Over the previous decade, Audi developed a nasty habit of putting fake exhaust tips on some of its models. The diesel S5 sold in Europe was probably the worst offender, but the SQ5 and S6 were just as bad. Thankfully, the faux pipes are a thing of the past as Audi has pledged to get rid of the controversial setup.
Speaking with Auto Express magazine, an Audi spokesperson promised future cars on the new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) architecture will utilize "hot tailpipes; functional tailpipes." The good news follows "customer feedback," which is a polite way of saying people despised the fakery. Us included. The new A5 Sedan (it's actually a liftback) and A5 Avant lead the way, together with their performance S5 derivatives.
In case you haven't noticed, more and more cars have exhaust tips tucked away underneath the bumper. Audi wants to show them off in its new PPC-based cars. It remains to be seen whether smaller vehicles on the MQB platform will follow suit. If the German luxury brand wants to have a cohesive design across the lineup, the cheaper vehicles should also have a real setup.
Several other PPC-based models are on the way, including the Q5, A7, and Q7. All three are likely to receive the S treatment and will do without the gaudy fake exhaust tips. A bigger three-row SUV tentatively known as the Q9 is coming as a belated answer to the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS. It's unclear whether the A8 will get a next generation with combustion engines. If so, it'll be rebadged as the A9.
The Ingolstadt-based brand is updating its nomenclature by moving all combustion cars to odd numbers and EVs to even numbers. That's why the old A4 has made way for the new A5. The next-generation A6 with gasoline and diesel engines will become the A7. That'll allow Audi to launch a fully electric A6, with a smaller A4 sans combustion engines to arrive later this decade, probably after the big-boy A8 EV.
Real exhaust tips won't be around for much longer. Unless there has been a change of plans, Audi still intends to go purely electric by 2033. Production of ICE cars could continue for a while in China depending on local demand.
