2012 audi e-tron

Fleet-Footed Greenery: Audi to Cap e-tron Sales At 1,000 Units?

Audi e-tron concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi may not be positioning itself as a "green brand," but it's still putting a rather big toe into the environmentally-friendly waters of electric sportscars with its R8-based e-tron, which is reportedly headed for production in 2012.

As a refresher – as if you needed one – the e-tron debuted as a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with some truly impressive statistics: four separate electric motors with 230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque (sort of), which is enough to push it to 62 mph in a mere 4.8 seconds.

So, um... want one? The line forms at the rear, and you'd better not dawdle as Audi says its only planning to build 1,000 of them. Naturally, pricing has yet to be set, but it's reportedly expected to be "above R8 levels." Regardless, with all those lithium ion batteries and their associated electronic gadgetry, we don't imagine that Audi plans to make much of a profit when it finally goes on sale in two years.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept