Daaavid

I'd just look at their numbers. Also, lots of criticism in with the e-tron's range. Is it a termination if he effectively resigned - it looks better on paper, at least.

JD15

Immediate resignation after less than six months on the job during a period of turmoil means termination to me.

emacS5

Audi is putting a ton of energy and capital behind electric vehicles. Its a terrible miscalculation. Hopefully they can dump EV and survive.

RedKloud

So there won't be any 3.0TFSI?

J. Patterson

Having owned 2 TDI Q7s and a B8.5 S5, I would be very tempted by an S5 with the Diesel’s low rpm torque. The effortless pull of a diesel makes for a very pleasant vehicle. That’s why we bought a second TDI Q7 after the emissions settlement.

mobidutch

My wife drives a Cayenne Diesel, and it is no slouch. Lots of low-end torque, and what she loves most about it is the 600 miles per tank. I think it drives fine, but I would not want diesel in an S5. I highly doubt it would feel as nimble and dynamic as the 3 liter V6, nor would it sound as nice...

Stankia

Pretty idiotic move by Audi since Diesels are on their way out because of regulations and public perception, even in Europe. Gasoline engines will outlast Diesel engines, not by much longer though.

MH62

Another negative: they wouldn't look as good. I saw a few 2019 ROW diesel S5 flying over my head while taking a factory tour in Ingolstadt last week and Audi had to delete the quad tips. There are only two tips on the driver side and none on the passenger side. Instead, the area where the other exhaust tips would have been is now occupied by the AdBlue fluid tank. The cars didn't have the rear skirts installed at that point so I couldn't tell if the remaining tips will even be visible or not.

TheWombat

Why so? I mean, one can certainly question the short-term validity of an electric strategy, or even have differing opinions about EVs in general for the long haul, but you seem to imply that there is another option that in the medium to long term will be superior to EVs? If so, I'd love to hear it. It seems pretty clear that ICE is a technology that is on the downward slope, given that no matter how good gasoline cars become, the regulatory and economic climate around them is deteriorating perhaps faster than the actual climate is around us. It would strike me as grossly irrepsonsible for VAG not to be putting a ton of effort into EVs. Anecdotally, the main obstacle to EVs among the people who I know who share my liking for upscale sporty cars and driving is that EVs so far have been rather lacking in looks, quality of interiors, and "car-like" feel and amenities. If you're not an engineer type, and you are a car fan, stuff like Teslas are not that inspiring, and the more mainstream EVs like the Leaf and the Bolt, etc. are of course off the table. The real interesting EVs are coming from companies that have been making the types of cars we like for many years. If Audi and BMW and Mercedes, etc. can produce EVs that look and feel like our current cars, only with an electric drive train, that will be a huge incentive to buy, I would think.

Nikon1

I’m not arguing with your logic but having worked in and around computer-based equipment for most of my career — but sitting in a closed vehicle that is surrounded by LiOn Batteries is just flat-out not where I want to be. I have witnessed too many explosions & fires in equipment, where it seems that just 1 of the cells goes “rouge” and that explosion / fire is the catalyst to the surrounding cells to follow suit.

Am I paranoid about that — Yes, but having personally seem small LiOn cells do that many times, as well as the well publicized car fires based on that same problem, I have zero desire to own or ride in an EV. Several years ago I had a deposit on the reborn Acura NSX until it was announced as a hybrid. Was refunded my deposit and walked away.

Just my 2˘ on this discussion.

As always — YMMV

— John