Audi MetroProject quattro concept
Makuhari Messe, Japan
Audi surprised most of the journos on-hand (especially those from the US and Asia; Euro journos were already hip to the car) with this MetroProject quattro concept. Audi's infamous "quattro" all-wheel-drive configuration is combined with their excellent TSI turbocharged and supercharged engine powering the front wheels along with an electric motor at the rear. A lithium ion battery pack powers the 41 horsepower electric motor in the rear. Many commuters could perform their daily drive without ever needing to run the gasoline engine, but if they do, Audi claims they could be rewarded with somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 miles per gallon.