Audi Australia drops stock TFSI A5 variants as e-hybrid demand dominates

Audi Australia has reworked the 2027 A5 Sedan and Avant range so that the plug-in hybrid e-hybrid versions carry the line-up, with the non-hybrid TFSI 150kW and TFSI 200kW quattro variants no longer listed in the updated specification guide. The 2027 A5 and S5 are now available to order.

Audi Australia product planning manager Esther Choi said the majority of A5 buyers had been choosing the plug-in e-hybrid anyway, and that the 200kW quattro is now customer order only. The brand frames the change as a deliberate Australian strategy built around performance and hybridisation rather than a retreat from petrol power.

What changed in the 2027 A5 line-up

The TFSI 150kW variant is absent from the revised spec guide, and the TFSI 200kW quattro, the direct successor to the A4 45 TFSI quattro, has moved to customer order only. Audi Australia head of product Matthew Dale said that arrangement keeps the car available for traditionalists who specifically want it.

The e-hybrid versions are quoted at 270kW, which Audi Australia says delivers almost S5 levels of performance alongside pure electric running around town and hybrid operation on longer trips. That combination is what dealers say is drawing buyers in, according to Dale.

Why Audi Australia made the call

Choi said the A4 45 TFSI quattro had accounted for more than 50 per cent of volume when the previous generation launched, which made plug-in hybrid a step into unknown territory for the brand locally. Audi positioned the e-hybrid alongside the 200kW quattro to offer more value and convert those buyers, and she said the sales numbers show it worked.

Dale described the approach as an intentional Australian market strategy to cement the brand's footprint without alienating existing customers, and said the PHEV has now taken over the exact position the A4 45 TFSI quattro once held. He said the outcome has come out positively and as planned.

The logic is straightforward: when the plug-in outsells the petrol it replaces, keeping a low-volume petrol variant in stock ties up dealer inventory for little return. Holding it as a customer order costs Audi Australia almost nothing and keeps a loyal buyer base on side.

What is still unconfirmed

Audi Australia has not announced Australian pricing for the 2027 A5 range in the material available, so the cost of the revised line-up has not been confirmed.

Electric-only range for the A5 e-hybrid has also not been quoted, and no test cycle (WLTP, EPA or otherwise) has been specified for the Australian figures. Buyers comparing the e-hybrid on range will need to wait for those numbers to be published.

What it means for A5 buyers

Anyone wanting a conventional petrol A5 in Australia now faces a narrower path: the 150kW version is off the guide, and the 200kW quattro has to be ordered rather than picked from stock. The e-hybrid becomes the default choice in the range, which suits drivers who want electric running for commuting and petrol backup for longer trips.

Audi Australia says it is always adjusting the range to suit the market, so the current line-up should be read as a snapshot rather than a permanent settlement. For now, the plug-in is the A5 that Audi Australia expects most buyers to take.

Chery is recalling certain Omoda 5 small SUVs in Australia to check for a rear axle assembly that could crack or tear and, in extreme cases, separate from the vehicle. The precautionary recall applies to rear axle components manufactured for the Australian market between 11 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 inclusive.

What the fault is and how it will be fixed

In a statement, Chery Motor Australia said its parent company had identified a potential problem in an overseas market involving rear axle assemblies from a particular supplier within a set production range, where the weld may have insufficient strength and may crack or tear in certain circumstances. The company said that in extreme cases this could reduce the structural integrity of the rear axle and increase the risk of an accident.

Owners whose vehicles are included are being contacted directly and told to arrange an inspection at an authorised Chery dealer. If the rear axle assembly came from the relevant supplier and its serial number falls within the identified production range, it will be replaced free of charge as a precaution; if not, no replacement is needed.

Chery stressed that the recall is precautionary and that inclusion does not mean a fault has been found on an individual vehicle, adding that there have been no reported cases of the issue in Australia. The company apologised for any inconvenience and said it is working with its dealer network to resolve the matter as quickly and efficiently as possible.

How many cars are involved

Chery Australia has not yet confirmed how many Australian vehicles are covered by the recall, and the recall is yet to appear on the federal government's Vehicle Recalls website. For scale, the official recall notice in China covers 53,882 vehicles across two model ranges, the Chery Tiggo 5x and a related model.

That Chinese figure is not a guide to the Australian total, since it counts vehicles sold in a different market across two model lines. Australian buyers will need to wait for Chery or the regulator to publish the local count.

The Tiggo 4 is not part of the Australian recall

The Omoda 5 is now badged in Australia as the Chery C5. Chinese-market versions of the Omoda 5 and the related Chery Tiggo 4 small SUV were recalled recently to fix the same rear axle problem, which has also surfaced in Malaysia and Indonesia.

So far there is no local recall for the Tiggo 4, which is Chery Australia's top-selling model and currently Australia's equal-cheapest SUV alongside the Mahindra XUV 3XO. That split is the detail Tiggo 4 owners will watch most closely: the same fault has triggered action on the Omoda 5 in several markets, yet the brand's volume seller in Australia has not been called in.

What owners should do

Affected Omoda 5 owners do not need to act until they are contacted, at which point the step is to book an inspection with an authorised Chery dealer. The replacement, where required, is free. Chery directs owners to the Australian Government's vehicle recall website for further information.