Audi’s five-cylinder engine may receive a stay of execution, with the German brand confirming it’s working to offer the engine beyond mid-2027, the previously announced end date of production.
Audi announced the 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine would be farewelled in the current Audi RS3.
The latest generation of RS3 high-performance hatch and sedan, as reported by Automotive News, is scheduled to end production in 2027. Audi was also set to consign the five-cylinder ‘EA855’ engine to history at the same time.
According to Autocar, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said at the RS3 Competition Limited launch in March 2026 he wasn’t sure if the automaker was “able to refinance the investment in EU7 [emissions] regulations” to see the five-cylinder continue.
Yet that heavy investment to meet EU7 regulations may be on the cards after comments from Audi Sport boss Rolf Michl suggested the engine may not be axed after all.
“We’re well aware about the historical meaning of the five-cylinder,” Mr Michl told Autocar.
“Evaluations are still running, and people who know me know that I also have a personal relationship to the five-cylinder engine. It’s so characteristic and also deeply rooted in history, so let’s see.”
The Euro 7 regulations, which include new measures regarding brake dust and tyre particulates, are set to come into effect in Europe in November 2026, with new models released after this date needing to comply.
For the Audi five-cylinder, a significant overhaul would be needed to meet Euro 7 regulations, including changes to its fuel and emissions systems, made less likely given it remains fitted in only two low-volume models, the RS3 and Cupra Formentor VZ5.
Both models are due in Australia later this year, with the RS3 Competition Limited made up of 10 Sportbacks (hatches) and eight sedans, and fewer than 100 Formentor VZ5s expected here.
The EA855 may also make a yet-to-be-confirmed appearance around the same time in the 2027 Volkswagen Golf R to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Golf R32, which went on sale globally in August 2002.
Audi has offered a five-cylinder engine since launching a naturally aspirated 2.1-litre in the 1976 Audi 100 sedan, and the five-pot garnered a global cult following in the turbocharged Ur-quattro four years later.
In Australia, five-cylinder Audi models have included the TT RS, RS3 and RSQ3.
Mr Michl’s comments come as Volkswagen Group is undergoing a significant shake-up of its model lines across all brands, including Audi and Cupra, after a significant drop in profitability.
As reported by Automotive News, the strategy is known internally as Future Picture 2030, and includes Volkswagen Group halving its model lines from 150 to 75, as well as reducing the number of body styles within each of them.
At the same time, Volkswagen Group plans to invest more heavily in each remaining model. The goal is to offer a smaller number of vehicles, but with each a ‘technological leader’ in its respective class.
While unconfirmed, Audi models mooted for axing as part of the plan include Sportback versions of the Q5 SUV and Q6 e-tron electric SUV.
Production of the Q8 e-tron SUV ended in February 2025 with the closure of the Brussels, Belgium plant, which had been making cars since 1949, with Volkswagen taking over in 1970.
