Even though Audi is making plans for many new electric models, gas cars will still be around for a while. To make them stand out from the even-numbered EVs, cars like the A4 and A6 will get new names that match the existing odd-numbered models. The TT and R8 sports cars will be phased out, but the Q5 and Q7 SUVs will be updated, and a Q9 could be added to the lineup. Audi will have a slow year in 2023, with only a few facelifts and the release of the new Q6 e-Tron. However, 2024 and 2025 will be significant years for the four rings. There are two condensed 12-month plans for 17 and 15, respectively. Markus Desman and his team will keep putting out new ICE models through the middle and end of the 2020s, with no end in sight until 2035, when Europe will stop registering new gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars. In comparison, most competitors have put everything on electric vehicles. Review the ICE ranks individually to see how the lineup will change. (The EV lineup is a different story, but you can expect that the “e-Tron” name will eventually be dropped and replaced by words like “E4” and “E6.”) The platform that all future ICE Audis will be built on is “PPC,” which stands for “Premium Platform Combustion.” The names of the gas-powered cars will be changed to have odd numbers instead of even numbers. A4 turns into A5, and A6 turns into A7. The A5 sedan and Avant wagon, which used to be called the A4, will come out the following year. The third is the new A5 Softback. Also expected is the new A7, currently listed as an A6 model and will be sold as a sedan and an “Avant” in 2024. Confusing? Oh, yes. In 2025, the second-generation A5 coupe, cabriolet, and A7 Softback will be available. All of the items above are good until 2031 or 2032. SUVs and fast cars are popular. The lifespans of the Q3 and Q3 Softback will come out in 2024, the last Q5 and Q5 Softback, which will come out in 2024 and 2025, and the last Q7, which will come out in the middle of 2025, will all be about the same. Instead of the rumored Q7 Softback, we might see a more luxurious and high-end Q9 in China worthy of the Hoch name. PPC will also make full-performance hybrid S and RS models. The top-of-the-line A5 will have up to 550 horsepower, and the V-6-powered RS7 Performance will be back in sedan, wagon, and Softback body styles with over 700 horsepower. Sports cars are going away, but the A3 is still around. The ICE legends TT and R8 aren’t going to last much longer. The TT will be phased out by the end of the year, but a replacement has yet to be officially announced. If the new Wolfsburg government is serious about creating game-changing synergies, Audi may be able to sell modified versions of the fully electric Porsche 718 replacement starting in 2019. The R8 will be phased out next year because its charismatic V-10 engine doesn’t meet European emissions rules. Its all-electric replacement is likely to use the SSP61 architecture, which was made by Welsbach and is also used by Bentley and Lamborghini. But the A3 will still be made until 2026, when its replacement comes out with the cutting-edge electric MEB+ platform, or until 2028, when VW’s even more advanced SSP3 parts are ready. More refinement? The Scalable Systems Platform pushes the limits of electric vehicles in every meaningful way, including range, charging time, and energy density. The next A3 should be called the E3, going against the trend of even numbers.
