Despite the Volkswagen group’s apparent disdain for hybrids, the latest A1 Sportback concept is in fact, a hybrid. It combines a 1.4-liter TSFI gasoline engine with a 20 kW electric motor that’s healthy to deliver as much as 110 pound-feet of torque for short bursts of acceleration. Audi also claims that the A1’s electric motor is powerful enough to propel it up to 62 miles on electric power alone thanks to its powerful lithium-ion batteries.

And that’s not all. How does a 0-to-60 time of 7.9 seconds sound? What about a top speed of 124 mph? Still not enough? It gets 60 mpg, too. Well, at least that’s what Audi says, and when it comes to concepts, who’s checking?

Expect to see an A1 similar to this concept on the roads of Europe in the not-too-distant future. Given its subcompact dimensions, there’s little chance Audi will bring it to the U.S., unless of course that hybrid drivetrain actually works. – Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor, Inside Line