Audi has ditched plans to offer an A4 diesel sedan in the U.S., reports Automotive News. But here’s the twist: the automaker claims the decision isn’t related to its emissions scandal.
Originally, we were going to see a 2.0-liter inline-four turbodiesel with 188 hp make its way to the U.S. Now it looks like the only engine we’ll get in the 2017 A4 sedan is a 2.0-liter turbo inline-four good for 252 hp
Instead, Audi says it won’t offer an A4 diesel because of low demand for diesel sedans relative to crossovers. “The marketplace speaks, we listen to the marketplace, and the marketplace told us, ‘Go with SUVs,'” Audi of America President Scott Keogh told Automotive News. The decision to axe the A4 diesel was made in the last six months.
As we already know, Volkswagen stopped selling diesels after the Environmental Protection Agency found out about cheat devices used to evade emissions controls. The automaker withdrew its application to certify 2016 diesel models as it works with the U.S. government to find a fix to the problem.
“We will get the cars certified and we would have brought [the A4 diesel] if there was enough demand,” Keogh said. “Every decision is a blend of a lot of things but I think the predominant thing is there was not significant market demand for the TDI sedans we had in the marketplace, A3, A6, A7 A8.”
Around 6 to 8 percent of A6, A7, and A8 sedans were sold with diesel engines during the first half of last year. But diesel market share looks much better when it comes to Audi’s crossovers. About 12 percent of Q5 models and 22 percent of Q7 models sold were diesels.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
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