Audi Sport appears to be distancing itself from diesel-powered cars, confirming in a recent interview that despite the success it has had with such models, they are no longer a priority.
When quizzed about the effect that dieselgate has had on Audi, the head of the brand’s performance division Stephan Winkelmann told Motoring that it is focusing on vehicles with more global appeal.
“There are a lot of countries where diesel is not a central purchase reason, Asia and North America for example. So it’s not useful for us to have only one car and one engine to offer – it lowers the opportunities we could offer.
“Due to the fact that we need to do more ‘world cars’ and that the budget is limited, diesel would be very much a second priority – it’s not our [Audi Sport] priority,” he confirmed
The two most notable diesel Audi Sport models have been the SQ5 and SQ7 and spurred on by the success of these two models, RS-badged versions of both the Q5 and Q7 might be on the horizon.
According to Winkelmann, Audi Sport isn’t just facing an issue of fewer markets wanting diesel vehicles but also overcoming hurdles presented by the high cost of electrifying its models.
“We have to explain to our customers the differences between the RS model of today and the electric model they will be able to buy. It’s a matter of size, and of price, and what body-style we can offer the customer – the more sporty the car looks, the more it has to deliver – and at the moment that’s difficult because we’re at an ‘in between’ stage with technology,” he said.
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