The updated system will still begin with letters like A for “low-floor” vehicles or Q for “high-floor” ones. That will be followed by numbers 1 through 8 that help represent the size or classification of the vehicle. However, Audi says it will no longer use odd or even numbers to represent what powertrain technologies it uses.
Then comes the body style, which includes Avant, Sedan, or Sportback, where applicable. Finally, Audi will add to the end a powertrain code, including the TFSI (Turbo Fuel Stratified Injection) combustion engine, TFSI e (plug-in hybrid), and E-tron (all electric). The system also replaces Audi’s two-digit power output representation which really made things confusing.
This new naming system will debut with the new combustion engine version Audi A6, which will be revealed on March 4th. You can expect Audi A6 models to have names like A6 Avant TFSI or A6 Sedan E-tron. (Current models will not be renamed.)
E-tron vehicles were especially confusing in the past. The original US line was a Q8-style SUV but was just called the “Audi E-tron.” A Sportback version was made afterward, and both were renamed to Q8 E-tron (which are now being phased out). Today, there’s a Q6 E-tron that is similar in size but built on Volkswagen’s modular Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform shared with the A6 E-tron and Porsche Macan EV.
