Audi to change model naming conventions

AUDI has decided to revamp the naming conventions for its entire model range, except for its Audi Sport models, given the lower importance of engine displacement associated with the rise of hybrid and electric powertrains.

Kicking off with the all-new A8 sedan released globally later this year, Audi will use a combination of two numbers to denote power output, followed by the engine technology indicator, such as TFSI, TDI and e-tron.

For example, the number 30 will represent powertrains with outputs between 81kW and 96kW, while 45 denotes outputs between 169kW and 185kW.

Therefore, if the new designation was applied to all Audi models today, the 185kW A4 2.0 TFSI Quattro becomes the A4 45 TFSI Quattro.

Numbers will vary from 25 in the 70kW A1 1.0 TFSI up to 60 in the upcoming 320kW 4.0-litre turbo-diesel V8 A8.

The other A8 offered at launch – the 250kW 3.0-litre V6 diesel – will be known as the A8 55 TDI.

Audi has said that new model names will be rolled out as model lines are updated or replaced, and that by mid-2018 the entire product range will feature the new naming system.

Naming updates may take longer to arrive in Australia given the delay in European models hitting our shores.

The only models to escape the new nomenclature are the performance-honed S and RS models, as well as Audi’s flagship performance model, the R8.

Audi has left the names of its hottest models alone because none of them currently reference the engine’s displacement.

Audi board of management member for sales and marketing Dietmar Voggenreiter said the reason for changing the nomenclature was due to the rise of alternative engine technology.

“As alternative drive technologies become increasingly relevant, engine displacement as a performance attribute is becoming less important to our customers,” he said.

“The clarity and logic of structuring the designations according to power output makes it possible to distinguish between the various performance levels.”

Designations such as Quattro, Sport and Avant will remain in Audi’s naming system.

Audi model designations

Model designation	Power output
25	< 80kW
30	81kW to 96kW
35	110kW to 120kW
40	125kW to 150kW
45	169kW to 185kW
50	210kW to 230kW
55	245kW to 275kW
60	320kW to 338kW
70	> 400kW