Photo: CarPix
Previously known as 80, the A4 series will be renamed once again. The next generation will switch to A5 because Audi has a thing for confusing nomenclatures.
Chief executive officer Markus Duesmann has recently confirmed that odd numbers will be used for combustion-engined vehicles and even numbers for electric vehicles. The A4 will therefore return with zero-emission powertrains, whereas the combustion-engined A4 of today will adopt the A5 moniker. Simple, right?
This change is much simpler than what Audi did to its double-digit naming scheme a few years ago. If the rear badge reads 30, that means anything between 81 and 96 kilowatts (109 to 128 horsepower). The highest number yet is 70 for 400-plus kilowatts (536-plus horsepower).
The A6 will also switch to all-electric propulsion, whereas the combustion-engined A6 will turn into the A7. Duesmann refused to elaborate on what’s going to happen to the A7 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and A5 Cabriolet, but given time, we will find out what’s what.
In the meantime, our spy photographers have snapped the replacement for the A4 sedan in the guise of a liftback. The A5 Sportback may be camouflaged like there’s no tomorrow in these pics, but under the headache-inducing camouflage, everything appears to be as close to production as one would imagine. After all, the next generation is due to be revealed by year’s end.
Previously spied in the guise of a station wagon, the all-new A5 is built around the well-known MLB Evo platform that underpins pretty much every Audi from the A4 to the Q8. The Modularer Langsbaukasten Evo is understandably shared with other group brands, including Bentley (Bentayga) and Lamborghini (Urus).
To be offered in front- and all-wheel drive just like the current-generation A4, the upcoming A5 will boast four- and six-cylinder powerplants, all turbocharged. The Volkswagen Group doesn’t intend to pull the plug on diesels just yet, and there’s a high probability for even the base engine to come with mild-hybrid assistance.
Audi will stop launching new combustion-engined models after 2026, which means that we’re looking at the final combustion-engined A5. With the possible exception of China, no new combustion models will be produced after 2032, as per the brand’s product plan.
Will there be an RS 5? It sure will, and hearsay suggests that it’s a plug-in hybrid. The combustion side of the powertrain is the well-known 2.9L twin-turbo V6 of the current-gen RS 4 Avant and RS 5 lineup. The only rival that Audi should be concerned about is the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E-Performance, which downsized from a twin-turbo V8 to a single-turbo I4 with plug-in assistance. It belts out 671 ponies and 752 pound-feet (1,020 Nm).
The non-assisted V6 in the RS 4 Avant and RS 5 lineup is rated at 444 horsepower and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet). Codenamed EA839, the six-cylinder mill is shared with the Panamera, Panamera 4, and Panamera 4S E-Hybrid.
This change is much simpler than what Audi did to its double-digit naming scheme a few years ago. If the rear badge reads 30, that means anything between 81 and 96 kilowatts (109 to 128 horsepower). The highest number yet is 70 for 400-plus kilowatts (536-plus horsepower).
The A6 will also switch to all-electric propulsion, whereas the combustion-engined A6 will turn into the A7. Duesmann refused to elaborate on what’s going to happen to the A7 Sportback, A5 Coupe, and A5 Cabriolet, but given time, we will find out what’s what.
In the meantime, our spy photographers have snapped the replacement for the A4 sedan in the guise of a liftback. The A5 Sportback may be camouflaged like there’s no tomorrow in these pics, but under the headache-inducing camouflage, everything appears to be as close to production as one would imagine. After all, the next generation is due to be revealed by year’s end.
Previously spied in the guise of a station wagon, the all-new A5 is built around the well-known MLB Evo platform that underpins pretty much every Audi from the A4 to the Q8. The Modularer Langsbaukasten Evo is understandably shared with other group brands, including Bentley (Bentayga) and Lamborghini (Urus).
To be offered in front- and all-wheel drive just like the current-generation A4, the upcoming A5 will boast four- and six-cylinder powerplants, all turbocharged. The Volkswagen Group doesn’t intend to pull the plug on diesels just yet, and there’s a high probability for even the base engine to come with mild-hybrid assistance.
Audi will stop launching new combustion-engined models after 2026, which means that we’re looking at the final combustion-engined A5. With the possible exception of China, no new combustion models will be produced after 2032, as per the brand’s product plan.
Will there be an RS 5? It sure will, and hearsay suggests that it’s a plug-in hybrid. The combustion side of the powertrain is the well-known 2.9L twin-turbo V6 of the current-gen RS 4 Avant and RS 5 lineup. The only rival that Audi should be concerned about is the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E-Performance, which downsized from a twin-turbo V8 to a single-turbo I4 with plug-in assistance. It belts out 671 ponies and 752 pound-feet (1,020 Nm).
The non-assisted V6 in the RS 4 Avant and RS 5 lineup is rated at 444 horsepower and 600 Nm (443 pound-feet). Codenamed EA839, the six-cylinder mill is shared with the Panamera, Panamera 4, and Panamera 4S E-Hybrid.
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