Q5 first to introduce battery-assisted choice.

FOUR-ringed enthusiasm for plug-in hybrid technology seems unlikely to be as strong in New Zealand as in Europe, even though a leading contender on the home scene is first to roll out here.

Indication from the brand is that while it is unlikely to represent PHEV versions of all its cars here, plug-ins are set to be a core part of the sports utility line-up, starting with a version of the Q5 announced last week and shipping in from May.

The $114,990 50 TFSI e edition of a model that Audi reckons has been a standard-bearer in the premium mid-size SUV market here for more than 10 years will ensure the attractions of practicality, luxury, style, comfort and performance will remain relevant, Audi NZ boss Dean Sheed has suggested.

“This new plug-in hybrid variant Q5 is the first of our new TFSI e range to land in New Zealand this year and it will enable Kiwi families to join to make a change towards a more sustainable way of living.”

The model’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder generates 195kW and 370Nm, this bumping to 220kW/450Nm as result of marriage to a gearbox-embedded electric motor. Fuel consumption when the system operates optimally is 1.6L/100km, while CO2 emissions are rated at 38 grams per kilometre.

The 14.1kWh battery locates under the boot, reducing the usual 520 litres’ capacity to 465. Electric-pure range of 62km has been assessed by the WLTP test. That’s better than the Citroen C5 Aircross PHEV but less than from the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, which admittedly has a larger battery.

The car badges as a quattro, though this all-wheel-drive regresses to front-wheel drive unless conditions warrant more grip. It uses sensors to monitor the surface and also gauges driver actions.

Audi NZ also intends to add PHEV tech to the A3 hatch, the Q3 crossover, plus the Q7 large SUV and its coupe-shaped offspring, the Q8.

It is also limbering up to release another full electric model, the Q4, which sits atop the VW Group’s MEB platform and is a sister ship to the VW ID.4 and ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq iV, though affording in twin motor as well as those models’ single motor format.