Audi has quietly discontinued two models from its India lineup. The A8L sedan and the RS5 Sportback have been removed from Audi India website and are no longer available for sale in the country. Both models were brought to India as fully-imported models via the CBU route. The last recorded price for the A8 L was Rs 1.63 crore and that of the RS 5 Sportback was Rs 1.18 crore (both ex-showroom).
Audi A8 L
The flagship sedan in Audi’s lineup, the A8 was only sold in the long wheelbase format in India. In its fourth-generation now, the A8 L received its last update in July 2022. It was powered by a 3.0-litre turbo-charged V6 petrol engine which kicked out 335 bhp and 500 Nm of peak torque. Power is transferred to all four wheels via Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system.
The Audi A8 L competed against flagship luxury sedans like Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series in India. With the A8 nearing the end of its lifecycle, Audi is unlikely to re-introduce the sedan in the future. The next generation of A8 will most likely be a fully-electric model however there is still some time before it hits the global market.
Audi RS5 Sportback
Audi launched the RS5 Sportback in India in August 2021. It is a performance-spec coupe version of the A5 sedan. In fact, in India, the A5 range could only be had in one of the two sporty iterations – RS5 or S5– the latter is still on sale. Powering the RS5 Sportback was the 2.9L twin-turbocharged V6 petrol which pushed out a mammoth 444 bhp and 600 Nm of peak torque. This engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic gearbox which sends power to all four wheels via the Quattro all-wheel drive system.
Like the A8 L, the RS5 is also nearing the end of its lifecycle. However, it could get a new-gen model in the future since the base A5 sedan has already received a generation upgrade in the global market.
