Peter Lyon
February 4, 2025
Audi unveiled a new naming strategy back in 2023 that turned out to be not as popular as it had expected. Its internal combustion engine (ICE) and completely electric (EV) versions were to be clearly distinguished by having odd numerals for ICE and even numbers for EVs.
The outcome? The Audi A4 was renamed the A5, and the A6 was supposed to be replaced by the A7 of the following generation. The A4 and A6 names will live on as EV models. Confused? We were too. The German automaker appeared to be experiencing some sort of naming conundrum. They even went out on a limb and introduced a new brand in China, called, strangely —AUDI.
Familiar Audi-like suffixes to be employed
Two years on, Audi has now indicated that it will be returning to its previous naming strategy, in which the numbers will represent the car’s size rather than its powertrain configuration, suggesting that this was also too confusing for the company, and, well, its customers. In order to determine a model’s powertrain, the following suffixes will be employed: TFSI (Internal combustion engine), TFSIe (Plug-in hybrids), TDI (Diesel), e-Tron (Fully-electric).
Marco Schubert, a member of Audi AG’s Board of Management for Sales and Marketing, says, “This decision is the result of extensive discussions and also follows the wishes of our customers as well as feedback from our international dealers.”
The first model to adopt this “new/old” name strategy will be the next-gen Audi A6. Crucially, this switch will only apply to future models.. It is assumed that existing models will not be renamed in order to prevent further confusion. This is obviously for the better since it makes things clearer for both consumers and the media.
Additionally, Audi will retain flexibility by continuing to offer ICE vehicles in the foreseeable future, even though the company has announced plans to transition to a fully electric brand by 2033.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
As the proverb says — Simplicity is Best. And with Audi’s naming strategy, that definitely seems like the right choice. Go back to what the market knows and is comfortable with. To be honest, we are surprised that the company decided on such a radical intervention in the first place. Hopefully now, things will calm down.
