As someone with a mild obsession with car badges, I noticed something a bit weird on the new Audi A5. No, not the fact that it replaces the A4 altogether. On the regular A5, there's a red graphic on the tailgate. Looks familiar? That's Audi Sport's signature rhomb in the "Progressive Red" brand color. It used to be exclusive to S, RS, and R models, but not anymore.
It's a case of upbadging straight from the factory, like what we've seen lately from Audi's archrival BMW. To the untrained eye, the new logo suggests it's a performance version when, in fact, it's just a normal A5. After digging a bit deeper, I noticed the A5 isn't the first Audi to have the deceiving rear emblem. In September 2023, the Q8 debuted the same look. The latest A3 features the red graphic as well.
Sure, it does look nice. But those who know a thing or two about cars will find it misleading. This is another case of brand dilution to sell more cars by banking on the desirability of a higher-end variant. Fake it 'till you make it, I guess. Mind you, the little red logo isn't standard. On the A3 and Q8, you must step up to the S Line trim level. The base versions of these two cars do away with the Audi Sport insignia. The 2025 A5 configurator isn't out yet but it should be a similar story.
Audi Sport isn't quite as desirable as BMW M, but that doesn't make this decision any less controversial. To give credit where it's due, the confusing naming scheme is thankfully going away, so no more awkwardly named "55 TFSI" or "40 TDI" cars. The alphanumeric soup introduced in 2017 will become a thing of the past.
Audi is in the midst of a lineup refresh by moving all cars with combustion engines to odd numbers and EVs to even numbers. The new A5 killed the gas A4 so that an electric A4 could live in a few years from now. Similarly, the A6 with conventional powertrains will level up to the A7 family, creating room in the lineup for an electric A6.
While more EVs are on the way, plenty of gas cars are either dead or about to be phased out. The TT was discontinued in 2023 while the mighty R8 rode off into the proverbial sunset a few months ago. In addition, we just learned the A5 Coupe and A5 Convertible are gone, including their S and RS counterparts. The A1 subcompact hatchback won't be renewed for another generation, and we can say the same for the Q2 small crossover.
As it stands, Audi no longer offers two-door cars. Looking into the future, ICE vehicles will go extinct in less than a decade. The German luxury brand intends to offer an electric-only lineup as early as 2033. That's two years before the European Union’s scheduled sales ban on new cars that have harmful emissions.
Audi might still make gas cars in China after that, depending on local demand. In the meantime, the final new models with combustion engines are programmed to come out in 2026. Every new launch after that will be an EV. That's provided there won't be a change of plans given the slower-than-expected adoption of electric cars.
On that note, Audi might even end production of the Q8 E-Tron and Q8 E-Tron Sportback at its factory in Brussels due to poor demand. Speaking of which, the large electric SUVs also have the red graphic on the S Line version...
