Audi emphasises PHEV in expanded A5 line-up

With Australia’s new NVES CO2 reduction scheme providing motivation, Audi is set to expand its new ‘B10’ A5 medium passenger car lineup with two identically priced powertrains including its most affordable plug-in hybrid yet.

The A5 Sedan and Avant e-hybrid quattro PHEV will go on sale priced from $89,900 and $92,900 plus on-road costs in the fourth quarter of 2025, at the same time and at the same price as the A5 TFSI quattro Sedan and Avant.

At least for now, the A5 e-hybrid is the cheapest PHEV Audi sells in Australia, easily undercutting the outgoing Audi Q5 TFSIe that is listed from $105,984 plus on-road costs.

Audi is clearly setting up the PHEV to outsell the 200kW TFSI as it comes with not only a significantly more powerful drivetrain but more equipment.

Audi Australia National Product Manager, Matthew Dale, said Australia’s new NVES played a key role in the pricing parity of the A5 PHEV.

From July 1 the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard started monitoring new vehicle CO2 emissions and tallying up fines and credit for auto makers.

“NVES is why we have positioned the PHEV as strong as we possibly can to offer value,” said Dale.

“It’s quite a value proposition from a customer perspective.”

As reported here, the new-generation A5/S5 range has just launched in Australia, effectively combining both the old A4/S4 and A5/S5 ranges into one.

The old A4 came as a four-door sedan and wagon (Avant) and the A5/S5 as a Sportback (five-door hatch), coupe and cabrio.

Now there’s an A5/S5 Sedan that’s actually a five-door hatch and – for the first time – an A5/S5 Avant. The old A5 coupe and cabrio have been dropped.

Just to add to the confusion, the A4 name was dropped as part of an Audi naming convention to badge EV models with even numbers and internal combustion models with odd numbers.

Thanks to negative feedback and Audi’s decision to backtrack on a commitment to go all-EV by 2033, the odds and even naming convention has been abandoned.

But it’s too late to save the A4, one of Audi’s best known and most successful nameplates (although it may come back as an EV, or maybe an ICE, or a PHEV).

“Never say never in terms of the history of the A4 nameplate,” said Dale.

So what we have now in Australia is an A5/S5 lineup that includes a 150kW entry-level A5 Sedan, the mid-spec A5 Sedan and Avant powertrains, a launch special ‘edition one’ S5 Sedan and Avant that’s only around for a few months and the flagship S5 Sedan and Avant.

The traditional big seller in the A4/A5 powertrain line, the four-cylinder TFSI, in its new iteration makes 200kW/400Nm and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.9 secs.

The A5 e-hybrid makes 270kW/500Nm, claims an 87km EV-only range and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.1 secs.

Fuel consumption claims have yet to be confirmed for Australia, but based on European figures the e-hybrid will likely officially average between 2.0-3.0L/100km and the TFSI between 7.0 and 8.0L/100km. That’s a decisive NVES advantage for the PHEV and Audi’s bottomline if that model sells in numbers.

Additional e-hybrid equipment beyond the powertrain compared to the TFSI include sports suspension, 20-inch rather than 19-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers and privacy glass.

“Traditionally about 50 per cent of our sales mix has been in the 200kW TFSI, or what was badged the 45 TFSI quattro,” Dale explained.

“We are keeping that [TFSI 200kW] for the more traditional buyer. So if they are not tech-savvy and tech-focussed to go to PHEV and want to replace their 45 TFSI then we have a product for them.

“The market will determine how long that [TFSI 200kW] remains in parallel to the PHEV.”

The structure of the new A5/S5 lineup also increases the number of Avant models. Traditionally, sedan accounted for 85 per cent of A4 sales and Avant only 15 per cent. But it is expected to increase share in the B10.

“It’s more a sports-focussed Avant in the new design,” said Dale. “So, we’re hoping that the Avant mix will lift based on the broader appeal of the vehicle in terms of design, but also the offering across the different engine ranges as well.”

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