Not every idea is a winner, and that’s exactly what Audi realized with its last naming scheme. EVs were represented by even numbers and everything else got an odd number. It confused people and nobody wants to be more confused than they already are. That’s why the automaker has thankfully decided to dump the whole idea and go back to the way things were.
Saying “it confused people” might sound a bit silly, but that is legitimately the crux of why Audi made this decision. The German automaker got feedback from customers and dealerships. Both groups pretty much shrugged and said “I don’t get it.” Because of that, Audi is going back to its original naming strategy where the numbers only reflect the model’s position in the lineup. It’s the right move for a smooth-brained individual like myself.
“This decision is the result of intensive discussions and also follows the wishes of our customers as well as feedback from our international dealers. Our nomenclature now provides all customers worldwide with an intuitive orientation in our portfolio,” Marco Schubert, Audi’s global head of sales and marketing, said in a statement. “We choose the names of our models in a way that reveals size and positioning at first glance.”
Here’s what it means for the general public: some Audi EVs will share a name with their gas or diesel counterparts, but they’ll still maintain the “E-Tron” name for EVs and TDI for diesel. For example, the gas-powered Audi Q8 and the all-electric Audi Q8 E-Tron will exist under the same model name.
It also means there are going to be some changes to future Audi models. This is where it gets confusing. The next gas-powered Audi A7 sedan, which is set to debut soon, is being rebranded to the A6. It’ll occupy the same name in the lineup at the A6 E-Tron, a liftback that is more closely aligned with the A7 Sportbacks of years gone by. I have no idea if that car’s name is going to change back to A7, but I wouldn’t think so at this point.
Are you still with me? Good. if not, it doesn’t matter. All of this old stuff is gone. Audi is once again back to A1-A8 and Q1-8. It’s nice and simple. Right?