The last Audi five-cylinder engine, and the car that keeps it alive, are set to be discontinued by mid-2027 for Europe – but plans for Australia are unclear.
Production of the Audi RS3 hot-hatch is due to end in mid-2027, the brand has confirmed, as its turbocharged five-cylinder engine will not meet the next wave of European emissions standards.
It is yet to be confirmed if it will live on in Australia, as it is planned to in the US and other countries with less stringent emissions laws.
Audi will axe the engine and the car it powers in European markets, as updating the five-cylinder to meet Euro 7 would require costly hardware changes.
Audi global CEO Gernot Dollner told Drive in September of last year that: “No, right now the five-cylinder will probably end with Euro 7.”
The five-cylinder engine has been a signature of the brand since the 1970s, debuting in the Audi 100, but it rose to fame through Group B rally success of the 1980s in the Audi Quattro.
It currently powers the RS3 sedan and hatch performance models, where, in its most recent form, it produces a claimed 294kW/500Nm.
It is also available in the Cupra Formentor VZ5, a limited edition with a detuned version of the RS3’s engine.
The new Euro 7 emissions regulations will apply to newly introduced vehicles from November 2026 and all new cars on sale beginning in November 2027.
The RS3 is the final Audi model still with a five-cylinder, following the RS Q3, which closed orders in late 2025, along with the TT RS being discontinued in 2023.
When production ends, five-cylinder engines in production cars in Australia will be no more, following the demise of the 3.2-litre diesel Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 utes locally, and Volvo’s five-cylinder engine offered until 2018.
The model on which the RS3 is based, the A3, is set to continue production until at least 2030, when it is expected to be replaced by an electric car.
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