ABT is now tuning Audi's plug-in hybrids, with up to 557 hp for the Q8
Tuners are learning to love the plug
For decades, tuning meant squeezing more from petrol and diesel engines. Now the aftermarket is adapting to the electrified era, and ABT Sportsline is leading the way. Fresh from its wild RS3-630, the Audi specialist has announced power upgrades for the plug-in hybrid A5, Q5 and Q8, proof that a PHEV badge no longer means the fun stops.
A5 Avant and Q5: up to 428 hp
The A5 Avant and Q5 share the 2.0 TFSI e plug-in powertrain, and ABT's treatment is identical under the skin. The combustion engine climbs from 252 to 310 hp, lifting system output from 299 to 360 hp, or from 367 to 428 hp on the stronger base version. Both also get a visual package: the A5 gains a gloss-black front lip, rear spoiler, four-pipe exhaust tips and 20-inch ABT Prime wheels for 13,500 euro, while the Q5 wears a front spoiler, aero blades and 22-inch EVO wheels for 18,500 euro with sports springs.
Q8: two stages, up to 557 hp
The flagship of the trio is the Q8 3.0 TFSI e, which gets two upgrade stages. Stage one takes the 394 hp version to 462 hp and 650 Nm, while stage two lifts the stronger 489 hp variant to a healthy 557 hp and 750 Nm, with the V6 itself gaining 68 hp and 50 Nm. The look is beefed up to match, with a full aero package, four exhaust tips and enormous 23-inch ABT HIGH PERFORMANCE wheels. The package costs 23,770 euro plus fitting and certification.
The practical part
What makes this interesting beyond the numbers is how civilised it all is. ABT backs its modifications with a five-year warranty, integrates the upgrades with its myABT app, and, crucially for many buyers, the cars remain plug-in hybrids, so German company-car drivers keep their favourable 0.5% taxation. It is performance tuning designed to fit neatly into the electrified, fleet-driven reality of today's market.
AutoNext Take
This is a genuinely smart move, and part of a trend we find fascinating. Just as Milltek pivoted from exhausts to bodykits for EVs, ABT is proving the tuning world can thrive in the electrified era rather than fade with the combustion engine. Plug-in hybrids are everywhere on Europe's roads, most of them company cars chosen with the head, and offering their owners a proper injection of character feels like an untapped goldmine.
The prices are not small, and a tuned Q5 will never stir the soul like a five-cylinder RS3. But 428 hp in a sensible family PHEV, with a warranty and the tax break intact, is a quietly brilliant proposition. The tuning scene is not dying; it is evolving, and ABT clearly intends to lead it there.
