Audi delaying A6 hybrid and diesel models, A8 hybrid

Audi may claim that it's "not against hybrids," but it's certainly not hugely in favor of them, either. Any potential buyer of a hybrid version of the A6 or the A8, for example, had better get ready to wait a bit, because Audi wants to "minimize lineup complexity." So much for all this. The upcoming new A6 diesel is also getting a delay to early 2013.

Despite some forays into vehicle electrification, Audi is going to depend on its diesel focus in 2012. This means oil-burning versions of the Q5 and the A8 are still coming next year, and there's a chance we'll see a diesel A7, too. A diesel A6 had once been talked about for 2012, but Ward's Auto says this model will likely be moved back. The exact reasons for all these delays was not given, unless you think "minimizing lineup complexity" is a coherent statement.