Which Audi prototype gave Le Mans its first hybrid-electric overall winner in 2012?

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro gave Le Mans its first hybrid-electric overall winner in 2012.

At the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, Audi’s No. 1 R18 e-tron quattro won overall with André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler and Benoît Tréluyer. The victory made the car the first hybrid-electric vehicle to win the classic endurance race outright.

The R18 e-tron quattro combined a 3.7-litre turbocharged V6 diesel engine with a hybrid system that recovered braking energy at the front axle. That stored energy could then provide electric assistance, while the car’s quattro branding reflected its electronically controlled four-wheel-drive concept.

Audi’s victory was also its eleventh overall at Le Mans and part of a complete Audi podium sweep. The result is sometimes confused with Audi’s earlier diesel prototypes, including the R10 TDI and R15 TDI, but neither was the race’s first hybrid winner.