Currently reading: Audi's future range expansion plans: Shanghai motor show 2013

Future new Audi models could include a shooting brake and an MPV, hints the company's technical chief Wolfgang Durheimer

Audi's model expansion looks set to include a shooting brake and an innovative take on an MPV.

Rivals BMW and Mercedes have recently shown shooting brake models, and Audi technical chief Wolfgang Durheimer said he could "imagine an Audi model" like these.

"We're interested but have not decided to show what size of car it would be yet," he said, hinting Audi had several options as to how to make a shooting brake available to it.

When asked about the possibility of Audi making an MPV, Durheimer said: "I think yes. I would exclude boxy body styling, a real people mover though. It would need to be stylish and present the values of the company."

One model he has no plans to resurrect is the Audi A2, a car that was killed before he arrived at Audi from Bentley last year.

More plug-in hybrids are also set to be offered by Audi, the first of which is the A3 e-tron. Durheimer sees plug-in hybrids as a much more viable short- and medium-term solution than pure electric cars, and as such Audi has no plans to launch a pure electric model.

Its first electric car was going to be the R8 e-tron, but this project was cancelled late last year.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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warren_S3 22 April 2013

Can't wait...

...for the innovative take on an MPV, that gap in the market has often kept me awake at night.

How about the often touted R4 for those of us who don't want to look like we're doing the school run?

We'll give you more of everything.... that you probably don't want!