Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Audi says lack of demand, not Dieselgate, forced it to cancel the 2017 A4 TDI

By

A4 sedan front
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Audi has announced it won’t sell the new 2017 A4 with a turbodiesel engine in the United States. That’s hardly surprising, as the Volkswagen-owned car maker is still feeling the ripple effect of last year’s Dieselgate scandal, but executives explain that the decision to kill the A4 TDI before it touches down on U.S. soil has nothing to do with the far-reaching emissions cover-up.

“We will get the cars certified and we would have brought [the A4 diesel] if there was enough demand,” said Scott Keogh, the boss of Audi’s American division, in an interview with trade journal Automotive News. “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.”

Recommended Videos

That means the A4 will exclusively be offered with a turbocharged 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine in the foreseeable future. It generates 252 horsepower between 5,000 and 6,000 rpm, and 273 pound-feet of torque from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm. Offered with either front- or all-wheel drive, the A4 hits 60 mph from a stop in 6.1 seconds and it goes on to a top speed of 130 mph in its quickest configuration.

Related

Buyers who want a diesel-powered Audi aren’t entirely out of luck — at least not yet. While the future looks bleak for oil-burning sedans, Keogh affirmed the company remains committed to selling diesel-powered SUVs in the United States because they’ve been relatively popular. According to Automotive News, 12 percent of all Q5s and 22 percent of all Q7s sold are equipped with a TDI engine. The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t allowed Audi to sell diesels in the United States since late last year, but the company is working to get them re-certified.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon
Contributor
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Never mind slowing sales, 57% of drivers will likely have an EV in 10 years

Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) have slowed globally over the past few years. But should EV makers cater more to the mainstream, it’s likely that 57% of drivers will have an EV in 10 years, consulting firm Accenture says.

Last year, nearly 14 million EVs were sold globally, representing a 35% year-on-year increase. But it was much slower than the 55% sales growth recorded in 2022 and the 121% growth in 2021.

Read more
I spent a week with an EV and it completely changed my mind about them
The Cupra Born VZ seen from the front.

After spending a week with an electric car as my main vehicle, opinions I’d formed about them prior to spending so much time with one have changed — and some quite dramatically.

I learned that while I now know I could easily live with one, which I wasn’t sure was the case before, I also found out that I still wouldn’t want to, but for a very different reason than I expected.
Quiet and effortless

Read more
Trade group says EV tax incentive helps U.S. industry compete versus China
ev group support tax incentive 201 seer credit eligibility

The Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA), a trade group with members including the likes of Tesla, Waymo, Rivian, and Uber, is coming out in support of tax incentives for both the production and sale of electric vehicles (EVs).

Domestic manufacturers of EVs and their components, such as batteries, have received tax incentives that have driven job opportunities in states like Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Georgia, the group says.

Read more