Audi India has confirmed its ninth launch of 2021, the Audi Q5 facelift, will arrive on 23 November. Bookings for the locally-assembled 2021 Q5 have been open for a while now, with the booking amount set at Rs 2 lakh. Audi had pulled the Q5 – along with the Q3 and Q7 – off the shelves in India when the BS6 emission norms came into effect last year, discontinuing all diesel-powered models in our market. The Q5 – which has always been a key product for Audi in India – is making its return as a petrol-only model.
The 2021 Audi Q5 gets a heavily updated face, with a new take on the ‘Singleframe’ grille, redesigned LED headlights and new bumpers. Image: Audi
Buyers will have to choose from two variants of the 2021 Audi Q5 facelift – Premium Plus and Technology. Features of note will include a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a full-digital instruments display, a Bang and Olufsen sound system, wireless phone charging and a remote boot opening function. On the safety front, the 2021 Q5 will come with eight airbags and a park assist function.
The Audi Q5 facelift will be offered with a sole petrol engine option – a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol that makes 245 hp and 370 Nm of torque, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The updated SUV is also set to come with Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system, drive modes and adaptive suspension.
On the absence of its popular high-volume models such as Q3, Q5 and Q7 SUVs from the Indian market, Dhillon said when the emission norms in India moved last year from BS4 to BS6 the company had also decided that to go from “petrol plus diesel strategy to petrol and electrification”.
“Homologation is a long process that takes time, and the pandemic also did not help. So, the time got stretched…Normally homologation happens in about nine months but because of the pandemic it got delayed,” Dhillon previously told PTI.
The locally-assembled 2021 Audi Q5 facelift will square off against old foes – the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Jaguar F-Pace and the Volvo XC60 mild-hybrid. Expect the 2021 Audi Q5 range to start at around Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom).