The Next-Gen Audi A4 Will Be A Radically Different Sedan

1 month, 3 weeks ago - 13 October 2025, CarBuzz

Starting with the 2025 model year, the Audi A5 has effectively replaced the long-running A4 sedan in the compact sedan segment. At the time, the plan was that the even-numbered Audis would become electric models, with odd-numbered ones serving as combustion models.

While Audi has abandoned the naming scheme, it still plans to revive the A4 as an EV, and Autocar got some interesting details about it from the brand's CEO, Gernot Döllner.

It's Going To Be A Long Wait
Perhaps the most interesting thing Autocar learned was that the the electric A4 will use Volkswagen's SSP platform. As we've learned previously, the SSP platform will be the basis for a wide array of VW products, including the electric Golf. Additionally, the A4 will reportedly come out ahead of the Golf, and we thought that might mean a launch in 2027. However, VW has had to delay the Golf, among others. Autocar is estimating a launch in 2028. We're expecting the electric Golf to only reach America in 2030, so the A4 might only get here in 2029.

The SSP platform offers some interesting advantages and possibilities for VW and its brands. Especially interesting is the fact that it will be able to support combustion engines as range extenders. So it's possible the new A4 could have a plug-in hybrid variant, which, considering the slowing adoption of pure EVs, seems more likely than ever. Then again, Audi's EVs had a surprisingly good third-quarter this year.

VW has also said that the SSP has cost advantages over its current MEB and PPE electric platforms (MEB for more entry-level models and PPE for high-end vehicles). SSP models are expected to use software co-developed with Rivian, too. It won't premiere in Audis, though. Instead, the first model to Rivian tech is likely the production version of the VW ID.1, an ultra-affordable sub-compact electric car for Europe. We're hoping that VW will also announce some battery and charging advancements for the SSP platform, but it hasn't released any specifications, yet. We're expecting to learn more sometime next year when product plans solidify further.

Concept C Styling Is Coming
Döllner also told Autocar that the new A4 will be taking styling from the recently revealed Concept C sports car. The concept features extremely simple and clean panels with nary a crease to be found, and so those same features will probably be applied to the A4. The A4 won't be the only model adopting Concept C cues, though. Döllner has previously made it clear that all future Audis will take inspiration from this new halo machine. We're expecting the C to launch first, and it already has a greenlight for production and a factory chosen. With the amount of time between now and the A4, the A4 seems like it could be the second Audi with the new design theme. This is also partly due to much of the Audi line-up having already been updated, such as the A6 E-Tron and Q4 E-Tron, as well as the A5, Q3, and Q5.