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Oh lord not again: Audi’s changed its model naming strategy

No more odd and even numbers to denote powertrain, it’s back to square one

Published: 03 Feb 2025

Sigh. Audi has changed its model naming strategy yet again and at this stage, your head is likely spinning faster than a crankshaft on one of its combustion-engined cars.

Speaking of, they won’t get a separate odd number to denote they’re gas-guzzling ICE cars anymore. And Audi’s electric cars won’t hog all the even numbers. “The previous distinction between different drivetrain technologies according to even and odd model numbers no longer applies,” said Audi.

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So if you want an Audi A6, you’ll choose an Audi A6 and then decide whatever powertrain you want in that Audi A6. Just like before. When it all made sense.

This outburst of sensibleness is apparently a result of customer wishes and international dealer feedback. “Our nomenclature now provides all customers worldwide with an intuitive orientation in our portfolio,” said Audi's sales and marketing boss Marco Schubert.

“We choose the names of our models in a way that reveals size and positioning at first glance,” he added. Novel idea, no? To those of you who’d just gotten used to ‘even numbers for EVs, odd numbers for ICE’, sorry. Unlearn everything.

Need a quick reminder of how Audi named its cars ten minutes ago and might very well change in the next ten minutes? A-badged cars are its ‘low-floor’ models, Q-badged ones its – that’s right! – ‘high-floor’ versions. The number denotes how big it is. The first suffix tells you what shape – estate, saloon, coupe-saloon – and the final suffix tells you what you need to put in it to go forwards or backwards, be that electrons or fuel. Amazing.

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“The first new model to use this nomenclature will be the combustion-engine-equipped Audi A6,” said Audi. “It stands for the brand’s long and successful history in the full-size segment and will be revealed globally on 4 March.” Just like it… used to. Sigh.

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