Audi confused us all in 2017 when it introduced a double-digit naming scheme across the lineup. The terminology is based on output, from "30" for cars that have 109-128 horsepower up to "70" for vehicles with at least 536 hp. The two-numeral combination appears alongside the usual badges such as TFSI, TDI, and Quattro. After only seven years, the company has decided to move away from these vague designations.
Leading the way is the Q6 E-Tron revealed this week, although the switch technically started with the Q8 E-Tron. You won't find the numbers on the larger electric SUV's tailgate either. However, Audi still uses the confusing naming strategy in the official documentation for the Q8 E-Tron. Florian Hauser, Audi's Head of Sales & Product Marketing for Battery Electric Vehicles, told Auto Express the company doesn't need to put numbers anymore.
The Four Rings are looking to simplify a model's offerings, pointing toward the new electric crossover. The regular Q6 with all-wheel drive is known as Q6 E-Tron Quattro while the hot one is SQ6 E-Tron. A future rear-wheel-drive variant will go by the name of Q6 E-Tron. However, Audi might have to add a suffix such as "Performance" to clarify the lineup of a model offered with multiple battery size choices.
It's not just EVs that will adopt the streamlined naming scheme since gasoline and diesel cars are bound to follow suit. Well, kind of. Audi told the British magazine the two-digit combination will be removed from the trunk lids and tailgates of ICE-powered cars. However, the Ingolstadt-based marque hasn't decided whether the previous nomenclature will be dropped completely by taking it off configurators, marketing materials, etc.
There are more name-related changes on the way. A year ago, former Audi CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed the A4 would become the A5 for its next generation, much like the A6 will transition to the A7 moniker. Consequently, get ready for an A5/S5/RS5 Avant and an A7/S7/RS7 Avant, as weird as these may sound. It remains to be seen whether there will be a sedan successor to the outgoing A4 since all spy shots have shown the five-door Sportback. It would be an unusual move from Audi to stop offering a rival for the BMW 3 Series Sedan and Mercedes C-Class Sedan.
Leveling up the gas/diesel A4 and A6 is part of the company's plan to use odd numbers for vehicles equipped with combustion engines and even numbers for EVs. Renaming the two model lineups will create room in the portfolio for battery-powered A4 and A6 models.
Elsewhere, Audi intends to drop the A1 supermini and Q2 subcompact crossover after the current-generation models run their course. The TT was axed in November 2023 and production of the R8 will end this month.
Meanwhile, it's cooking up a full-size Q9 SUV with a spacious third row as a belated answer to the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7. The Q9 will be among the last new models with ICE power since Audi intends to launch only EVs from 2026. It plans to end production of gas cars by 2033 to become an electric-only brand.
