Control apparatus for hybrid electric vehicle

A control apparatus for a hybrid electric vehicle that includes an engine, an electric motor, main and auxiliary drive wheels and a vehicle power transmission apparatus configured to transmit a drive power toward the main and auxiliary drive wheels, the vehicle power transmission apparatus including a drive-power distribution device configured to distribute the drive power to the main and auxiliary drive wheels, and a transmission provided in the drive-power distribution device and configured to establish a selected one of a low gear position and a high-gear position,

• the control apparatus comprising:
• an engine control portion configured to control an operation state of the engine;
• and
• a driving-mode control portion configured to control running of the vehicle so as to realize selected at least one of driving modes which is selected by a driver of the vehicle,
• wherein the driving modes include an all-wheel driving mode in which the vehicle is to run with the drive power being distributed to the main drive wheels and the auxiliary drive wheels, the all-wheel driving mode being categorized into a low-gear all-wheel driving mode in which the low gear position is established in the transmission and a high-gear all-wheel driving mode in which the high gear position is established in the transmission, and
• wherein, in a case in which the low-gear all-wheel driving mode is selected in the high-gear all-wheel driving mode when the engine is in a stopped state with the vehicle power transmission apparatus being in a non-driving position that disables transmission of the drive power, the engine control portion is configured to maintain the stopped state of the engine until completion of switching from the high-gear all-wheel driving mode to the low-gear all-wheel driving mode by the driving-mode control portion, and to start the engine after the completion of the switching from the high-gear all-wheel driving mode to the low-gear all-wheel driving mode.