Audi Discontinues The RS5 & The A8L In India

German luxury carmaker Audi has discontinued their flagship luxury sedan, the A8L, and their sporty RS5 Sportback, likely due to poor sales.

The Audi A8L

Audi launched the A8L in India in 2011 as a CBU at Rs. 87 Lakh, powered by either a 4.2L naturally aspirated petrol V8 or a 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel engine. At a later date, Audi introduced a facelift for the A8L, coming with a W12 naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 510 BHP. The fourth generation of the A8L was launched in India in February 2020, featuring a new 3.0L V6 turbo-petrol producing 343 BHP & 500 NM of torque, paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and Audi’s famous Quattro all-wheel drive system.

The A8L also came with advanced ADAS systems, and optional variants such as the A8L security (armored for VVIPs), and hybrid models. However, Audi chose to bring in the vehicle as a CBU, which priced it higher than its chief rivals, Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class & BMW’s 7-Series. The lack of a diesel engine also didn’t help with declining sales.

The RS5

The Audi RS5 Sportback was launched in India in August 2021, competing with BMW’s M4 & Mercedes-AMG’s C63 Coupe. It was powered by a 2.9L twin-turbo V6 petrol engine producing 444 BHP & 600 NM of torque paired to a fast 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Audi’s best-in-class Quattro all-wheel drive system. The car sprinted from 0-100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. It featured an aggressive, menacing design, great performance and was usable and relatively practical as a daily-driver sports sedan. Priced way below its competitors, the car suffered due to poor sales in the segment – there aren’t many takers for sports sedans in India.

Audi’s India Plan

Audi just discontinued their best products in India, as these models are near the end of their lifespan globally. We can expect replacements for them to follow soon.