With the final life cycle of internal combustion engines (ICE) in sight, Audi has decided to change its model naming structure to differentiate its fuel-powered models from its electric vehicles. As a result, new EVs will have an even number (A4, A6, A8), while ICE-powered models will be odd-numbered (A3, A5, A7). But the e-tron suffix will stay.

The next-generation Audi A4, which will still be powered by combustion engines, will be called A5. Not because the model is transitioning to a more premium position but because Audi has decided to separate its model range nomenclature according to the type of drivetrain. That was confirmed by CEO Markus Duesmann and CTO Oliver Hoffmann in an interview with German medium AutoBild.

Still called e-tron

The traditional ICE-powered saloon and station wagon models A4 and A6 will, therefore, be called A5 and A7 when their successors are launched, while the next-gen A4 e-tron and A6 e-tron will be fully electric.

Audi will still call them e-tron for the sake of clarity. Hopefully, the current Q8/Q8 e-tron situation will also be resolved by this new naming strategy – having both types of nomenclature simultaneously would cause even more confusion.

‘Best combustion engines are yet to come’

But why go through this effort if the internal combustion engine is nearing its end? Because the gas-powered engine still has a last hurrah to come, according to Hoffmann and Duesmann.

In 2024, Audi will present a new combustion engine platform for the last generation of fuel burners, with the executives promising “many emotional and high-performance derivatives” of the coming A5 and A7 and that “the best combustion engines are yet to come”.

When asked about e-fuels, which got the green light from the EU following the 2035 ICE ban shortly after this interview, Duesmann and Hoffman reiterated that Audi has chosen the battery-electric path. However, they see e-fuels as a good solution for existing ICE vehicles and new airplanes, ships, and trucks.

Audi will, therefore, make sure that their combustion engines are compatible with e-fuels, which will also be used in Formula One from 2026, not coincidentally the season that Audi joins the grid with Sauber.