detroit Motor Show, took fourth place.

The awards ceremony was held on June 3 during "the electric avenue" trade show for electromobility in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance. The compact concept car, which celebrated its premiere during the Geneva Motor Show, offers emission-free transport in city traffic along with a driving range that exceeds 50 kilometers. Thanks to peak power output of 75 kW (102 hp), the A1 e-tron also delivers a great driving experience. A compact combustion engine recharges the battery when it runs out of power.

The Audi A1 e-tron is a compact electric car for the premium car segment. The four-seater, two-door MCV is specifically designed for daily use in the metropolitan areas of Europe and North America, as well as in the rapidly growing megacities of Asia and South America.

Audi is expanding its e-tron model family in steps, and the MCV is the third car to carry the e-tron designation. Audi has employed radically different technical concepts in the process. The first e­tron, which was shown at the 2009 IAA in Frankfurt, is a near-series high-performance sports car with electric motors for all four wheels. The concept car for the 2010 Detroit Motor Show, which the "AUTO TEST" readers voted into fourth place, is a lightweight, compact two-seater car with two electric motors on the rear axle.