Audi previews next-generation A5, announces new A6 E-Tron and Q5

Audi will launch 20 new models in 2024 and 2025, and it’s shedding light on three of them. The next-generation A5, the electric A6 E-Tron, and the third generation of the popular Q5 will break cover in the coming months and possibly inaugurate a new naming system.

The company refers to the next A5 as a model family. That’s always been the case, the current-generation A5 range included a coupe, a convertible, and a four-door Sportback model — until recently — but the lineup might get bigger this time around. Audi will restructure its naming system in the near future, according to a recent report, so odd-numbered nameplates (like A6) will denote electric cars and even-numbered nameplates (like A5) will designate gasoline-powered models. That means the A4’s successor will ditch the A4 nameplate. Nothing is official yet, but we’d be surprised if it becomes the next A3. We also have a difficult time imagining the sedan morphing into the next-generation A7.

Could the next A4 become the new A5? Time will tell. Until then, a preview picture published by the brand shows the back end of what’s either a station wagon or a crossover. It features a distinctive-looking light bar, a roof-mounted spoiler, and a sharply-creased hatch. As the name reportedly suggests, the model won’t be electric: It’s “the beginning of the next generation of combustion engines,” Audi says. We won’t have to wait long to find out more: Whether it’s the first A5 Avant or something else, the model will make its official debut next Tuesday, July 16.

Audi will unveil the electric A6 E-Tron in late July, so a few weeks after the next A5. We haven’t seen it yet, but we know it will be offered as both a Sportback and an Avant-branded wagon, though the latter might not make its way to the American market. If you’re wondering what it will look like, look no further than the A6 E-Tron concept unveiled in 2021. “[This concept is] very close to production; we’ll keep about 95%,” Audi designer Wolf Seebers told Autoblog three years ago. “The 5% that we’ll change are the door handles, for example,” he added.

What the future holds for the current gasoline-burning A6 isn’t clear. Audi might choose to keep it around for a little while longer, much like Porsche is selling the original Macan next to its electric successor, or the brand could decide to replace it with a new model. If it does, and if the rumors detailing a revamped naming system are accurate, the next generation of the gasoline-burning model won’t be called A6.

Audi will then take a break until the fall, when it presents the third-generation Q5. Details about the model aren’t available; all we know is that the range will include a hybrid model. Regardless of what it looks like and what it’s powered by, the next Q5 will be a hugely important car for the brand. Audi of America sold 228,550 cars in 2023, a 22.3% increase over 2022, and the Q5 was its best-seller by a significant margin.

More details about the upcoming additions to the Audi range will emerge in the coming weeks.