LESS than a month after its world debut, Audi Australia has revealed the facelifted SQ5 will solely be provided in TDI turbo-diesel guise when it arrives right here within the second quarter of subsequent 12 months.
Talking to Australian media on the native press launch of the up to date S4, S5 and SQ5 TDI Particular Version, Audi Australia product supervisor Peter Strudwicke revealed that whereas the present SQ5 TDI (Particular Version) was restricted to simply 240 items, the up to date model coming subsequent 12 months could be the only real SQ5 variant provided Down Underneath.
“With the facelifted SQ5 at this stage, the supply will solely be for a TDI,” he mentioned.
“We’re at all times taking a look at what’s accessible available in the market, however the supply we have now accessible to us proper now’s the brand new TDI engine.”
The brand new TDI engine Mr Strudwicke referred to is a comprehensively upgraded model of the present SQ5 TDI’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 set to function new solid metal pistons, new piezo sensors for the gas injectors, a brand new water/air cooler positioned inside the V of the engine and a smaller and lighter compressor wheel for the turbocharger.
The results of the upgrades is definitely a discount in peak energy from 255kW to 251kW however broadening of the torque band with all 700Nm now accessible from 1750rpm.
Due to the broader torque band, the facelifted mannequin will retain the present model’s 5.1-second 0-100km/h time, even when it’s a few kilowatts down on its predecessor.
Till the brand new mannequin arrives right here, the opposite engine accessible within the SQ5 vary is the acquainted and broadly utilised turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine good for 260kW/500Nm – the very same engine as discovered within the S4 and S5 twins.
Opposite to the facelifted SQ5 announcement, the S4 and S5 will proceed on in TFSI guise solely with no present plans to introduce a TDI model regardless of such variants being accessible abroad.
“We’ll solely have the petrol for the S4 and S5 and we consider that’s proper for the Australian market,” Audi Australia product planning and pricing director Shawn Ticehurst mentioned.
“However I suppose with the SQ5 we’ve proven that we definitely are open to alter when there’s demand for a unique powerplant however at this stage S4 and S5 will likely be petrol.”
It has been an enormous 12 months for Audi AG Down Underneath no matter the COVID-19 pandemic, having launched 27 new fashions up to now so far, one in every of which being the model’s first devoted battery-electric automobile.
Whereas nonetheless trailing arch-rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW on the gross sales charts, the model has up to now been the one premium producer to see any gross sales development year-on-year with the tally at the moment sitting at 14,132 to the tip of November, marking a 2.6 per cent improve on the 13,776 items offered over the identical interval final 12 months.
Of these 14,132 new deliveries, 1 in 4 have been reportedly S, RS or R-badged variants, one thing Audi Australia managing director Paul Sansom was notably happy about.
“When you return to January, we had zero RS fashions in manufacturing, but in the present day we’ve obtained our largest vary that we’ve ever had in Australia,” he mentioned.
“Our S and RS efficiency make up round 25 per cent of our gross sales so far and that’s as sturdy because it’s ever been … testomony to the best way that we have been capable of launch these automobiles into the market this 12 months.”
