Audi recognizes mistake of renaming A4 into A5, reverses even-odd ICE-BEV naming convention; A6 to stay

arvind
arvind · 2025-02-04 10:00:00

Audi has put an end to its short-lived name game and gone back to the model names we know and understand.

The brand’s new global naming convention does away with the preceding rule, first announced in early 2023— of allocating even model numbers for BEVs and odd numbers for combustion cars. From now on, all Audi models—whether gas-powered, hybrid, or fully electric—will now follow a standardized alphanumeric system based on size and positioning.

The first model in this shake-up came with the Audi A5, unveiled in July 2024 to replace the A4 nameplate as the brand’s entry-level executive sedan, one that has been around for circa three decades. That idea has now been scrapped in favour of a streamlined, global format. 

Under the new system, Audi’s signature ‘A’ and ‘Q’ prefixes remain for sedans and SUVs respectively, with numbers from 1 to 8 indicating model hierarchy rather than powertrain type.

Whether an Audi runs on fuel, electricity, or a mix of both will now be distinguished by its established powertrain badges—like ‘e-tron’ for BEVs, ‘TFSI’ for petrol engines, ‘TFSI e’ for hybrids, and ‘TDI’ for diesels—along with familiar body style names such as Avant, Sportback, or Sedan.

“This decision is the result of intensive discussions and also follows the wishes of our customers as well as feedback from our international dealers,” says Marco Schubert, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at Audi AG.

“Our nomenclature now provides all customers worldwide with an intuitive orientation in our portfolio. We choose the names of our models in a way that reveals size and positioning at first glance”, he added. 

Leading the charge into this new era is the upcoming Audi A6, which will debut on 4-March 2025. With the new naming convention, the A6 Avant TFSI will carry the torch for combustion models, while the A6 Avant e-tron, for example, will represent its BEV counterpart.

No retroactive name changes are planned concerning models already on sale, thus the A5 will remain as A5. 

arvind

arvind Senior Writer

Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.

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