Audi A4 e-tron

The A4 Name Returns on Electric Power

Audi's next A4 is being developed as an electric car, bringing a familiar badge back after the combustion A4 ended production in 2024 and the A5 took its place. The A4 e-tron is planned in saloon and Avant forms, with styling influenced by Audi's Concept C. Its significance goes beyond a new body style: it is meant to be among the first Audis built on Volkswagen Group's next-generation Scalable Systems Platform.

A Platform Change Reaches the Whole Car

SSP has taken longer than Volkswagen originally planned. A switch in the platform's onboard electrical system from 12 volts to 48 volts after development was underway has affected engineering work across the group and its suppliers. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner now puts the A4 e-tron's production start no earlier than March 2029, roughly nine months after the previous mid-2028 target. The revised timing concerns production, so it does not yet establish a showroom date.

Why This Audi Matters

SSP is intended to follow the MEB and PPE architectures Audi already uses for electric vehicles, but no SSP car has entered production yet. That makes the A4 e-tron an important test of both the new platform and Audi's plan for an electric mid-size saloon and wagon. For drivers drawn to the A4's size and shape, the Avant option is especially worth watching as the project moves closer to a finished car.