Audi tech boss has high expectations for brand's first plug-in hybrid

Volkswagen Group for years was critical of electrically assisted vehicles such as hybrids, but those days are over. Ulrich Hackenberg, one of VW Group’s top-ranking engineers as well as Audi’s board member for technical development, says "the electric car is the future." He spoke about the importance of the forthcoming A3 E-tron plug-in hybrid to the brand and Audi’s efforts to prove that it remains committed to Vorsprung durch Technik (advancement through technology). Hackenberg was interviewed by Guido Reinking, editor of Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche.