Audi Forced To Stop Petrol A4, A5, S4 And S5 Sales In Europe

Audi has been hit with a stop-sale in Europe, forcing it to temporarily suspend sales of petrol-powered A4 and A5 models and the S4 and S5.

Australian publication Motoring broke the news and reports that the order could force the German carmaker to stop sales of the models for up to two months.

The order all revolves around the aforementioned four vehicles failing to meet their claimed fuel consumption figures. In the case of the A4 and A5 models with Audi’s 2.0-liter TFSI engine, a starter-generator has been fitted in place of a traditional starter motor and while such a mild-hybrid system typically improves fuel economy, Audi says its system actually worsens consumption.

According to a company spokesman, the system adds about 0.2L/100 km over the New European Driving Cycle.

“The 2.0-litre TFSI is a little bit different. The process of bureaucracy is the same one. It got a mild hybrid system and it has also changed the consumption by 0.2 and 0.3 litres per 100km, something like that.

“It’s worse consumption. You don’t have the mild hybrid functioning on the test cycle. You don’t have the effect by just the standard consumption. As a customer you will have the effect and the benefit. It’s worse in the lab but better on the road,” the spokesman said.

As for the S4 and S5, a software change to the 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 of the two models mean they now have higher fuel consumption figures than initially claimed.

The company says that it is waiting for German officials to approve the changes to the cars but admits that the process could take it two months.

“If you have a change like that you have to tell the traffic authority to certify the process, which needs sometimes four to six weeks. Sometimes it needs two months and we are just in the middle of that process,” Audi said.

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