Within a year Audi will offer seven new plug-in petrol-electric hybrid models, representing 'phase one' of a roll-out that will see 30 electrified cars by 2025, of which 20 will be full EVs. 

By 2025, Audi expects these models to account for 40% of its total worldwide sales, helping cut its emissions by 30% compared with 2015 levels and reduce the impact of looming CO2 fleet average EU fines in 2021. In another 20 years, Audi aims to be CO2 neutral in all parts of its business, as Katharina Schneider, responsible for Audi's brand strategy, told media in Munich last month. 

"By 2050 at the latest, we want to be CO2-neutral," she declared. "There is no alternative, and across the whole supply chain - manufacturing, operations and recycling." 

At the same event journalists were stripped of their cameras and mobile phones, and taken to a darkened room to be shown four electrified Audi models. Three were cars previously unveiled at motorshows - the Q4 E-Tron and E-Tron GT concepts, and the E-Tron 55 quattro SUV production EV - plus a mystery fourth prototype, which in Audi's official pictures appears partially cloaked (see main image above). Roughly the size of an A7, the four-door coupe is significant in that it sits on a new scalable premium electric platform dubbed PPE and previews a possible future face for Audi, featuring a smooth and body-coloured closed grille plus slimmer lights.    

Audi PHEV models will be badged 'TFSI e' and typically offered in two power outputs. Accordingly, the Q5 PHEV (which can already be ordered), has 299hp 50 and 376hp 55 TFSI e quattro versions for £49,735 and £54,900 respectively. Plug-in A7 Sportback, A8 and Q7 variants will follow by the end of 2019, and in 2020 an A6, A3 and probably a Q3 PHEV too, alongside full electric vehicles including a lower-powered 313hp E-Tron 50 quattro SUV and a flagship E-Tron GT (on the Porsche Taycan platform) for circa £130,000. A Q4 E-Tron SUV should arrive in 2021.

According Audi national fleet sales manager Glenn Stanton, business customers are expected to take about half of the brand's PHEV sales, no doubt due to the considerable CO2 improvements these cars record compared with petrol and diesel-only equivalents, to the benefit of CO2-related company car BIK tax bands (not withstanding their hefty price premiums). A Q5 50 TFSI E quattro PHEV is £5,000 more than a Q5 45 TFSI quattro, but instantly offers a BIK rating 21 tax bands better (16% versus 37%).