Audi introduced the facelifted A4 earlier this year, but details are already starting to emerge about the next-generation model.
According to Automobile Magazine, the redesigned car is codenamed the B10 and is expected to arrive in 2022 or 2023.
That isn’t too surprising, as the current model was introduced at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, but the report claims Audi flirted with the idea of a bargain basement redesign. In the wake of the costly dieselgate scandal, the automaker was reportedly looking for ways to cut costs and explored basing the next-generation A4 on the MQB platform that underpins an assortment of models such as the Volkswagen Golf.
The switch would have saved the company over a $1 billion (£822 / €892 million), but Audi insiders reportedly fought to keep the model on the MLB platform. They eventually won out and it appears this was for the best as one source told the publication the MQB-based design proposals simply “looked okay” as they had proportions that were “clearly those of front-wheel-drive cars with a dash-to-axle ratio similar to the A3.”
The MLB-based proposals were significantly better looking and reportedly received a standing ovation. The resulting car supposedly looks like a “shorter and sportier A6.”
Little else is known about the upcoming A4, but it appears the company shifted cost cuts elsewhere. Audi has already confirmed the TT will be dropped and replaced by a “new emotive model in the same price range,” but that appears to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Also Read: Audi Is Killing The TT, Will Replace It With An Emotional EV
While nothing is official, the publication suggests the A3 and A5 Convertibles will be merged together and the resulting vehicle will be based on the MQB platform. It could also spawn “various iterations of a compact coupe.”
Likewise, the A5 and A7 Sportback are rumored to be replaced by a single five-door hatchback. However, it would be based on the MLB platform.
The A8 is also rumored to be in jeopardy, but it could survive by becoming more closely aligned with the Porsche Panamera. That being said, the company appears to be favoring replacing the model with an all-new A9 flagship which would reportedly spawn a “Q9 e-tron grand coupe.”
