Diesel Audi, Diesel Audi A8, A6, and Q5 in the U.S. in 24 to 30 Months, Next-Gen A4 TDI in 2014
Audi will launch diesel engine options for the A8, A6, and Q5 in the U.S. within the next 24 to 30 months, according to an announcement made today by Johan de Nysschen, the president of Audi’s American division.
We expect that the A8 and A6—both recently redesigned—will be powered by Audi’s excellent 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, which produces 225 hp and 406 lb-ft in the Q7 TDI. Audi does offer an eight-cylinder diesel engine in the A8 in Europe, but it’s unlikely that engine will make the journey here. Sales stats show that Americans prefer diesel engines oriented towards fuel economy—like the engines found in the Q7 TDI, BMW X5 diesel, and Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec—rather than those tuned for brute performance, as in the BMW 335d or the last-gen VW Touareg V-10 TDI. Installing a V-6 TDI in the A8 also will allow Audi to go head-to-head with Mercedes-Benz’s recently unveiled S350 BlueTec, which also uses a six-cylinder diesel.
Audi’s compact crossover, the Q5, would be well-suited to receive the company’s 2.0-liter diesel four. In America, that engine also does duty in the A3 and the Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI; in those applications it makes 140 hp and 236 lb-ft. It’s also possible that the company would opt for the 170-hp, 258-lb-ft version of that motor, which currently is offered in a plethora of European-market VW Group models.
Unfortunately, Audi’s boss explains, because the current-gen Audi A4 wasn’t designed to offer a diesel engine in the U.S. from the outset, the cost and time required to federalize a diesel A4 would take until the end of the car’s life cycle. De Nysschen does say, however, that diesel power is part of the powertrain strategy for the next-gen U.S.-market A4. That car is already well under development, and we expect it to go on sale in late 2014.
Audi will launch diesel engine options for the A8, A6, and Q5 in the U.S. within the next 24 to 30 months, according to an announcement made today by Johan de Nysschen, the president of Audi’s American division.
We expect that the A8 and A6—both recently redesigned—will be powered by Audi’s excellent 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, which produces 225 hp and 406 lb-ft in the Q7 TDI. Audi does offer an eight-cylinder diesel engine in the A8 in Europe, but it’s unlikely that engine will make the journey here. Sales stats show that Americans prefer diesel engines oriented towards fuel economy—like the engines found in the Q7 TDI, BMW X5 diesel, and Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec—rather than those tuned for brute performance, as in the BMW 335d or the last-gen VW Touareg V-10 TDI. Installing a V-6 TDI in the A8 also will allow Audi to go head-to-head with Mercedes-Benz’s recently unveiled S350 BlueTec, which also uses a six-cylinder diesel.
Audi’s compact crossover, the Q5, would be well-suited to receive the company’s 2.0-liter diesel four. In America, that engine also does duty in the A3 and the Volkswagen Jetta and Golf TDI; in those applications it makes 140 hp and 236 lb-ft. It’s also possible that the company would opt for the 170-hp, 258-lb-ft version of that motor, which currently is offered in a plethora of European-market VW Group models.
Unfortunately, Audi’s boss explains, because the current-gen Audi A4 wasn’t designed to offer a diesel engine in the U.S. from the outset, the cost and time required to federalize a diesel A4 would take until the end of the car’s life cycle. De Nysschen does say, however, that diesel power is part of the powertrain strategy for the next-gen U.S.-market A4. That car is already well under development, and we expect it to go on sale in late 2014.
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