Which car was the first to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the hybrid era?

The Audi R18 e-tron quattro was the first car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a hybrid. It achieved that milestone at the 2012 race, driven by André Lotterer, Marcel Fässler, and Benoît Tréluyer.

The diesel-electric prototype used a 3.7-liter turbocharged V6 diesel engine and a hybrid system that recovered braking energy from the front axle. That stored energy powered electric motors during acceleration, creating temporary four-wheel drive while complying with the period’s endurance-racing rules. Audi’s victory was also the first at Le Mans for a hybrid electric vehicle and for a non-permanent four-wheel-drive system.

Toyota’s TS030 Hybrid is an easy mistaken answer because it challenged Audi for the lead in 2012, but it crashed and failed to finish. Porsche’s 919 Hybrid became a later Le Mans winner, beginning with Porsche’s 2015 victory. Audi’s winning R18 completed 378 laps and gave the manufacturer its 11th overall Le Mans victory.