Audi e-tron Spyder struts its stuff in Malibu

10/24/2011

There is a lot to love about the 2014 Audi e-tron Spyder. It's a compact roadster with a torque-happy, twin-turbo diesel V6 mated to two electric motors capable of more instant twist. When we recently took the e-tron Spyder for a spin, we were limited to just 40 miles per hour, but the Four-Ringed automaker tells us that a trip to 62 takes only 4.4 seconds.

And because this Spyder is a green monster, it can travel up to 30 miles on electric power alone. Using a mixture of the diesel and its lithium ion battery, it will consume on average a scant 2.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

That sounds like a lot of "too good to be true," but Audi promises to be the leader in luxury electric cars by 2020, and a production version of this vehicle is expected for 2014. Hit the jump to watch new footage of the e-tron Spyder in motion. It might not be ready to go on sale, but it at least looks mighty fine on the roads of Malibu, California, near where we drove it.