Audi has won the Silvretta Electric Car Rally for the second straight year. Last year's inaugural win with the R8 e-tron was followed up with the new A1 e-tron's stunning performance, leaving the German automaker the only company to win the competition. Staged in Austria's Montafon region, the 2011 Silvretta Electric Car Rally lasted three days and traversed over 190 miles with a total altitude difference of 11,541 meters.

"Highly taxing mountain roads" with inclines of up to 15 percent stood in the way of victory, however A1 e-tron driver Franciscus van Meel, Head of Electromobility Strategy at AUDI AG took it all in stride. "Sending an electric car into the Alps is one of the toughest challenges you can present it with. The fact that the A1 e-tron proved so impressive here is especially gratifying to me and it proves we're on the right track with our electric mobility approach of combining an electric motor with a combustion engine. Many thanks to our dedicated team for making our second overall victory in a row possible," van Meel said after his victory.

The A1 e-tron needed all of its 100hp (75 kilowatt) motor, 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and single-disc, 254cc rotary engine with range extension to get to the finish line in first place, beating out the other 31 competitors. The A1 has a quick charge mode which takes only 30 minutes to charge. The vehicle also has a longer standard charge which takes less than 3 hours and has a range of 50km. The A1 also features a combustion engine which can charge the battery and offers a range extension. The event was held from July 7-9 and was part of the 14th annual Silvretta Classic.

The mountains on the eastern Alps of Austria are referred to as the Silvretta, hence the name. Audi's other entry into the competition was an Audi Q5 HFC, which placed 6th overall.