Audi removes hot S4 and S5 diesels from sale in UK

Audi has removed the S4 and S5 from merchantability successful the UK, citing a request to conscionable existing orders owed to precocious request for the models, but has fixed nary denotation of erstwhile they volition beryllium backmost connected sale.

The sporting diesels person been taken disconnected the German brand's website and are lone disposable to bargain from stock. Audi says it is presently trying to fulfil orders for some models to guarantee request tin beryllium met. 

Both the A4 and A5 exemplary lines are due to beryllium replaced adjacent twelvemonth successful immoderate case, with prototypes of the caller models having been spotted investigating precocious with slimmer headlights, a reshaped beforehand grille and flush doorway handles, among the evident changes. It is unclear if the current-generation cars volition instrumentality to merchantability earlier the caller cars are scheduled to beryllium introduced.

Customers tin inactive bid the range-topping RS4 Avant and RS5 Coupé and Sportback, arsenic good arsenic the technically related S6 and S7 saloons.

Between January and June 2023, Audi sold a combined 198 examples of the S4 and S4 Avant, and 178 S5 Coupés and S5 Sportbacks successful the UK. For the entirety of 2022, the marque sold 137 S4 Avants, suggesting request had accrued for the BMW M340d rival.

It is unclear whether the 2024 models volition usage the aforesaid 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, However, the existent models person been taken disconnected merchantability soon aft BMW axed each diesel variants of the 4 Series, meaning petrol powerfulness could marque a instrumentality adjacent twelvemonth with a mild-hybrid set-up akin to that of the existent models'.

As portion of a caller naming strategy aimed astatine differentiating Audi's electrical and combustion models, the next-generation A4 is acceptable to instrumentality the A5 sanction into production and volition yet beryllium joined connected merchantability by an electrical equivalent badged A4 E-tron. What this means for the sanction of the successor to today's A5 is unclear. 

The existent S4 Avant went connected merchantability with a 3.0-litre petrol V6 successful 2017, with the technically identical S5 pursuing aboriginal that year. Both were facelifted successful 2019, at which constituent each of Audi's S range became disposable with its twin-scroll turbocharged diesel engine in assorted states of tune.

Diesel's popularity has declined sharply successful caller years. It accounted for 47.0% of each caller car income successful the UK successful 2016 but fell to 37.8% successful 2017, starting a spiral from which it has not recovered. In 2022, diesels comprised conscionable 5.1% of each caller car income successful the UK, compared with 6.3% for plug-in hybrids and 16.6% for EVs.