All you need to know about the new Audi model naming structure
Audi has changed its entire naming structure to adopt “standardised nomenclature for the power output designations”. Eh?
Ok, so the names for each model remains unchanged (from Audi A1 to Audi Q7), but the entire range (excluding the high-performance R8, S and RS models) will have their engine displacement badges replaced by two numbers that represent kilowatt (kW) power output, like 30 TDI for example. Yep, that’s not a 3.0-litre diesel.
Still confused? Ok here goes …
It will apply to electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel cars
The new designations will apply to electric and hybrid-powered cars as well as conventional petrol and diesel models, and as more alternatively fuelled models are added to the range, the new system aims to make things easier to understand.
It’s actually rather like Tesla’s naming strategy, which denotes drivetrains by their kW output. Audi Board member Dr. Voggenreiter said: "As alternative drive technologies become increasingly relevant, engine displacement as a performance attribute is becoming less important to our customers.
“The clarity and logic of structuring the designations according to power output makes it possible to distinguish between the various performance levels."
Number badging will go from 25 to 70
The number combinations identifying the performance levels in the Audi product range increase in increments of five, and they represent the hierarchy within both the respective model series and the brand’s overall model range. But which badges will mean what?
They will initially range between 25 and 70, the former denoting cars with a power output between 81 and 96kW and the latter applying to anything with more than 400kW.
Audi is yet to release an official list power outputs and their correlating numbers, but we’ve put together a table below with the info we know so far:
New badging | Power Output | Example |
25 | 70 – 81kW (95 – 108bhp) | None currently on UK market |
30 | 81 – 96kW (108-127bhp) | Audi Q2 1.6 TDI (108bhp) |
35 | 110 – 120 kW (146 – 159bhp) | Audi A3 1.4-litre TFSI (148bhp) |
40 | 125 – 150 kW (167 – 201bhp) | Audi A5 2.0-litre TDI (187bhp) |
45 | 169 – 190 kW (225 – 250bhp) | Audi Q5 2.0-litre TFSI (249bhp) |
50 | 210 – 230 kW (280 – 307bhp) | Audi A8 3.0-Litre TDI |
55 | 245 – 275 kW (327 – 367bhp) | Audi A8 3.0-litre TFSI |
60 | 320 – 340 kW (428 – 454 bhp) | Audi Q8 e-tron Concept |
70 | 400+ kW (535+bhp) | Audi R8 5.2-litre V10 (540bhp) (R8, S and RS models likely to not use new badging system) |
The first car to feature the new badging was the new Audi A8, with the two six-cylinder engines being designated as the A8 50 TDI and the A8 55 TFSI.
Since then, however, the rest of the range has quietly changed over too. From the all-new A1, the refreshed Q3, the A5 Sportback and the latest A6 all use the new naming strategy.
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