No, wait… We need to change that headline: ‘Audi names are still hard to follow: Audi E-Tron becomes Q8 E-Tron’. Because we still don’t understand the power ratings that Audi has been using for a few years – 35, 40, 45, 50, et cetera. But that the electric E-Tron will soon become Q8 E-Tron is very strange. This is why …
The Audi E-Tron has been on the market for four years (where does the time go?) and will soon receive a facelift. At the same time, Audi changes the name of its electric SUV to Q8 E-Tron. Just E-Tron is no longer possible now that more and more Audi models are coming with a plug (Q4 E-Tron, Q4 E-Tron Sportback, E-Tron GT, the upcoming Q6 E-Tron).
Mercedes also encounters name problems
Mercedes is encountering the same problem with the EQC, which will be called EQC SUV in the near future. This is to distinguish it from the future electric C-class with the name EQC. After all, there are already electrical alternatives to the E-class and S-class: the EQE and EQS.
Audi E-Tron gets crazy enough Audi Q8 E-Tron
Anyway, the Audi E-Tron will be the Q8 E-Tron, according to the German newspaper Automobilwoche. And that’s crazy. Because in terms of dimensions, the model does not belong in the segment of the Audi Q8 at all. The ‘more sporty’ Q7 is 5 meters long and 2 meters wide. An E-Tron is 10 centimeters shorter and narrower. Audi Q6 E-Tron would have been a better designation, but yes … that model is also coming.
Electric additions will probably disappear
It is difficult for car manufacturers to adapt their names to the increasing electrification. Now all plug models still have names such as E-Tron, EQ, i, Ioniq, EV and so on. If in a few years all new cars are electric, that will no longer be necessary, of course.
Audi uses crazy system with power indications
The application of hybrid technology and fully electric powertrains has led brands to look for new methods of indicating power variants. Additions to the model name such as 1.8, 2.0 and 3.0 (the content of the engine) say little more. That is why Audi has opted for an unclear system with double digits: 35, 40, 45, et cetera.