Audi admits A4 being dropped for A5 shouldn’t have happened

The Audi A5 is offered in a choice of two derivatives. Picture: Audi Audi has admitted that its model-nameplate restructuring, in which the A5 replaces the A4, has been a mistake. Back in 2023, then CEO Markus Duesmann said Ingolstadt would introduce 20 new or updated products by 2025, of which half would be electric.

As part of the move, all even-numbered models would become electric, while those with odd numbers would use combustion engines with some sort of electrical assistance. This meant the end of the A4 after 30 years, replaced by the A5, while the A7 made way for the all-electricA6 e-tron. Months later, though, the supposedall-new A7 reverted to the A6name as an alternative to the A6 e-tron.

At the same time, Audi also dropped the confusing“power number” denominatorsintroduced in 2017, which replaced the traditional engine-displacement indicators as a result of the EV shift. Speaking to Australia’sdrive.com.au, current Audi boss, Gernot Dollner, said the new A5 would become A4 when the first round of updates takes place. “We will go back to our old nomenclature: A is for flat-floor cars, Q is for SUVs, and then the number describes the size of the car or the segment of the car, full stop,” Dollner said.

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With the introduction of the A4 as an EV now seemingly over, the switch back to combustion power will, reportedly, also have an impact on the next generation RS5. According tocarscoops.com, the performance variant will use a plug-in hybrid powertrain modelled on the previous generation’s 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6.

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