Audi on Monday announced that it will drop a naming convention announced last year and allow internal-combustion and electric vehicles to share names.
The automaker previously said it would keep its alphanumeric format as more EVs entered the lineup, but reserve even numbers for electric models and odd numbers for combustion models. That naming scheme was rolled out with the latest gasoline Audi A5—now a hatchback replacing both the previous-generation A5 and the A4 sedan—and Q5 crossover, alongside the electric A6 Sportback E-Tron and Q6 E-Tron.
But, in a press release, Audi said it would reverse that decision. In these alphanumeric names, numbers will once again refer to a model’s size and positioning in the lineup—not the powertrain type—while the letters A and Q will continue to designate cars and crossovers, respectively. That means electric and combustion models can now have the same name, for the most part.
Audi will still use powertrain-specific branding such as E-Tron for EVs, TFSI for combustion engines, and TFSI e for plug-in hybrids. And it will keep its existing body-style designations, such as Avant for wagons and Sportback as a catch-all term for vehicles with sleeker-than-normal rooflines.
No retroactive name changes are planned for models already on sale, Audi said, but going forward the automaker hopes that going back to its previous naming scheme will address customer and dealer concerns about confusion.
“This decision is the result of intensive discussions and also follows the wishes of our customers as well as feedback from our international dealers,” Audi sales and marketing boss Marco Schubert said in a statement. “Our nomenclature now provides all customers worldwide with an intuitive orientation in our portfolio.”
The first new model affected by this change is the next-generation Audi A6 sedan, which would have been badged as an A7 under the outgoing naming scheme. Due to be revealed Mar. 4, it will be sold alongside the electric A6 Sportback E-Tron revealed last year. The two A6 variants are likely to use different platforms, though, as Audi has divided its vehicle architectures into Premium Platform Electric (PPE) and Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) for the two powertrain types.