The Audi Q5 petrol launched in India
yesterday is the fastest SUV in its segment, but the fastest Q5 Audi offers
globally is the Audi SQ5. IAB has learned that the performance-oriented S
variant could reach Indian shores at some point.
Homologating models that are niche and
would probably sell in tens or hundreds a year usually may not make much sense
for a volume-driven automaker. Current regulations allow importing only those
new vehicles without homologation which are priced at US$ 40,000 or higher and
have an engine capacity of more than 3,000 cc (petrol)/2,500 cc (diesel).
The government is now considering
revising import regulations that will allow an automaker or its agent to import
2,500 vehicles annually, irrespective of the FOB value or the engine capacity,
without homologation. Such a move would allow companies to test market
potential models before zeroing on their local production, not to mention the
opportunity of launching more niche or limited-run models.
Introduced at the NAIAS 2017, the new
generation Audi SQ5 is a petrol-only model. It sports the 3.0-litre (2,995 cc)
TFSI turbocharged V6 engine that puts out 354 PS and 500 Nm of torque.
The 8-speed tiptronic automatic transmission transmits the power, and the
quattro permanent AWD system is present to distribute the power appropriately
between all four wheels. The performance variant completes the sprint from zero
to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds and has an electronically governed top speed of 250
km/h.
