Mid-size

8 generations

1994 → 2024

Audi A4 – Technical Specs & Performance Data

Q: How many generations of the Audi A4 are there?

The Automobilisto catalogue documents eight A4 generations (counting facelifts) from 1994 to the present, from the original Typ 8D to the current 8W. In enthusiast shorthand these map to the B5 through B9 chassis codes.

Q: What body styles has the Audi A4 been available in?

Saloon and Avant (estate) across every generation, plus a cabriolet (Typ 8H) during the 2000s. The current 8W generation is offered as saloon and Avant only.

Q: What replaced the Audi 80?

The A4 replaced the Audi 80 (B4) in 1994 and has been Audi's mid-size (D-segment) model ever since.

Q: What engines does the Audi A4 use?

Across the catalogued variants the A4 spans roughly 75 to 333 PS, on petrol, diesel and LPG. Diesel took a growing share of the European range from the 8K generation onward.

The Audi A4 has anchored the brand's mid-size (D-segment) line since 1994, when it replaced the Audi 80. Across the generations catalogued here — from the Typ 8D through the current 8W — it ran as a saloon and Avant estate, with a cabriolet added in the 2000s. The Automobilisto database documents 542 variants spanning roughly 75 to 333 PS on petrol, diesel and LPG.

Discontinued 2024Updated 2026-07-30542 variants documented124 archive brochures

2019 - 2024

5 generation, restyling

2015 - 2019

5 generation

2011 - 2015

4 generation, restyling

2007 - 2012

4 generation

2004 - 2009

3 generation

2000 - 2006

2 generation

1996 - 1999

1 generation, restyling

1994 - 1996

1 generation

Curated by Artyom Semenov · Technical review by Yauheni Kapliarchuk

Last technical audit 2026-07-30 · two-source verified against Audi Tradition, Wikidata and the Automobilisto catalogue.

First year1994

Final year2024

Generations8

Final chassis8W

Body types3Estate 5-door · Sedan · Cabrio

Starting UVP€33,24035 TFSI base

Generation picker

Open any chassis code for its dedicated generation reference

Current5 generation, restyling 2019 — 2024

Estate 5-doorSedan

8W facelift (2019-present). The current A4 in the database; mild-hybrid assistance on the six-cylinder cars, saloon and Avant continuing as the core pairing.

Variants2

5 generation 2015 — 2019

Estate 5-doorSedan

Fifth generation (Typ 8W, B9, 2015-2019). All-digital Virtual Cockpit era; saloon (8W2) and Avant (8W5) only, cabriolet dropped from the line.

Variants2

4 generation, restyling 2011 — 2015

Estate 5-doorSedan

8K facelift (2011-2015). Revised styling and engines, MHEV not yet standard; the high-water mark for diesel variant count in the catalogue.

Variants2

4 generation 2007 — 2012

SedanEstate 5-door

Fourth generation (Typ 8K, B8, 2007-2012). Longer wheelbase on the new platform; saloon (8K2) and Avant (8K5), with diesel taking a growing share of the range.

Variants2

3 generation 2004 — 2009

SedanCabrioEstate 5-door

Third generation (8E facelift / 8H cabriolet, B7, 2004-2009). Single-frame grille era; saloon, Avant and cabriolet run in parallel, the widest body spread in the model's history.

Variants3

2 generation 2000 — 2006

CabrioSedanEstate 5-door

Second generation (Typ 8E, B6, 2000-2006). Broader range and the first A4 Cabriolet (8H) joins saloon and Avant; the catalogue swells to over ninety documented variants.

Variants3

1 generation, restyling 1996 — 1999

SedanEstate 5-door

8D facelift (1996-1999). Same 8D2/8D5 bodies, revised engines and equipment; the last of the first-generation cars before the 8E redesign.

Variants2

1 generation 1994 — 1996

Estate 5-doorSedan

The original A4 (Typ 8D, the enthusiast B5). Replaced the Audi 80 in 1994 as saloon (8D2) and Avant (8D5); introduced the longitudinal layout and optional quattro that would define the line.

Variants2

Audi A4

2019 - 2024

5 generation, restyling

8W5, Estate 5-door

8W2, Sedan

2015 - 2019

5 generation

8W5, Estate 5-door

8W2, Sedan

2011 - 2015

4 generation, restyling

8K5, Estate 5-door

8K2, Sedan

2007 - 2012

4 generation

8K2, Sedan

8K5, Estate 5-door

2004 - 2009

3 generation

8EC, Sedan

8H7, Cabrio

8ED, Estate 5-door

2000 - 2006

2 generation

8H7, Cabrio

8EC, Sedan

8E5, Estate 5-door

1996 - 1999

1 generation, restyling

8D2, Sedan

Audi A4 1 generation, restyling Estate 5-door

8D5, Estate 5-door

1994 - 1996

1 generation

8D5, Estate 5-door

8D2, Sedan

Full powertrain matrix (8W, 2024)

Every engine × drivetrain combination currently available in the German market

Loading variants…

Generation lineage

Each generation at a glance, oldest to newest

8D51 gen.1994 — 19962 variants

8D21 gen. rest.1996 — 19992 variants

8H72 gen.2000 — 20063 variants

8EC3 gen.2004 — 20093 variants

8K24 gen.2007 — 20122 variants

8K54 gen. rest.2011 — 20152 variants

8W55 gen.2015 — 20192 variants

8W55 gen. rest.2019 — 20242 variants

How the model evolved

Read across its generations, the A4's story is one of steady technical consolidation rather than reinvention. The 8D established the template: a longitudinal front-engine layout, optional quattro, and a body-and-estate pairing that would never change. The 8E and its facelift widened the range — this is where the cabriolet appears in the catalogue and where the line-up swells past ninety documented variants. With the 8K the platform grew and the powertrain mix shifted toward direct injection and, later, diesel dominance in European fleets. The current 8W concentrates the whole arc: what were once flagship options — adaptive damping, the all-digital cockpit, mild-hybrid assistance on the six-cylinder cars — became ordinary equipment. The curator's read: the A4 rarely led on headline power, but each generation quietly folded the previous one's extras into the standard car, which is why even a base example today carries kit that was optional a decade earlier.

Market context

In Germany the A4 is a KBA-registration staple and a fixture of the company-car (Dienstwagen) market, where the diesel Avant long dominated fleet orders. Residual values track closely with quattro and trim level. The saloon and Avant remain the core body styles; the earlier cabriolet is now a used-market niche.

124 original brochures are preserved in the Automobilisto archive.

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Audi A4

1994 → 2024

5 generation, restyling

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Frequently asked questions about A4

The Automobilisto catalogue documents eight A4 generations (counting facelifts) from 1994 to the present, from the original Typ 8D to the current 8W. In enthusiast shorthand these map to the B5 through B9 chassis codes.

Saloon and Avant (estate) across every generation, plus a cabriolet (Typ 8H) during the 2000s. The current 8W generation is offered as saloon and Avant only.

The A4 replaced the Audi 80 (B4) in 1994 and has been Audi's mid-size (D-segment) model ever since.

Across the catalogued variants the A4 spans roughly 75 to 333 PS, on petrol, diesel and LPG. Diesel took a growing share of the European range from the 8K generation onward.