The fifth-generation Audi A4 has been spied testing, sporting its manufacturing lighting and fewer camouflage than ever.
As soon as once more, it has been spied in Avant wagon guise. We’ve but to see a prototype of a brand new A4 sedan, and the brand new era has been rumoured to go wagon-only, with the next-generation A5 Sportback selecting up the slack for patrons preferring a extra three-box form.
Whereas the sedan might be on the chopping block, sizzling variants aren’t. Audi is understood for its high-performance wagons, and the next-generation A4 is ready to spawn sizzling S4 and RS4 variants as earlier than.
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Given the present era of A4 debuted again in 2015 and was facelifted in 2019, and the actual fact these prototypes seem far alongside in growth, a reveal of the brand new era will possible happen this yr.
The subsequent A4 is reportedly set to achieve an obtainable plug-in hybrid powertrain, becoming a member of the prevailing line-up of petrol and diesel engines.
A high-performance plug-in hybrid powertrain may make its manner into the subsequent RS4, probably a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 PHEV unit.
Whereas rival Mercedes-Benz has moved to a completely four-cylinder powertrain line-up for its rival C-Class line-up and its AMG variants, Audi may proceed to supply sixes for its efficiency fashions as BMW does.
Styling is evolutionary, in Audi custom. The form of the grille and headlights are a lot the identical, although the entrance bumper has sharp diagonal creases rising to the headlights and extra vertically oriented air intakes.
The greenhouse seems to be fairly just like the present automotive, as does the steeply raked tailgate. Audi’s designers haven’t rocked the boat.
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Audi RS4 mule
Earlier images have revealed the broader A4 household will proceed to make use of a big, tablet-style, landscape-oriented central touchscreen, which is able to now subsume the local weather controls.
The subsequent A4, S4 and RS4 are anticipated to make use of an up to date model of the prevailing MLB Evo platform, and may be the final to function combustion engines.
Audi is planning to stop the sale of vehicles with inside combustion engines exterior of China by 2033.
The A4 isn’t the one Volkswagen Group product rumoured to be going wagon-only in its subsequent era.
The Volkswagen Passat sedan has already been discontinued, and the next-generation mid-sizer reportedly received’t provide a three-box physique fashion.
Whereas that will appear uncommon – the one physique fashion seemingly much less widespread than a sedan in Australia these days is a wagon – the wagon accounted for the lion’s share of Passat gross sales in its house market of Germany.
The dearth of a sedan may spell the top of the A4 within the US market, however the model’s dedication to wagon fashions right here may put it on a extra steady footing at the same time as crossovers have change into the model’s greatest sellers by some margin.
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Present A5 Sportback -
Present A4 allroad -
Present S4 sedan
Audi axed the A4 allroad and its bigger A6 allroad showroom-mate within the UK final yr however dedicated to persevering with to supply these fashions in Australia, calling them essential incremental fashions.
The corporate bought simply 535 examples of the broader A4 vary in Australia in 2022, together with the high-riding allroad wagon, which was scarcely greater than the 387 examples it bought of the associated A5 Sportback.
BMW, in distinction, bought 2818 examples of its 3 Collection and Mercedes-Benz bought 3566 C-Class sedans.
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