Why the future Audi A6 will not be called the A7
- Two years ago, the carmaker Audi announced a new way of naming its models. Before 2023, 100% electric models were called E- Tron in addition to their name beginning with an A for sedans, station wagons, coupes and convertibles, or with a Q for SUVs. From 2023, the new models launched by Audi have been grouped into two groups, those with an odd number for models with a thermal or hybrid engine (MHEV, Full-HEV, PHEV) and those with an even number for models with a 100% electric engine (BEV) nevertheless continuing to bear the additional name E- Tron (Q4 E- Tron , Q6 E- Tron , Q8 E- Tron , etc.).
- This is how we recently saw the appearance of the Audi A6 E- Tron (100% electric E-segment sedan) with an even number because it is powered by 100% electric power. According to the rule applied since 2023, the replacement for the Audi A6 with combustion engine should therefore have been called A7. The replacement for the Audi A4 with combustion engine was therefore called A5 to comply with this new rule of model naming. Since there was already an Audi A5, the new Audi A5 replaced both the old Audi A4 and A5.
- The future replacement for the combustion-engined Audi A8 was to be called the Audi A9, with only the electric version expected to retain the A8 name.
- But the carmaker has just decided to abandon this naming system and return to the situation before 2023. The replacement for the Audi A6 will therefore be called the Audi A6, the replacement for the Audi A7 will be called the Audi A7, and the replacement for the Audi A8 will be called the Audi A8. According to Inovev, this new change in the naming system for Audi models is due to the fact that the A5 name is a flop and the A7 and A9 names lack awareness, with the Audi A7 representing only 15% of Audi A6 sales on average in recent years. As for the Audi A9, it has never existed until now, and it is difficult to impose an unknown name. The new naming system introduced by Audi from 2025 will be much more flexible, as it will allow for E- Tron versions of all its models.