Audi
Company type | Subsidiary (AG) |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive |
Predecessors | |
Founded |
|
Founder | |
Website | audi.com |
Footnotes / references Audi History: Chronicle,[7] 2011 Annual Financial Report[8] |
Audi AG (German: , Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
The origins of the company are complex, dating back to the early 20th century and the initial enterprises (
The company name is based on the Latin translation of the surname of the founder, August Horch. Horch, meaning "listen", becomes audi in Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create Audi's predecessor company, Auto Union. Audi's slogan is Vorsprung durch Technik, which is translated as "Progress through Technology".[10] Audi, along with German brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz, is among the best-selling luxury automobile brands in the world.[11]
History
Birth of the company and its name
On 14 November 1899, August Horch (1868–1951) established the company A. Horch & Cie. in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne. In 1902, he moved with his company to Reichenbach im Vogtland. On 10 May 1904, he founded the August Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG, a joint-stock company in Zwickau (State of Saxony).
After troubles with Horch chief financial officer, August Horch left Motorwagenwerke and founded in Zwickau on 16 July 1909, his second company, the August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH. His former partners sued him for trademark infringement. The German Reichsgericht (Supreme Court) in Leipzig,[13] eventually determined that the Horch brand belonged to his former company.[14]
Since August Horch was prohibited from using "Horch" as a trade name in his new car business, he called a meeting with close business friends, Paul and Franz Fikentscher from Zwickau. At the apartment of Franz Fikentscher, they discussed how to come up with a new name for the company. During this meeting, Franz's son was quietly studying Latin in a corner of the room. Several times he looked like he was on the verge of saying something but would just swallow his words and continue working, until he finally blurted out, "Father – audiatur et altera pars... wouldn't it be a good idea to call it audi instead of horch?"[15] "Horch!" in German means "Hark!" or "hear", which is "Audi" in the singular imperative form of "audire" – "to listen" – in Latin. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by everyone attending the meeting.[16] On 25 April 1910 the Audi Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau (from 1915 on Audiwerke AG Zwickau) was entered in the company's register of Zwickau registration court.
The first Audi automobile, the Audi Type A 10/22 hp (16 kW) Sport-Phaeton, was produced in the same year,[17] followed by the successor Type B 10/28PS in the same year.[18]
Audi started with a 2,612 cc
August Horch left the Audiwerke in 1920 for a high position at the ministry of transport, but he was still involved with Audi as a member of the board of trustees. In September 1921, Audi became the first German car manufacturer to present a production car, the Audi Type K, with left-handed drive.[20] Left-hand drive spread and established dominance during the 1920s because it provided a better view of oncoming traffic, making overtaking safer[20] when driving on the right.
The merger of the four companies under the logo of four rings
In August 1928,
In 1932, Audi merged with
Before World War II, Auto Union used the four interlinked rings that make up the Audi badge today, representing these four brands. However, this badge was used only on Auto Union racing cars in that period while the member companies used their own names and emblems. The technological development became more and more concentrated and some Audi models were propelled by Horch- or Wanderer-built engines.
Reflecting the economic pressures of the time, Auto Union concentrated increasingly on smaller cars through the 1930s, so that by 1938 the company's DKW brand accounted for 17.9% of the German car market, while Audi held only 0.1%. After the final few Audis were delivered in 1939 the "Audi" name disappeared completely from the new car market for more than two decades.
Post-World War II
Like most German manufacturing, at the onset of World War II the Auto Union plants were retooled for military production, and were a target for allied bombing during the war which left them damaged.
Overrun by the Soviet Army in 1945, on the orders of the Soviet Union military administration the factories were dismantled as part of war reparations.[22] Following this, the company's entire assets were expropriated without compensation.[22] On 17 August 1948, Auto Union AG of Chemnitz was deleted from the commercial register.[21] These actions had the effect of liquidating Germany's Auto Union AG. The remains of the Audi plant of Zwickau became the VEB (for "People Owned Enterprise") Automobilwerk Zwickau [de] or AWZ (in English: Automobile Works Zwickau).
With no prospect of continuing production in Soviet-controlled East Germany, Auto Union executives began the process of relocating what was left of the company to West Germany. A site was chosen in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, to start a spare parts operation in late 1945, which would eventually serve as the headquarters of the reformed Auto Union in 1949.
The former Audi factory in Zwickau restarted assembly of the pre-war models in 1949. These DKW models were renamed to
New Auto Union unit
A new West German headquartered Auto Union was launched in Ingolstadt with loans from the Bavarian state government and Marshall Plan aid.[22] The reformed company was launched 3 September 1949 and continued DKW's tradition of producing front-wheel drive vehicles with two-stroke engines.[22] This included production of a small but sturdy 125 cc motorcycle and a DKW delivery van, the DKW F89 L at Ingolstadt. The Ingolstadt site was large, consisting of an extensive complex of formerly military buildings which was suitable for administration as well as vehicle warehousing and distribution, but at this stage there was at Ingolstadt no dedicated plant suitable for mass production of automobiles: for manufacturing the company's first post-war mass-market passenger car plant capacity in Düsseldorf was rented from Rheinmetall-Borsig. It was only ten years later, after the company had attracted an investor, when funds became available for construction of major car plant at the Ingolstadt head office site.
In 1958, in response to pressure from
In 1964, Volkswagen acquired a 50% holding in the business, which included the new factory in Ingolstadt, the DKW and Audi brands along with the rights to the new engine design which had been funded by Daimler-Benz, who in return retained the dormant Horch trademark and the Düsseldorf factory which became a Mercedes-Benz van assembly plant. Eighteen months later, Volkswagen bought complete control of Ingolstadt, and by 1966 were using the spare capacity of the Ingolstadt plant to assemble an additional 60,000 Volkswagen Beetles per year.[25] Two-stroke engines became less popular during the 1960s as customers were more attracted to the smoother four-stroke engines. In September 1965, the DKW F102 was fitted with a four-stroke engine and a facelift for the car's front and rear. Volkswagen dumped the DKW brand because of its associations with two-stroke technology, and having classified the model internally as the F103, sold it simply as the "Audi". Later developments of the model were named after their horsepower ratings and sold as the Audi 60, 75, 80, and Super 90, selling until 1972. Initially, Volkswagen was hostile to the idea of Auto Union as a standalone entity producing its own models having acquired the company merely to boost its own production capacity through the Ingolstadt assembly plant – to the point where Volkswagen executives ordered that the Auto Union name and flags bearing the four rings were removed from the factory buildings. Then VW chief Heinz Nordhoff explicitly forbade Auto Union from any further product development. Fearing that Volkswagen had no long-term ambition for the Audi brand, Auto Union engineers under the leadership of Ludwig Kraus developed the first Audi 100 in secret, without Nordhoff's knowledge. When presented with a finished prototype, Nordhoff was so impressed he authorised the car for production, which when launched in 1968, went on to be a huge success. With this, the resurrection of the Audi brand was now complete, this being followed by the first generation Audi 80 in 1972, which would in turn provide a template for VW's new front-wheel-drive water-cooled range which debuted from the mid-1970s onward.
In 1969, Auto Union merged with
Modern era
The new merged company was incorporated on 1 January 1969 and was known as Audi NSU Auto Union AG, with its headquarters at NSU's Neckarsulm plant, and saw the emergence of Audi as a separate brand for the first time since the pre-war era. Volkswagen introduced the Audi brand to the United States for the 1970 model year. That same year, the mid-sized car that NSU had been working on, the
After the launch of the
The Audi image at this time was a conservative one, and so, a proposal from chassis engineer
In 1985, with the Auto Union and NSU brands effectively dead, the company's official name was now shortened to simply Audi AG. At the same time the company's headquarters moved back to Ingolstadt and two new wholly owned subsidiaries; Auto Union GmbH and NSU GmbH, were formed to own and manage the historical trademarks and intellectual property of the original constituent companies (the exception being Horch, which had been retained by Daimler-Benz after the VW takeover), and to operate Audi's heritage operations.
In 1986, as the Passat-based
In the early part of the 21st century, Audi set forth on a German racetrack to claim and maintain several world records, such as top speed endurance. This effort was in-line with the company's heritage from the 1930s racing era Silver Arrows.
Through the early 1990s, Audi began to shift its target market upscale to compete against German automakers Mercedes-Benz and BMW. This began with the release of the Audi V8 in 1990. It was essentially a new engine fitted to the Audi 100/200, but with noticeable bodywork differences. Most obvious was the new grille that was now incorporated in the bonnet.
By 1991, Audi had the four-cylinder Audi 80, the 5-cylinder Audi 90 and Audi 100, the turbocharged Audi 200 and the Audi V8. There was also a coupé version of the 80/90 with both four- and five-cylinder engines.
Although the five-cylinder engine was a successful and robust powerplant, it was still a little too different for the target market. With the introduction of an all-new Audi 100 in 1992, Audi introduced a 2.8L
The five-cylinder was soon dropped as a major engine choice; however, a
Audi 5000 unintended acceleration allegations
Sales in the United States fell after a series of recalls from 1982 to 1987 of
A 60 Minutes report aired 23 November 1986,[29] featuring interviews with six people who had sued Audi after reporting unintended acceleration, showing an Audi 5000 ostensibly suffering a problem when the brake pedal was pushed.[30][31] Subsequent investigation revealed that 60 Minutes had engineered the failure – fitting a canister of compressed air on the passenger-side floor, linked via a hose to a hole drilled into the transmission.[29]
Audi contended, prior to findings by outside investigators,[28] that the problems were caused by driver error, specifically pedal misapplication.[28] Subsequently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the majority of unintended acceleration cases, including all the ones that prompted the 60 Minutes report, were caused by driver error such as confusion of pedals.[32] CBS did not acknowledge the test results of involved government agencies, but did acknowledge the similar results of another study.[30]
In a review study published in 2012, NHTSA summarized its past findings about the Audi unintended acceleration problems: "Once an unintended acceleration had begun, in the Audi 5000, due to a failure in the idle-stabilizer system (producing an initial acceleration of 0.3g), pedal misapplication resulting from panic, confusion, or unfamiliarity with the Audi 5000 contributed to the severity of the incident."[33]
This summary is consistent with the conclusions of NHTSA's most technical analysis at the time: "Audi idle-stabilization systems were prone to defects which resulted in excessive idle speeds and brief unanticipated accelerations of up to 0.3g [which is similar in magnitude to an emergency stop in a subway car]. These accelerations could not be the sole cause of [(long-duration) sudden acceleration incidents (SAI)], but might have triggered some SAIs by startling the driver.[34] The defective idle-stabilization system performed a type of electronic throttle control. Significantly: multiple "intermittent malfunctions of the electronic control unit were observed and recorded ... and [were also observed and] reported by Transport Canada."[34]
With a series of recall campaigns, Audi made several modifications; the first adjusted the distance between the brake and accelerator pedal on automatic-transmission models.
Audi's U.S. sales, which had reached 74,061 in 1985, dropped to 12,283 in 1991 and remained level for three years,[27] – with resale values falling dramatically.[35] Audi subsequently offered increased warranty protection[35] and renamed the affected models – with the 5000 becoming the 100 and 200 in 1989[28] – and reached the same sales levels again only by model year 2000.[27]
A 2010 BusinessWeek article – outlining possible parallels between Audi's experience and
Model introductions
In the mid-to-late 1990s, Audi introduced new technologies including the use of aluminium construction. Produced from 1999 to 2005, the Audi A2 was a futuristic super mini, born from the Al2 concept, with many features that helped regain consumer confidence, like the aluminium space frame, which was a first in production car design. In the A2 Audi further expanded their TDI technology through the use of frugal three-cylinder engines. The A2 was extremely aerodynamic and was designed around a wind tunnel. The Audi A2 was criticised for its high price and was never really a sales success but it planted Audi as a cutting-edge manufacturer. The model, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class competitor, sold relatively well in Europe. However, the A2 was discontinued in 2005 and Audi decided not to develop an immediate replacement.
The next major model change came in 1995 when the
The engines available throughout the range were now a 1.4 L, 1.6 L and 1.8 L four-cylinder, 1.8 L four-cylinder turbo, 2.6 L and 2.8 L V6, 2.2 L turbo-charged five-cylinder and the 4.2 L V8 engine. The V6s were replaced by new 2.4 L and 2.8 L 30V V6s in 1998, with marked improvement in power, torque and smoothness. Further engines were added along the way, including a 3.7 L V8 and 6.0 L W12 engine for the A8.
Audi AG today
Audi's sales grew strongly in the 2000s, with deliveries to customers increasing from 653,000 in 2000 to 1,003,000 in 2008. The largest sales increases came from Eastern Europe (+19.3%), Africa (+17.2%) and the Middle East (+58.5%). China in particular has become a key market, representing 108,000 out of 705,000 cars delivered in the first three quarters of 2009. One factor for its popularity in China is that Audis have become the car of choice for purchase by the Chinese government for officials, and purchases by the government are responsible for 20% of its sales in China.[36] As of late 2009, Audi's operating profit of €1.17 billion ($1.85 billion) made it the biggest contributor to parent Volkswagen Group's nine-month operating profit of €1.5 billion, while the other marques in Group such as Bentley and SEAT had suffered considerable losses.[37] May 2011 saw record sales for Audi of America with the new Audi A7 and Audi A3 TDI Clean Diesel.[38] In May 2012, Audi reported a 10% increase in its sales—from 408 units to 480 in the last year alone.[39]
Audi manufactures vehicles in seven plants around the world, some of which are shared with other VW Group marques[40] although many sub-assemblies such as engines and transmissions are manufactured within other Volkswagen Group plants.
Audi's two principal assembly plants in Germany are:
- Ingolstadt, the former Auto Union site originally opened in 1945 and substantially rebuilt by Daimler-Benz in 1962, and acquired by Volkswagen in 1964 (Q2, A3, A4, A5)
- Neckarsulm, the former NSU plant, acquired by Volkswagen in 1969: (A4, A5 (cabrio), A6, A7, A8, R8, and all RS variants) - a satellite plant at nearby Böllinger Höfe produces the e-tron GT
Outside of Germany, Audi produces vehicles at:
- Aurangabad, India, since 2006
- Bratislava, Slovakia, shared with Volkswagen, SEAT, Škoda and Porsche (Q7 and Q8)
- Brussels, Belgium, acquired from Volkswagen in 2007 (e-tron)
- Changchun, China, since 1995
- Győr, Hungary (TT, A3, Q3)
- Jakarta, Indonesia, since 2011
- Martorell, Spain, shared with SEAT and Volkswagen (A1, Q3)
- San José Chiapa, Mexico (2nd gen Q5)
In September 2012, Audi announced the construction of its first North American manufacturing plant in Puebla, Mexico. This plant became operative in 2016 and produces the second generation Q5.[41]
From 2002 up to 2003, Audi headed the Audi Brand Group, a subdivision of the Volkswagen Group's Automotive Division consisting of Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT, which was focused on sporty values, with the marques' product vehicles and performance being under the higher responsibility of the Audi brand.
In January 2014, Audi, along with the Wireless Power Consortium, operated a booth which demonstrated a phone compartment using the Qi open interface standard at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).[42] In May, most of the Audi dealers in the UK falsely claimed that the Audi A7, A8, and R8 were Euro NCAP safety tested, all achieving five out of five stars. In fact none were tested.[43]
In 2015, Audi admitted that at least 2.1 million Audi cars had been involved in the
In November 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency implicated the 3-liter diesel engine versions of the 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and the Q5 as further models that had emissions regulation defeat-device software installed.[49] Thus, these models emitted nitrogen oxide at up to nine times the legal limit when the car detected that it was not hooked up to emissions testing equipment.[50]
In November 2016, Audi expressed an intention to establish an assembly factory in
In February 2020, Volkswagen AG announced that it plans to take over all Audi shares it does not own (totalling 0.36%) via a squeeze-out according to German stock corporation law, thus making Audi a fully owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.[53] This change took effect from 16 November 2020, when Audi became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.[54]
In January 2021, Audi announced that it is planning to sell 1 million vehicles in China in 2023, comparing to 726,000 vehicles in 2020.[55]
Technology
Audi AI
Audi AI is a
Bodyshells
Audi produces 100%
Space Frame
Audi introduced a new series of vehicles in the mid-1990s and continues to pursue new technology and high performance. An all-aluminium car was brought forward by Audi, and in 1994 the
Drivetrains
Layout
For most of its lineup (excluding the A3, A1, and TT models), Audi has not adopted the transverse engine layout which is typically found in economy cars (such as Peugeot and Citroën), since that would limit the type and power of engines that can be installed. To be able to mount powerful engines (such as a V8 engine in the
In all its post Volkswagen-era models, Audi has firmly refused to adopt the traditional rear-wheel drive layout favored by its two archrivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW, favoring either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The majority of Audi's lineup in the United States features all-wheel drive standard on most of its expensive vehicles (only the entry-level trims of the A4 and A6 are available with front-wheel drive), in contrast to Mercedes-Benz and BMW whose lineup treats all-wheel drive as an option. BMW did not offer all-wheel drive on its V8-powered cars (as opposed to crossover SUVs) until the 2010 BMW 7 Series and 2011 BMW 5 Series, while the Audi A8 has had all-wheel drive available/standard since the 1990s. Regarding high-performance variants, Audi S and RS models have always had all-wheel drive, unlike their direct rivals from BMW M and Mercedes-AMG whose cars are rear-wheel drive only (although their performance crossover SUVs are all-wheel drive).
Audi has recently applied the quattro badge to models such as the A3 and TT which do not use the Torsen-based system as in prior years with a mechanical center differential, but with the Haldex Traction electro-mechanical clutch AWD system.
Engines
Prior to the introduction of the Audi 80 and Audi 50 in 1972 and 1974, respectively, Audi had led the development of the EA111 and EA827 inline-four engine families. These new power units underpinned the water-cooled revival of parent company Volkswagen (in the Polo, Golf, Passat and Scirocco), whilst the many derivatives and descendants of these two basic engine designs have appeared in every generation of VW Group vehicles right up to the present day.
In the 1980s, Audi, along with Volvo, was the champion of the inline-five cylinder, 2.1/2.2 L engine as a longer-lasting alternative to more traditional six-cylinder engines. This engine was used not only in production cars but also in their race cars. The 2.1 L inline five-cylinder engine was used as a base for the rally cars in the 1980s, providing well over 400 horsepower (300 kilowatts) after modification. Before 1990, there were engines produced with a displacement between 2.0 L and 2.3 L. This range of engine capacity allowed for both fuel economy and power.
For the ultra-luxury version of its
Fuel Stratified Injection
New models of the A3, A4, A6 and A8 have been introduced, with the ageing 1.8-litre engine now having been replaced by new Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) engines. Nearly every petroleum burning model in the range now incorporates this fuel-saving technology.
Direct-Shift Gearbox
In 2003, Volkswagen introduced the
LED daytime running lights
Beginning in 2005, Audi has implemented white
Since 2010, Audi has also offered the
Multi Media Interface
Starting with the 2003 Audi A8, Audi has used a centralised control interface for its on-board infotainment systems, called Multi Media Interface (MMI). It is essentially a rotating control knob and 'segment' buttons – designed to control all in-car entertainment devices (radio, CD changer, iPod, TV tuner), satellite navigation, heating and ventilation, and other car controls with a screen.
The availability of MMI has gradually filtered down the Audi lineup, and following its introduction on the third generation A3 in 2011, MMI is now available across the entire range. It has been generally well received, as it requires less menu-surfing with its segment buttons around a central knob, along with 'main function' direct access buttons – with shortcuts to the radio or phone functions. The colour screen is mounted on the upright dashboard, and on the A4 (new), A5, A6, A8, and Q7, the controls are mounted horizontally.
Synthetic fuels
Audi has assisted with technology to produce
Logistics
Audi uses scanning gloves for parts registration during assembly, and automatic robots to transfer cars from factory to rail cars.[71]
Models
Current model range
The following tables list Audi production vehicles that are sold as of 2018:
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|
S and RS models
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|
Electric vehicles
Audi is planning an alliance with the Japanese electronics giant Sanyo to develop a pilot hybrid electric project for the Volkswagen Group. The alliance could result in Sanyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future models of the Volkswagen Group.[72] Concept electric vehicles unveiled to date include the Audi A1 Sportback Concept,[73] Audi A4 TDI Concept E,[74] and the fully electric Audi e-tron Concept Supercar.[75]
Self-driving cars
In December 2018, Audi announced to invest 14 billion Euro ($15.9 billion) in e-mobility, self-driving cars.[76]
Production figures
A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | A5 | A6 | A7 | A8 | Q3 | Q5 | Q7 | TT | R8
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998[77] | — | — | 143,974 | 271,152 | — | 174,867 | — | 15,355 | — | — | — | 13,682 | — |
1999[77] | — | — | 143,505 | 252,514 | — | 162,573 | — | 14,636 | — | — | — | 52,579 | — |
2000[78] | — | 32,164 | 136,141 | 231,869 | — | 180,715 | — | 12,894 | — | — | — | 56,776 | — |
2001[79] | — | 49,369 | 131,082 | 308,778 | — | 186,467 | — | 11,708 | — | — | — | 39,349 | — |
2002[80] | — | 37,578 | 125,538 | 360,267 | — | 178,773 | — | 10,942 | — | — | — | 34,711 | — |
2003[81] | — | 27,323 | 159,417 | 353,836 | — | 168,612 | — | 21,748 | — | — | — | 32,337 | — |
2004[82] | — | 19,745 | 181,274 | 345,231 | — | 195,529 | — | 22,429 | — | — | — | 23,605 | — |
2005[83] | — | 10,026 | 224,961 | 337,705 | — | 215,437 | — | 21,515 | — | — | 1,185 | 12,307 | — |
2006[84] | — | — | 231,752 | 341,110 | 487 | 229,021 | — | 22,468 | — | — | 72,169 | 23,675 | 164 |
2007[85] | — | — | 231,117 | 289,806 | 25,549 | 243,842 | — | 22,182 | — | 162 | 77,395 | 56,766 | 4,125 |
2008[86] | — | — | 222,164 | 378,885 | 57,650 | 214,074 | — | 20,140 | — | 20,324 | 59,008 | 41,789 | 5,656 |
2009[87] | — | — | 206,747 | 282,033 | 84,883 | 182,090 | — | 8,599 | — | 105,074 | 27,929 | 22,821 | 2,101 |
2010[88] | 51,937 | — | 198,974 | 306,291 | 111,270 | 211,256 | 8,496 | 22,435 | — | 154,604 | 48,937 | 26,217 | 3,485 |
2011[89] | 117,566 | — | 189,068 | 321,045 | 111,758 | 241,862 | 37,301 | 38,542 | 19,613 | 183,678 | 53,703 | 25,508 | 3,551 |
2012[90] | 123,111 | — | 164,666 | 329,759 | 103,357 | 284,888 | 28,950 | 35,932 | 106,918 | 209,799 | 54,558 | 21,880 | 2,241 |
- Data from 1998 to 2010. Figures for different body types/versions of models have been merged to create overall figures for each model.
Motorsport
Audi has competed in various forms of motorsports. Audi's tradition in motorsport began with their former company Auto Union in the 1930s. In the 1990s, Audi found success in the Touring and Super Touring categories of motor racing after success in circuit racing in North America.
Rallying
In 1980, Audi released the
In 1984, Audi launched the short-wheelbase
In 1987, Walter Röhrl claimed the title for Audi setting a new Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record of 10:47.85 in his Audi S1, which he had retired from the WRC two years earlier. The Audi S1 employed Audi's time-tested inline-five-cylinder turbocharged engine, with the final version generating 441 kW (600 PS; 591 bhp).[93] The engine was mated to a six-speed gearbox and ran on Audi's famous four-wheel drive system. All of Audi's top drivers drove this car; Hannu Mikkola, Stig Blomqvist, Walter Röhrl and Michèle Mouton. This Audi S1 started the range of Audi 'S' cars, which now represents an increased level of sports-performance equipment within the mainstream Audi model range.
In the United States
As Audi moved away from rallying and into circuit racing, they chose to move first into America with the Trans-Am in 1988.
In 1989, Audi moved to
, however as they avoided the two major endurance events (Daytona and Sebring) despite winning on a regular basis, they would lose out on the title.Touring cars
In 1990, having completed their objective to market cars in North America, Audi returned to Europe, turning first to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) series with the Audi V8, and then in 1993, being unwilling to build cars for the new formula, they turned their attention to the fast-growing Super Touring series, which are a series of national championships. Audi first entered in the French Supertourisme and Italian Superturismo. In the following year, Audi would switch to the German Super Tourenwagen Cup (known as STW), and then to British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) the year after that.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), having difficulty regulating the quattro four-wheel drive system, and the impact it had on the competitors, would eventually ban all four-wheel drive cars from competing in the series in 1998,[94] but by then, Audi switched all their works efforts to sports car racing.
By 2000, Audi would still compete in the US with their
In 2004, after years of competing with the TT-R in the revitalised DTM series, with privateer team Abt Racing/Christian Abt taking the 2002 title with Laurent Aïello, Audi returned as a full factory effort to touring car racing by entering two factory-supported Joest Racing A4 DTM cars.
24 Hours of Le Mans
Audi began racing prototype sportscars in 1999, debuting at the Le Mans 24 hour. Two car concepts were developed and raced in their first season - the Audi R8R (open-cockpit 'roadster' prototype) and the Audi R8C (closed-cockpit 'coupé' GT-prototype). The R8R scored a credible podium on its racing debut at Le Mans and was the concept which Audi continued to develop into the 2000 season due to favourable rules for open-cockpit prototypes.
However, most of the competitors (such as BMW, Toyota, Mercedes and Nissan) retired at the end of 1999. The factory-supported Joest Racing team won at Le Mans three times in a row with the Audi R8 (2000–2002), as well as winning every race in the American Le Mans Series in its first year. Audi also sold the car to customer teams such as Champion Racing.
In 2003, two Bentley Speed 8s, with engines designed by Audi, and driven by Joest drivers loaned to the fellow Volkswagen Group company, competed in the GTP class, and finished the race in the top two positions, while the Champion Racing R8 finished third overall, and first in the LMP900 class. Audi returned to the winner's podium at the 2004 race, with the top three finishers all driving R8s: Audi Sport Japan Team Goh finished first, Audi Sport UK Veloqx second, and Champion Racing third.
At the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans, Champion Racing entered two R8s, along with an R8 from the Audi PlayStation Team Oreca. The R8s (which were built to old LMP900 regulations) received a narrower air inlet restrictor, reducing power, and an additional 50 kg (110 lb) of weight compared to the newer LMP1 chassis. On average, the R8s were about 2–3 seconds off pace compared to the Pescarolo–Judd. But with a team of excellent drivers and experience, both Champion R8s were able to take first and third, while the Oreca team took fourth. The Champion team was also the first American team to win Le Mans since the Gulf Ford GTs in 1967. This also ends the long era of the R8; however, its replacement for 2006, called the Audi R10 TDI, was unveiled on 13 December 2005.
The R10
Audi's sports car racing success would continue with the
to claim victory by a margin of 13.8 seconds.Results
Car | Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Position | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | Ret | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 1 | Ret | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
3 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 3 | Ret | 5 | 4 | Ret | 4 | 17 | 1 | Ret | 5 | 3 | Ret | 7 | |||
4 | Ret | Ret | 7 | 2 | 3 |
American Le Mans Series
Audi entered a factory racing team run by
Results
Year | Manufacturer | Chassis | Team | Rd1 | Rd2 | Rd3 | Rd4 | Rd5 | Rd6 | Rd7 | Rd8 | Rd9 | Rd10 | Rd11 | Rd12 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000
|
Audi | R8 | |||||||||||||
Audi Sport North America | 2 | 20 | 3 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 | ||||
2001
|
Audi | R8 | Audi Sport North America | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | Ret | 2 | Ret | Ret | ||
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
2002
|
Audi | R8 | Audi Sport North America | 5 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Ret | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | |||||||
2003
|
Audi | R8 | Audi Sport North America | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
Champion Racing | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
2004
|
Audi | R8 | Audi Sport UK | 1 | |||||||||||
2 | |||||||||||||||
Champion Racing | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
2005
|
Audi | R8 | Champion Racing | 1 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 3 | Ret | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4 | ||
2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
2006
|
Audi | R8 | Audi Sport North America | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
R10
|
Ret | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||
1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
2007
|
Audi | R10
|
Audi Sport North America | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
1 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 3 | |||||
2008
|
Audi | R10
|
Audi Sport North America | 3 | Ret | 2 | Ret | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 | DSQ | 1 | 2 | |
6 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ret | 3 | 1 | |||||
2009
|
Audi | R15
|
Audi Sport North America | 5 | |||||||||||
4 | |||||||||||||||
2010
|
Audi | R15
|
Audi Sport North America | 1 | |||||||||||
3 | |||||||||||||||
2012
|
Audi | R18 | Audi Sport Team Joest | 16 | |||||||||||
1 | |||||||||||||||
2 | |||||||||||||||
2013
|
Audi | R18 | Audi Sport Team Joest | 1 | |||||||||||
2 |
European Le Mans Series
Audi participated in the
Results
Year | Manufacturer | Chassis | Team | Rd1 | Rd2 | Rd3 | Rd4 | Rd5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Audi | R8 | Audi Sport Japan | 1 | ||||
2004 | Audi | R8 | Audi Sport UK | 2 | 1 | 1 | Ret | |
1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |||||
Audi Sport Japan | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | ||||
2005 | Audi | R8 | Team Oreca | Ret | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
2008 | Audi | R10
|
Audi Sport Team Joest | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
2010 | Audi | R15
|
Audi Sport Team Joest | 1 | 3 | Ret | ||
5 | 3 | |||||||
12 |
World Endurance Championship
2012
In 2012, the FIA sanctioned a World Endurance Championship which would be organised by the ACO as a continuation of the ILMC. Audi competed won the first WEC race at Sebring and followed this up with a further three successive wins, including the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi scored a final 5th victory in the 2012 WEC in Bahrain and were able to win the inaugural WEC Manufacturers' Championship.
2013
As defending champions, Audi once again entered the
2014
For the 2014 season, Audi entered a redesigned and upgraded R18 e-tron quattro which featured a 2
Results
Year | Manufacturer | Chassis | SEB |
SPA |
LMS |
SIL |
SÃO |
BHR |
FUJ |
SHA |
Total points |
Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012
|
Audi | R18 e-tron quattro | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 173 (209) | 1st |
Year | Manufacturer | Chassis | SIL |
SPA |
LMS |
SÃO |
COA |
FUJ |
SHA |
BHR |
Total points |
Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013
|
Audi | R18 e-tron quattro | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 207 (207) | 1st |
Year | Manufacturer | Chassis | Car | SIL |
SPA |
LMS |
COA |
FUJ |
SHA |
BHR |
SÃO |
Total points |
Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014
|
Audi | R18 e-tron quattro | 1 | Ret | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 244 | 2nd |
2 | Ret | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Formula E
Audi provide factory support to
Year | Team | Chassis | Driver | BEI |
PUT |
PDE |
BUE |
MIA |
MCO |
BER |
MSC |
LON |
Total points |
Pos. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014–15
|
Audi Sport Abt Formula E Team | Spark-Renault SRT 01E | Daniel Abt | 10 | 10 | 15 | 13† | 3 | 15 | Ret | 14 | 5 | Ret | 11 | 165 | 3rd |
Lucas di Grassi | 1 | 2 | 3 | Ret | 9 | 3 | 2 | DSQ | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Year | Team | Chassis | Driver | BEI |
PUT |
PDE |
BUE |
MEX |
PAR |
BER |
LON |
Total points |
Pos. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015–16
|
Audi Sport Abt Formula E Team | Spark-ABT Schaeffler FE01 | Daniel Abt | 11 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 221 | 2nd |
Lucas di Grassi | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | DSQ | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Ret |
Year | Team | Chassis | Driver | HKG |
MAR |
BUE |
MEX |
MCO |
PAR |
BER |
NYC |
MTL |
Total points |
Pos. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016–17
|
Audi Sport Abt Formula E Team | Spark-ABT Schaeffler FE02 | Daniel Abt | Ret | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 13† | 6 | 4 | 14† | Ret | 4 | 6 | 248 | 2nd |
Lucas di Grassi | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
Year | Team | Chassis | Driver | HKG |
MAR |
SAN |
MEX |
PDE |
ROM |
PAR |
BER |
ZRH |
NYC |
Total points |
Pos. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18
|
Audi Sport Abt Formula E Team | Spark-Audi e-tron FE04 | Daniel Abt | 6 | DSQ | 10 | Ret | 1 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 264 | 1st |
Lucas di Grassi | 17 | 14 | Ret | Ret | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Formula One
Audi has been linked to Formula One in recent years but has always resisted due to the company's opinion that it is not relevant to road cars, but hybrid power unit technology has been adopted into the sport, swaying the company's view and encouraging research into the program by former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali.
Audi announced in August 2022 that it would enter the Championship as an engine manufacturer in
Current factory drivers
Marketing
Branding
The Audi emblem is four overlapping rings that represent the four
The original "Audi" script, with the distinctive slanted tails on the "A" and "d" was created for the historic Audi company in 1920 by the famous graphic designer Lucian Bernhard, and was resurrected when Volkswagen revived the brand in 1965. Following the demise of NSU in 1977, less prominence was given to the four rings, in preference to the "Audi" script encased within a black (later red) ellipse, and was commonly displayed next to the Volkswagen roundel when the two brands shared a dealer network under the V.A.G banner. The ellipse (known as the Audi Oval) was phased out after 1994, when Audi formed its own independent dealer network, and prominence was given back to the four rings – at the same time Audi Sans (a derivative of Univers) was adopted as the font for all marketing materials, corporate communications and was also used in the vehicles themselves.
As part of Audi's centennial celebration in 2009, the company updated the logo, changing the font to left-aligned Audi Type, and altering the shading for the overlapping rings.[110] The revised logo was designed by Rayan Abdullah.[111]
Audi developed a Corporate Sound concept, with Audi Sound Studio designed for producing the Corporate Sound.[112] The Corporate Sound project began with sound agency Klangerfinder GmbH & Co KG and s12 GmbH. Audio samples were created in Klangerfinder's sound studio in Stuttgart, becoming part of Audi Sound Studio collection. Other Audi Sound Studio components include The Brand Music Pool, The Brand Voice.[113] Audi also developed Sound Branding Toolkit including certain instruments, sound themes, rhythm and car sounds which all are supposed to reflect the AUDI sound character.[114]
Audi started using a beating heart sound trademark beginning in 1996. An updated heartbeat sound logo, developed by agencies KLANGERFINDER GmbH & Co KG of Stuttgart and S12 GmbH of Munich, was first used in 2010 in an Audi A8 commercial with the slogan The Art of Progress.[115][116]
Slogans
Audi's corporate
Vorsprung durch Technik was first used in English-language advertising after Sir John Hegarty of the Bartle Bogle Hegarty advertising agency visited the Audi factory in 1982.[121] In the original British television commercials, the phrase was voiced by Geoffrey Palmer.[121] After its repeated use in advertising campaigns, the phrase found its way into popular culture, including the British comedy Only Fools and Horses, the U2 song "Zooropa"[122] and the Blur song "Parklife". Similar-sounding phrases have also been used, including as the punchline for a joke in the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and in the British TV series Peep Show.
Typography
Audi Sans (based on Univers Extended) was originally created in 1997 by Ole Schäfer for MetaDesign. MetaDesign was later commissioned for a new corporate typeface called Audi Type, designed by Paul van der Laan and Pieter van Rosmalen of Bold Monday. The font began to appear in Audi's 2009 products and marketing materials.[123]
Sponsorships
Audi is a strong partner of different kinds of sports. In
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Since the start of the
Multitronic campaign
In 2001, Audi promoted the new
Audi TDI
As part of Audi's attempt to promote its Diesel technology in 2009, the company began Audi Mileage Marathon. The driving tour featured a fleet of 23 Audi TDI vehicles from 4 models (Audi Q7 3.0 TDI, Audi Q5 3.0 TDI, Audi A4 3.0 TDI, Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI with S tronic transmission) travelling across the American continent from New York to Los Angeles, passing major cities like Chicago, Dallas and Las Vegas during the 13 daily stages, as well as natural wonders including the Rocky Mountains, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon.[137]
Audi e-tron
The next phase of technology Audi is developing is the
It is all set to be displayed at the Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi, India, from 5 January. It is powered by a 1.4 litre engine, and can cover a distance up to 54 km on a single charge. The e-tron was also shown in the 2013 blockbuster film Iron Man 3 and was driven by Tony Stark (Iron Man).
Lawsuit on the use of the letter Q
In early 2005, Nissan North America Inc. filed a lawsuit against Audi over the use of the letter "Q" as a model name.[138]
Audi is using the "Q" for the designation of their quattro
).A settlement between Audi AG and Nissan was reached in late 2006. The agreement stipulates that Audi will only use the Q-prefix for three models, the Q3, Q5 and the Q7. Audi has since released other Q series cars as well, such as the Q2, Q6, and Q8.
In video games
Audi has supported the European version of PlayStation Home, the PlayStation 3's online community-based service, by releasing a dedicated Home space. Audi is the first carmaker to develop such a space for Home. On 17 December 2009, Audi released two spaces; the Audi Home Terminal and the Audi Vertical Run.[139] The Audi Home Terminal features an Audi TV channel delivering video content, an Internet Browser feature, and a view of a city. The Audi Vertical Run is where users can access the mini-game Vertical Run, a futuristic mini-game featuring Audi's e-tron concept. Players collect energy and race for the highest possible speeds and the fastest players earn a place in the Audi apartments located in a large tower in the centre of the Audi Space. In both the Home Terminal and Vertical Run spaces, there are teleports where users can teleport back and forth between the two spaces. Audi had stated that additional content would be added in 2010.[needs update][140] On 31 March 2015 Sony shutdown the PlayStation Home service rendering all content for it inaccessible.[141]
See also
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References
- Clarke, R.M., ed. (1986). On Audi & Auto Union 1952-1980. ISBN 0948207876.
- ——————, ed. (1986). On Audi & Auto Union 1980-1986. ISBN 0948207884.
- ISBN 3613021706.