Audi is preparing to redefine the compact executive segment once again. According to AutoCar, the brand’s upcoming A4 e-tron will be one of the first production Audis to ride on the Volkswagen Group’s new SSP platform, marking the start of a software-defined era led by a collaboration with Rivian and Massimo Frascella’s fresh “Radical Next” design philosophy previewed by the Concept C at the Munich IAA. Set to arrive around 2028, the A4 e-tron will be a cornerstone of Audi’s ambitious reinvention under CEO Gernot Döllner, described as “the biggest change in the history of the company.”
SSP A CLEAN-SLATE ARCHITECTURE
Unlike the A6 e-tron, which shares the PPE platform with Porsche, the upcoming A4 e-tron will sit atop SSP – Scalable Systems Platform – the unified EV architecture designed to serve everything from Volkswagen’s next Golf all the way up to Bugatti halo models. This means the A4 e-tron won’t share much beneath the skin with today’s electric Audis. The SSP is expected to enable 500-mile ranges, ultra-fast 300 kW charging and four-wheel-drive performance to rival BMW’s upcoming electric 3 Series and Mercedes’ EQC successor.
Döllner told AutoCar that the A4 e-tron will be “a future Audi car on a future platform,” confirming that SSP will underpin this critical model as Audi rebuilds its lineup for the EV era. Production timing aligns with the Group’s 2028 SSP rollout, placing the A4 e-tron at the leading edge of Audi’s second-generation electric portfolio.
THE RIVIAN CONNECTION A SOFTWARE REVOLUTION
Perhaps most transformative is what lies beneath the digital skin. Audi will be the first Volkswagen Group brand to fully integrate Rivian’s software stack – a product of the Rivian-Volkswagen joint venture formed earlier in 2025. Döllner confirmed that the A4 e-tron is a leading candidate among the first two models to debut the new software-defined architecture.
Rivian’s influence will manifest through centralized computing, zonal control units, and leaner development processes. This shift promises over-the-air functionality, reduced complexity, and faster iteration cycles – allowing Audi to refine and expand features long after the car leaves the factory. Döllner called it “a complete rethink of how we develop cars,” combining flexibility and efficiency in a way that mirrors Audi’s design clarity mantra.
DESIGN CONCEPT C’S “RADICAL NEXT” FOR THE ROAD
Stylistically, the A4 e-tron will represent the production debut of Audi’s “Radical Next” or “Clarity” design language first seen on the Concept C. Expect a rectangular, vertically-oriented grille, slimline lighting signatures, and a monolithic, aerodynamic form – a clear departure from the softer surfacing of the current A5. The car’s proportions will channel the Concept C’s taut, athletic stance, merging coupe-like grace with Avant practicality.
Inside, Audi will strike a balance between tactile and digital. “Customers want specific functions and direct access,” Döllner said, noting a return to physical controls with “the real metal feeling, the ‘Audi click’,” underpinned by a central computing core. The result promises a blend of emotional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology – the essence of modern Audi.
A FUTURE RS 4 E-TRON?
While Audi hasn’t confirmed any RS derivatives and appears to have pushed back on affixing the RS badge to the RS 6 e-tron that had been under development, the RS 4 name carries immense weight within the brand’s performance lineage – from the B5 Avant to today’s twin-turbo V8 B9.5. Given the modular power potential of the SSP platform, it seems almost inevitable that an RS 4 e-tron will follow, pairing electric torque with a future take on quattro composure. Whether traditionalists will embrace an electric RS 4 remains an open question, but a handsome, fast, and technically advanced successor feels like destiny.
To explore the possibilities, I created a speculative visual concept via my @4rings.ai Instagram project, imagining a sporting A4 Avant-like silhouette with more aggressive RS flavor – a digital glimpse of where Audi performance might be headed.
Using the latest AI tools at my disposal, the car in these exclusive photos looks remarkable realistic in a Nogaro-like blue and set on the streets of Münich. Though we really don’t know how Massimo Frascella and his talented team of designers will expand upon the “Radical Next” language they’ve set into motion, these images give us some early clues of what we might expect and how that very distinctive new Audi face might appear on cars other than a coupé like Concept C.
THE START OF AUDI’S NEXT CHAPTER
For Döllner, 2025 has been “tougher than expected,” with global EV demand softening and tariffs reshaping markets. Yet the A4 e-tron represents hope: a clean-sheet EV that consolidates Audi’s technological ambition and design vision. As the brand readies its completed model line-up by 2026, the A4 e-tron’s 2028 debut will symbolize Audi’s next leap – a blend of innovation, emotion and clarity designed to restore its place at the forefront of the premium segment.
With SSP architecture, Rivian-powered software, and Concept C’s streamlined design, the upcoming Audi A4 e-tron marks the dawn of a new era in a number of ways – and perhaps, an electric future for the RS 4 legend.
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