Audi to change its model naming strategy again

The next generation A6 will be the first car to use the updated model nomenclature.

Back in March 2023, Audi had announced plans for a new model naming strategy to differentiate their ICE cars from electric vehicles. The EVs were supposed to use even numbers, while models with combustion engines were set to use odd numbers.

This nomenclature was still active when the new A7 was announced to replace the A6 sedan. But now, the car maker is reverting back to its old naming strategy. Going forward, the numbers will denote the size of the car rather than the type of powertrain. The following suffixes will be used to distinguish combustion engined cars from EVs:

TFSI for petrol, TFSIe for plug-in hybrids, TDI for diesels, and e-tron for EVs.

Suffixes to denote the body style will remain the same as earlier: Sedan, Avant or Sportback.

The next generation A6 will be the first car to use the updated model nomenclature. It won't be rebranded as the A7. It will make its global debut with the all electric A6 e-tron.

Audi will continue to use "A" for cars and "Q" for crossovers/ SUVs. The car maker has also said that the smallest models in both categories will be discontinued at the end of their production lifecycles. This means that the A1 and the Q2 will be axed.

The new naming strategy will apply only to new models that will come in the future. The existing models wont be renamed. For eg: The new A5 won't go back to the A4 monicker.