Audi secures Q2 and Q4 badges from Alfa Romeo

The Audi SUV stampede can continue as FCA negotiations finally conclude

Only last week we brought you news of the Audi H Tron concept from Detroit, a hydrogen crossover that most probably previewed a BMW X4 rival or something similar. Following Audi naming logic, that car would be a Q4. Except it couldn't be, because Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had ownership of the Q2 and Q4 badges.

But not any longer, it would seem. One of the stories emerging from Detroit after the press days is the news that Audi's ongoing negotiations with FCA have concluded and the former now has the Q2 and Q4 trademarks. Specifics of the deal have not been discussed, but Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has said that no money has been exchanged. It has been suggested that Audi may have swapped trademarks with FCA. Answers on a postcard for that one please, as it seems a little strange...

As a reminder, the Q4 badge was used on the all-wheel drive versions of the Alfa Romeo 159 and, more recently, the Maserati Ghibli. The Q2 tag was used for those front-wheel drive Alfas with the limited-slip diff but is still also standard on the 4C, described as a "differential control system."

As for the Audis, they will slot into the ever swelling SUV range as it moves towards a full lockout of Q1 to Q9 and presumably world domination soon after. So rapid is the turnaround these days that a Q2 could well appear at Geneva ahead of a launch this year.