We feel sorry for consumers who had just cracked the code and felt like they finally understood the cypher behind Audi’s new vehicle naming conventions because they're changing again.
It was only a few months ago that we reported the German automaker was adjusting its lineup so that all vehicles with an even number in their names (A4, A6, etc.) were powered by electric motors while all vehicles with odd numbers in their names (A5) were powered by internal combustion engines. Indeed, that’s why our very own Peter Bleakney dedicated a portion of his A5 preview to explaining how it was more or less an A4 that had been renamed to due to this new convention.
Now, though, the number in a vehicle’s name will only refer to its place in the lineup, and not what's turning its wheels.
How will it work going forward? Well (until further notice) the first letter(s) in the name will continue to refer to the style of vehicle: A for passenger vehicles such as sedans, Q for crossovers and SUVs, S for sporty vehicles, and RS for really sporty vehicles. The number next to the letter will refer to the vehicle’s place in the lineup, with 1 referring to its smallest and most affordable vehicles and 8 referring to the top of its line — for now, at least.
What about the powertrain? Audi’s new solution is to — get this — actually use the branding it spent years establishing. That means that EVs will use the E-Tron name, internal combustion vehicles will use TFSI, hybrids will use TFSI e, etc. Finally, the automaker may add another term to the vehicle name to highlight an element of its body style (Sedan for sedans, Sportback for fastbacks, and Avant for wagons).
“This decision is the result of intensive discussions and also follows the wishes of our customers as well as feedback from our international dealers,” said Marco Schubert, Audi’s head of sales and marketing, in a release. “Our nomenclature now provides all customers worldwide with an intuitive orientation in our portfolio.”
The first new model to celebrate this new naming convention will be the Audi A6 TFSI, which will gain an internal combustion powertrain to go along with the electric one in the A6 E-Tron.
