Back in October this year, during the Q2’s launch, Audi India confirmed that before 2020 comes to an end, it’ll launch the S5 Sportback. The car even popped-up on the official website for a while before vanishing. Honestly, there’s no news on what’s happening on that front. But, if you’ve been waiting for the A4 facelift, we now have a time frame. The car in question, which was unveiled globally in May last year, will launch early next year.

What’s more, Audi India has already begun assembly of the refreshed A4. Where? At Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd.’s (SAVWIPL) Aurangabad facility. Like all BS6-compliant (Bharat Stage 6) Audis available in India, the A4 too will come with a petrol engine only. Which one? In all probability the same powerplant that does duty in the Q2 and the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. That’s a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged mill putting out 188bhp/320Nm, while a 7-speed automatic will handle transmission duties.

Compared to the older version, the refreshed A4 looks sharper with those redesigned headlamp enclosures, a broader and sleeker Singleframe grille and a new front bumper. The car also comes with newly designed alloy wheels, minutely different exhaust outlets and a tweaked bumper. From the inside, the sedan looks and feels more or less the same as before, barring a few tech upgrades.

In the features department, the A4 facelift will offer stuff such as a 10.1-inch MMI infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Audi Connect Services, multi-zone climate control, keyless go, auto-dimming IRVM and ORVMs, cruise control and a rear-view camera. Like the Q2, Audi will offer the upcoming A4 in multiple variants.

Once it launches, the Audi A4 will dial-up the heat on the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Jaguar XE, BMW 3 Series and the Volvo S60. If you had to buy an executive saloon with a posh badge, which one would you pick?