Audi e-tron name won’t be killed off; new moniker hinted at

Audi plans to stick with the e-tron badge it uses to mark out its electric vehicles from the rest of its line-up, in direct contrast to rivals Mercedes.

Earlier this month reports suggested that Mercedes intends to drop the EQ badge it applies to its electric and hybrid cars - so stuff like the EQE saloon and EQC SUV - on the basis that it’ll become redundant sooner or later as petrol and diesel vehicles are phased out.

But speaking at a preview of the Audi activesphere concept, design boss Marc Lichte insisted that the e-tron badge would hang around for the foreseeable future.

“No, no, no,” he responded to the suggestion of its demise. “I think [e-tron is] a very clear differentiation, and… there will be one differentiation more. But it’s too early to talk about it yet.”

Ooh, we smell news. “We have to wait until the end of this year, then you will see there is even more detail which differentiates combustion engine and EVs.”

Interesting, so what might that be? A badge for hybrids? Or for ICE cars? A squad of hydrogen fuel-cell quattros for 2050 and beyond? “No, we will see,” Lichte reiterates. “We have to wait! But still we continue with e-tron, because it’s perfect.”

Any guesses? Thoughts below please.