German manufacturer Audi recently decided to review the names of its models. The transformation isn’t as important as last year’s Mercedes-Benz lineup name overhaul, but all Audi models around the world will be affected.
The end result is pretty easy to understand, but the Audi press release explaining the changes is quite complex to decipher. And that’s us being polite.
In simple terms, all Audi models will receive a new digit to the right of the current nomenclature (A4, Q3, TT, R8 etc …). This number, which varies from 30 to 70, indicates that the power of the engine lies between such and such a number of horses.
For example, the number 30 designates Audi models that are powered by an engine that develops between 108 and 129 horsepower. The number 50 indicates an engine with a power ranging from 249 horsepower to 308 horsepower. The most powerful Audi models, those powered by an engine with more than 536 horsepower, will receive the figure 70.
So an Audi A4 powered by a 252-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine thus becomes the Audi A4 50. In fact, it becomes the Audi A4 50 TFSI since Audi will also be adding the engine type next to the number. Models with TDI engines will therefore receive this designation, and the same applies to electrified models with e-Tron engines.
An Audi S5 will now be the Audi S5 55 TFSI since its engine develops 333 horsepower. An Audi S6 with 450 horsepower becomes an Audi S6 60 TFSI and so on…
It is a safe bet that this change wasn’t initiated by consumer demand. That said, it will soon be forgotten. The first car to receive the new nomenclature will be the next Audi A8.