Welcome to GWA Cars and Finance, GWA Cars & Finance is an independent company specialising in the sale and financing of new and used cars and vans in Chichester, West Sussex and the UK.

How about this for a prediction: the petrol car will be almost extinct by 2020. That’s according to a survey of financial chiefs and company car drivers conducted by Lex Autolease. What will put our gasoline-guzzling motors on the endangered list? Hybrids, says the report.

Now, I can see hybrids becoming hugely popular, in particular when prices start to come down and they truly begin to enter the mainstream, but will they drive their petroleum-reliant cousins off the road completely? In the next ten years? I find that a little harder to believe.

But, if it does happen, then Audi has put another nail in the coffin of the petrol car. It unveiled its Audi Q5 Hybrid Quattro at the LA Auto Show this week. This is the German manufacturer’s first hybrid road car: it is powered by a turbo-charged 2.0-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries.

The Audi Q5 Hybrid Quattro will go on sale in the UK sometime in 2011 and, interestingly, the company claims that this hybrid fuel system can be used in a number of its other cars, including the A8 and A6 Avant. In addition, an all-electric R8 E-tron is due to be launched in 2012. So, just as Porsche has announced that it is developing hybrid versions of its entire range, Audi may be about to follow suit.

Definitely not a hybrid is the new Audi R8 GT, which is a supercar for sensible people according to Bill Bailey, who reviewed it in the Sunday Times. Boasting a 5204cc, V10 engine, this fearsome bit of German engineering will do 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 199mph. Also, and this is my favourite feature, the R8 GT is lighter than its predecessor and, as a result, it has lost some sound insulation – so you can hear it roar. You won’t get that with a hybrid.

Something a little bit more modest is the Audi Avant 2.0 TDi S-Line. We’ve got a previously cherished black model on the GWA forecourt available at a great price. Only one owner, just 35,000 miles on the clock and lots of great spec, it will cost you £12,995.

To have a chat about buying or leasing a new or used car or van, contact Gary at GWA Cars & Finance on 01243 510 650 or sales@gwacars.com.