- Although Audi plans many new electric models, gas cars will remain for a while.
- Cars such as the A4 and A6 will be renamed to match existing odd-numbered models to distinguish them from even-numbered EV nameplates.
- The TT and R8 sports cars will be gone, but the Q5 and Q7 SUVs reach the next generation and the Q9 could join the ranks.
2023 will be another slow year for Audi—some facelifts and the arrival of the new Q6 e-tron—but 2024 and 2025 will be great years for the four rings. The great 17 and 15 launches are combined into two tight twelve month time frames. While most competitors are putting all their money on EVs, CEO Markus Duesmann and his team will continue to introduce new ICE models in the mid and late 2020s, and there will be no end until Europe announces a registration ban for new petrol and diesel-engined passenger cars. in 2035.
Let’s take a step-by-step look at the ICE stages to see how the lineup will be rearranged. (The EV lineup is a different story, but expect the “e-tron” designation to be dropped altogether and names like E4 and E6 to arrive at some point.) The common platform used for all future ICE Audis is codenamed PPC, short for Premium Platform Burning. The petrol car, will be renamed to an odd number to distinguish it from the even numbered EV model.
A4 Becomes A5, A6 Becomes A7
Audi E4
Audi A5 Avant
Next year Audi will launch the A5 sedan and the Avant wagon, which once carried the A4 name. Completing the trio is the new A5 Sportback. Also due in 2024 will be the new A7, again as a sedan and the Avant, both of which are now listed as the A6. Confusing? You bet. The A7 Sportback follows in 2025 along with the second-generation A5 coupe and cabriolet. All of the above is good for going through 2031 and 2032.
SUVs and Performance Models
Similar lifespans apply to the Q3 and the next Q3 Sportback slated for 2024, the last Q5 of its kind (2024) and Q5 Sportback (2025), as well as the final Q7 scheduled to bow in mid-2025. Instead of the rumored Q7 Sportback, we may see the Q9 more luxurious and more luxurious worthy of the Horch badge in China.
In addition to the mainstream offering, PPC will spawn a full line of S and RS hybrid models good for up to 550 hp in the top-of-the-line A5 and over 700 hp in the V-6-engined RS7 Performance that will once again be available as a sedan, wagon and Sportback .
Sports Cars Say Goodbye, A3 Sticks Around
Living on borrowed time are two legendary ICE marques, the TT and the R8. The TT will be phased out later this year, and no confirmed successor is in sight, but if the new regime in Wolfsburg is serious about its mould-breaking synergistic effect, Audi may finally be able to sell a rebodied version of the all-electric Porsche 718 replacement out next year. Since the charismatic V-10 engine is no match for overcoming European emissions hurdles, the R8 bites the dust next year. The all-electric replacement, which may find a second home with Bentley and Lamborghini, is expected to use the Weissach-built SSP61 architecture.
Audi E3
The A3, however, will continue to operate—either until 2026 when its successor will use the advanced electric MEB+ platform, or until 2028 when the more advanced VW-run SSP3 component set becomes available. More sophisticated? The Scalable System Platform improves electric options in all key departments from range to charging time to energy density. The next A3 should be badged E3, against the even-numbered trend.
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Contributing editor
Although I was born the only child of an ornithologist and a postal clerk, it was clear early on that bird watching and stamp collecting were not my thing. Had I known that God wanted me to grow to 6’8″, I too would have refused anything to do with cars, which was to blame for a few slipped discs, torn ligaments, and a stupid hunched posture behind the wheel While working as a janitor at Aberdeen Zoo, smuggling cheap cigarettes from Yugoslavia to Germany, and an embarrassing stint with an amateur drama troupe also failed to yield satisfaction, driving and writing about cars was a better option. And it still is now, years later, as I approach my birthday. I’m 70. I love every aspect of my job except long-haul travel with crappy airlines, and I hope that shows.