Audi A4 diesel version ruled out for US market
First drive, Venice, Italy聽goes on sale in the spring with a starting price of $38,250, including a $950 destination charge.
It鈥檚 being launched with just one powertrain, in this case a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that delivers 252聽聽and 273 pound-feet of torque.
While it was thought this generation of the A4 would聽聽to match rivals offerings such as BMW鈥檚 328d and Jaguar's new XE 20d, Audi of America President Scott Keogh said that won鈥檛 be the case.
Speaking with聽聽(subscription required), Keogh said the decision not to offer a diesel in the A4 wasn鈥檛 a result of the diesel emissions cheating scandal afflicting several Volkswagen Group brands, one of which is Audi. Rather, he explained, the decision stems from diesel being a popular option for SUV buyers but not those of sedans.
鈥淓very 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,鈥� Keogh is quoted as saying. TDI is the brand name Audi uses for its diesel, a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and a 3.0-liter V-6.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, both engines were fitted with the 鈥渄efeat device鈥� software used to hide their true emissions levels from regulators. The VW Group has stopped sales of vehicles fitted with the engines and is yet to supply a fix that satisfies regulators. A federal judge has given the German聽聽giant a March 24 deadline to come up with a new fix acceptable to regulators.
Once approved, cars fitted with the engines will be back on the market. Keogh said Audi will wait until the next-generation versions arrive to determine whether the cars continue to offer diesel options in the future.
