With the exposure of the official images of the all-new Audi Q5, this classic luxury mid-sized SUV is likely to be launched in China next year. If the first-generation Audi Q5 gained popularity through its Torsen differential, and the second-generation Audi Q5 solidified its reputation through its extended wheelbase, then the upcoming third-generation Audi Q5 will likely seek a breakthrough in plug-in hybrid technology in the domestic market. This time, Audi's targets may not only be Mercedes-Benz and BMW but also a host of Chinese brands that are ramping up their investment in plug-in hybrid technology.

If Audi can't get one electric motor right, it'll use two

Some may ask, didn't the official information on the all-new Audi Q5 fail to mention plug-in hybrid technology? That's true, but the new car's powertrain does emphasize the 48V mild-hybrid system. Where there's 48V mild-hybrid, there's usually plug-in hybrid technology. This saying mostly applies to European automakers, especially Mercedes-Benz and BMW. They were the first to transition from P0 and P1 architectures for 48V mild-hybrids to the P2 architecture, enabling the electric motor to participate more extensively in electrical systems, energy recovery, and drive functions. Between the P2 architecture for 48V mild-hybrids and PHEVs, the only difference is a larger battery.

In fact, Audi has also employed P2 architecture for its plug-in hybrid technology. However, at the final generation of its PPC platform for internal combustion vehicles, Audi seems poised to make a big splash in plug-in hybrids. From the perspective drawings of the all-new Audi Q5, it's clear that the electric motor that would typically appear at the front of the transmission structure in the P2 architecture has been repositioned at the front of the driveshaft. In doing so, Audi's hybrid architecture becomes a P3 electric motor setup.

When mentioning P3 electric motors, one might automatically think of the P1+P3 architecture commonly used in Chinese plug-in hybrids. However, these two are not interchangeable, even though Audi's hybrid architecture does include an additional electric motor. The reason is that theoretically, single-motor electrification is only possible when the electric motor is positioned at P2 or further forward. When the electric motor is positioned after the transmission structure, it cannot be directly connected to the engine and thus cannot function as a starter motor.

This is precisely the case with the all-new Audi Q5. The perspective drawings clearly show that a 48V electric air conditioning compressor and a P0 generator are provided alongside the engine. Yes, Audi's hybrid architecture does not even include a P1 electric motor, opting instead for the more "retro" P0 generator. Apart from the electric motor not being integrated into the engine structure, the generator itself is driven by a belt, achieving the effect of starting the engine. This approach is entirely different from Mercedes-Benz's 48V mild-hybrid system, which directly eliminates the belt design.

So, why did Audi abandon the P2 architecture in favor of a P0+P3 setup? From an effectiveness standpoint, Audi's approach fundamentally circumvents the issue of the P2 electric motor being constrained by space and difficult to scale up in power. Additionally, a single P2 electric motor is responsible for multiple functions, including starting the engine, powering electrical equipment (such as air conditioning), recovering kinetic energy, and driving. Given the limited space between the engine and transmission, the P2 electric motor's operational stability and system complexity are self-evident.

From a purely 48V mild-hybrid perspective, the electric motor power of the all-new Audi Q5 can reach 24 horsepower, with a maximum torque of 230N·m. For reference, the 48V mild-hybrid electric motor in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class delivers a maximum power of only approximately 13 horsepower (10kW) and provides 160N·m of torque. Not to mention that in terms of kinetic energy recovery, Audi's hybrid system can provide up to 25kW of power.

It's clear that Audi's new plug-in hybrid architecture, by retaining the P0 electric motor and removing the drive motor from between the engine and transmission, unleashes more potential in electric drive and energy recovery than traditional German P2 plug-in hybrids. This advantage is further amplified with the support of PHEV technology.

Is this Audi-exclusive, or can Mercedes-Benz and BMW copy this homework?

Of course, no technical solution is perfect. While Audi's hybrid architecture moves the drive motor, it abandons the core advantages of the P2 architecture. One of these advantages is that the electric motor's performance can be amplified through the transmission. When the electric motor is attached to the end of the crankshaft, all power sources are packaged and output to the transmission. The reason Audi may have abandoned this approach is likely due to its dual-clutch transmission.

With two input shafts, it's not easy for a dual-clutch transmission to integrate a P2 electric motor. Adding an extra clutch structure is the most straightforward solution, but this would crowd the layout space for the electric motor, exacerbating the disadvantages of the P2 architecture mentioned earlier. Furthermore, given the characteristics of gear shifting, integrating a P2 architecture into a dual-clutch transmission would theoretically make it more difficult to control power transmission jolts.

Therefore, from a technical standpoint, the ultimate performance potential of the all-new Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid may be slightly lower than that of Mercedes-Benz and BMW plug-in hybrids in the same segment. Of course, this will ultimately depend on the capabilities of the fifth-generation EA888 engine. Purely from an electric drive perspective, the all-new Audi Q5 plug-in hybrid, including its 48V mild-hybrid characteristics, emphasizes the application range of single-gear pure electric drive and system smoothness. To ensure this advantage, Audi is bound to adopt a larger-capacity battery. This can be seen from the 48V mild-hybrid technology diagram, where the all-new Audi Q5 utilizes a battery pack with a capacity of up to 1.7kWh. In terms of capacity alone, this can already compete with mainstream Japanese HEV technology. For a 48V mild-hybrid vehicle, this is clearly a relatively large operation.

So, is Audi's 48V mild-hybrid system, which also serves as a potential plug-in hybrid technology, simply a way to avoid the technical challenges of the P2 single-motor and dual-clutch transmission? The answer is likely no, and it could even be said that Audi's approach is difficult for other similar brands to replicate.

The "similar" brands mentioned here primarily refer to those based on longitudinal platforms. Essentially, Audi's longitudinal platform is built entirely around all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive, which is fundamentally different from the rear-wheel-drive-based logic of Mercedes-Benz and BMW's longitudinal platforms. In the era of pure internal combustion vehicles, Audi's all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive logic already brought about many classic operations. After electrification, Audi's plug-in hybrid technology is also optimized based on this.

Focusing on the P3 position of the vehicle, the so-called P3 electric motor can actually be split into two electric motors: a traction starter generator (TSG) and a powertrain generator (PTG). The powertrain generator (PTG) is straightforward; it primarily recovers kinetic energy on the driveshaft and outputs performance. The traction starter generator (TSG) is uniquely positioned, parallel to the longitudinal transmission. This requires an understanding of Audi's longitudinal front-wheel drive technology.

Audi's longitudinal front-wheel drive is fully realized within the transmission structure, eliminating the need for an additional transfer case and altering the power transmission of a longitudinal rear-wheel drive. This allows for high integration while achieving equal-length half-shafts, enabling the use of complex structures like a five-link front suspension on a B-segment vehicle. Returning to the electrified structure, this means that Audi intends to place an electric motor on each of the transmission's input and output shafts. Not only does this theoretically increase performance output, but it also enables better kinetic energy recovery. This is why the kinetic energy recovery power mentioned earlier is even higher than the output power. Additionally, during braking, the front wheels bear more pressure, making kinetic energy recovery from the front wheels theoretically more efficient.

In summary, the 48V mild-hybrid system of the all-new Audi Q5 also signals that Audi's upcoming plug-in hybrid system will differ from the P2 architecture of Mercedes-Benz and BMW and the P1+P3 architecture commonly seen in Chinese brands. By focusing on the P3 position, Audi is essentially extending the brand's traditional advantage of achieving basic symmetry in front-wheel drive on its longitudinal platform. This allows Audi to gain more economic advantages in energy recovery and pure electric drive while maintaining better system stability. As for absolute performance, it ultimately depends on the quality of the fifth-generation EA888 engine, which is similar to the logic of Mercedes-Benz and BMW.