Audi
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Audi From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Audi AG
[1]
Audi head office in in Ingolstadt
Type
Public,, Aktiengesellschaft Public
Traded Trad ed as
FWB:: NSU FWB NSU
Industry
Autooti!e
Founded
"henit# "henit#,, $e%an& '() *une 1)+( -( &ea%s ago.[(]
Founder
Augus t /o%ch [(]
Headquarters
Ingolstadt,, $e%an& Ingolstadt
Number of locations
11 0%oduction facilities in ) count%ies[+]
Area served
Wo%ldide
Key people 2u0e%t Stadle% , "hai%an of the Boa%d of 3anageent
3a%c 4ichte, /ead of 5esign
Ul%ich /ackenbe%g, /ackenbe%g, /ead of 6echnical 5e!elo0ent
4u7u%& ca%s
Products Production output
1,891,1 units '(19 '(19..[9]
[=][>] ;9-<881 billion ;9-<881 billion '(1(. '(1(. [=][>]
Revenue Operatin income
;=<+- billion ;=<+- billion '(1( '(1(..[>]
;9<+=+ billion ;9<+=+ billion '(1( '(1(..[8]
Profit
;1><-+( billion ;1><-+( billion '().
Total assets
Total equity
;+<9=1 billion ;+<9=1 billion '().
O!ner
$%ou0 '))<==@ '))<==@..[-] ?olksagen $%ou0
Number of employees
>-,-9 '(1( '(1(..[>]
"ivisions Audi et%on
Audi India
#ubsidiaries Audi B%ussels
Audi /unga%ia 3oto% ft<
5ucati
Italdesign $iugia%o
4abo%ghini
Cuatt%o $b/
audi<co
$ebsite
Footnotes % references Audi /isto%&: "h%onicle, "h%onicle,[)] (11 Annual Financial 2e0o% t[1]
Audi AG (pronounced [ˈʔaʊ [ˈʔaʊ diː diː ʔaːˈgeː] ( listen)) is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes luxury automobiles Audi o!ersees "orld"ide [1]
operations from its head#uarters in $ngolstadt $ngolstadt,, %a!aria %a!aria,, Germany &udi'branded !ehicles are produced in nine production facilities "orld"ide &udi has been a maority o"ned (**+) (**+) subsidiary of olks"agen Group since Group since 1--, follo"ing a [11]
phased purchase of &udi predecessor, &uto /nion, /nion from 0aimler'%en 0aimler'%en relaunched the &udi brand&G.s "ithpredecessor, &uto the 1-* introduction of ,the &udi the &udi F123 series olks"agen F123
4he company name is based on the 5atin 5atin translation translation of the surname of the founder, founder, &ugust &ugust 6orch 6orch 76orch7, meaning 7listen7 inGerman inGerman,, becomes 7audi7 in 5atin 4he four rings of the &udi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create &udi.s predecessor company, &uto /nion &udi.s &udi.s slogan is orsprung durch 4echnik, 4echnik, meaning 7&d!ancement through 4echnology7 4echnology7 6o"e!er, since 8229 &udi /:& has used the slogan 74ruth in ;ngineering7 &udi &udi is a member of the 7German %ig 37 luxury automakers, along "ith "ith %<W %<W and and <ercedes'%en <ercedes'%en,, "hich are the three best'selling luxury automakers in the "orld [18]
[13][1=]
Contents
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1 6ist 6istory ory
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11 %irth of the compan y and its name
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18 4he merger of the four companies under the logo of four rings
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13 >ost'World >ost'W orld War $$
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1= ?e" &uto /nion unit
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1* <odern era
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1- &udi *222 unintende d acceleration allegations
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19 <odel introduc introductions tions
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1@ &udi &G today
8 4echno 4echnology logy
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81 %odyshell s
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88 :pace frame
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83 0ri!etra ins
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8= 5;0 daytime running lights
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8* <ulti <edia $nterf $nterface ace
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8- :ynthetic 0iesel
3 <od els
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31 Aurrent model range
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38 : and B: models
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33 ;lectric !ehicles
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= >roduction figures
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* <otorsp ort
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*1 Ball Ballying ying
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*8 $n the /:&
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*3 4ouring cars
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*= 8= 6ours of 5e <ans
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** &merican 5e <ans :eries
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*- ;uropean 5e <ans :eries
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*9 World ;nduranc ;ndurance e Ahampions Ahampionship hip
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*@ Formula Form ula ;
- <ark etin eting g
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-1 %ran ding
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-8 :ponsors :ponsorships hips
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-3 <ultitronic campaign
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-= &udi 40$
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-* &udi e'tron
-- $n !ideo games
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9 :ee also
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@ ?ot ?otes es
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Befe renc rences es
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12 ;xternal links
History Birth of the company and its name Criginally in 1@@*, automobile automobile company Wanderer "as established, later becoming a branch of &udi &G ¬her ¬her company, company, ?:/, "hich "hich also later merged into &udi, "as founded during during this time, and later supplied the chassis for Gottlieb 0aimler .s four'"heeler [1*]
Cn 1= ?o!ember 1@, &ugust 1@, &ugust 6orch (1@-@D1*1) 6orch (1@-@D1*1) established the company A. Horch & Cie. in the ;hrenfeld the ;hrenfeld district district of Aologne 4hree years later in 128 he mo!ed "ith his company August Horch & Cie. to Beichenbach im ogt ogtland Cn <ay,company 12th, 12= 12th, founded the of Motorwagenwerke AG,land a oint'stock in he E"ickau (:tate E"ickau (:tate :axony) :axony )
&fter troubles "ith 6orch chief financial officer, officer, &ugust 6orch left <otor"agen"erke and founded in E"ickau on 1- uly 12, his second company, the August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH 6is former partners sued him for trademark infringement 4he German Beichsgericht Beichsgericht (:upreme (:upreme Aourt) in 5eipig, e!entually determined that the 6orch brand belonged bel onged to his former company [1-]
[19]
&udi 4ype ;
:ince &ugust 6orch "as banned from using 76orch7 as a trade name in his ne" car business, he called a meeting "ith close business friends, >aul and Fran Fikentscher from E"ickau, Germany &t &t the apartment of Fran Fikentscher, they discussed ho" to come up "ith a ne" name n ame for the company 0uring this meeting, Fran.s son "as #uietly studying 5atin 5 atin in a corner of the room :e!eral times he looked like he "as on the !erge of saying something but "ould ust s"allo" his "ords and continue "orking, until he finally blurted out, 7Father Daudiatur et altera pars "ouldn.t it be a good idea to call it audi instead instead of horch7 76orchH7 in German means 76arkH7 or 7hear7, "hich is 7&udi7 in the singular imperati!e i mperati!e form of 7audire7 D 7to listen7 D in 5atin 4he idea "as enthusiastically accepted by e!eryone attending the meeting Cn 8* &pril 112 the Audi Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau (from 11* on Audiwerke AG Zwickau) "as entered in the company.s register of E"ickau registration court [1@]
[1]
4he first &udi automobile, the &udi 4ype & 12I88 & 12I88 hp (1- kW) :port'>haeton, "as produced in the the &udi 4ype same year , follo"ed by the successor 4ype 4ype % 12I8@>: % 12I8@>: in the same year [82]
[81]
&udi started "ith a 8,-18 cc inline'four engine model engine model 4ype &, &, follo"ed by a 3,*-= cc model, as "ell as =,-@2 cc and *,982 cc models 4hese cars "ere successful e!en in sporting e!ents 4he first six' cylinder model 4ype 4ype <, =,-** cc appeared in 18= [88]
&ugust 6orch left the Audiwerke in 182 for a high position at the ministry of transport, but he "as still in!ol!ed "ith &udi as a member of the board of trustees $n :eptember 181, &udi became the first German car manufacturer to present a production car, the &udi 4ype J, "ith left'handed dri!e 5eft'hand dri!e spread and established dominance during durin g the 182s because it pro!ided a better !ie" of oncoming traffic, making o!ertaking safer [83]
[83]
he merger of the four companies under the logo of four rings article: Auto Auto Union Main article:
$n &ugust 18@, Krgen Basmussen, Basmussen, the o"ner of 0ampf'Jraft'Wagen 0ampf'Jraft'Wagen (0JW), (0JW), ac#uired the maority of shares in i n &udi"erke &G $n the same year, Basmussen bought the remains of the /: automobile manufacturer Bickenbacker , including the manufacturing e#uipment for eight' cylinder engines 4hese engines "ere used in Audi Zwickau and Audi Dresden models that "ere launched in 18 &t the same time, six'cylinder and four'cylinder (the ( the 7four7 "ith 7four7 "ith a >eugeot >eugeot engine) engine) models "ere manufactured &udi cars of that era "ere luxurious cars e#uipped "ith special body"ork [8=]
$n 138, &udi merged "ith "ith 6orch 6orch,, 0JW, and and Wanderer , to form form &uto &uto /nion &G, /nion &G, Ahemnit Ahemnit $t "as during this period that the company offered the &udi the &udi Front Front that became the first ;uropean car to combine a six'cylinder engine "ith front'"heel dri!e $t used a po"ertrain shared "ith the Wanderer Wanderer,, but turned 1@2'degrees, so that the dri!e shaft faced the front %efore World War $$, $$, &uto /nion used the four interlinked rings that make up the &udi badge today, representing these four brands 4his badge "as used, ho"e!er, only on &uto /nion racing cars in that period "hile the member companies used their o"n names and emblems 4he technological de!elopment became more and more concentrated and some &udi models "ere propelled by 6orch or Wanderer built engines Beflecting the economic pressures of the time, &uto /nion concentrated increasingly on smaller cars through the 132s, so that by 13@ the company.s 0JW brand accounted for 19+ of the German car market, "hile &udi held only 21+ &fter the final fe" &udis "ere deli!ered in 13 the 7&udi7 name disappeared completely from the ne" car market for more than t"o decades
!ost"#orld #ar $$
$F& F
5ike most German manufacturing, at the onset of World War $$ the &uto /nion plants "ere retooled for military production, and "ere a target for allied bombing during the "ar "hich left them damaged C!errun by the the :o!iet &rmy in &rmy in 1=*, on the orders of the :o!iet /nion military administration the factories "ere dismantled as part of "ar reparations reparations Follo"ing this, the company.s entire assets "ere expropriated "ithout compensation Cn 19 &ugust 1=@, &uto /nion &G of Ahemnit "as deleted from the commercial register 4hese actions had the effect of li#uidating Germany.s &uto /nion &G 4he remains of the &udi &udi plant of E"ickau became the ;% ;% (for (for 7>eople C"ned [8*]
[8*]
[8=]
;nterprise7) &utomobil"erk E"ickau ;nterprise7) &utomobil"erk E"ickau or &WE (in ;nglishL &utomobile Works E"ickau) 4he former &udi factory in E"ickau restarted assembly of the pre'"ar'models in 1= 4hese 0JW models "ere renamed to to $F& F@ and F@ and$F& $F& F and F and "ere similar to the West German !ersions West and ;ast German models "ere e#uipped "ith the traditional and reno"ned 0JW t"o'stroke engines 4he E"ickau plant manufactured the infamous infamous 4rabant 4rabant until 11, "hen it came under olks"agen controlMeffecti!ely bringing it under the same umbrella as &udi since 1=*
%ew Auto nion unit & ne" West German head#uartered head#uartered &uto /nion "as launched in $ngolstadt, %a!aria %a!aria "ith loans from the %a!arian state go!ernment and and <arshall >lan aid >lan aid 4he reformed company "as launched 3 :eptember 1= and continued 0JW.s tradition of producing front'"heel dri!e !ehicles "ith t"o' stroke engines 4his included production of a small but sturdy 18* cc motorcycle and a 0JW deli!ery !an, the 0JW F @ 5 at $ngolstadt 4he $ngolstadt site "as large, consisting of an extensi!e complex of formerly military buildings "hich "as suitable for administration as "ell as !ehicle [8*]
[8*]
"arehousing andof distribution, butfor at this stage therethe "as at $ngolstadt dedicated plant suitable for mass production automobilesL manufacturing company.s firstno post'"ar mass'market passenger car plant plant capacity in 0Nsseldorf "as "as rented from Bheinmetall'%orsig Bheinmetall'%orsig $t "as only ten years later, after the company had attracted an in!estor that funds became a!ailable for construction of maor car plant at the $ngolstadt head office site $n 1*@, in response to pressure from from Friedrich Flick, Flick, then their largest single shareholder, 0aimler' %en took %en took an @9+ holding in the &uto /nion company, and and this "as increased to a 122+ holding in 1* 6o"e!er, small t"o'stroke cars "ere not the focus of 0aimler'%en.s interests, and "hile the early 1-2s sa" maor in!estment in ne" <ercedes models and in a state of the art factory for &uto /nion.s, the company.s aging model range at this time did not benefit from the economic boom of the early 1-2s to the same extent as competitor manufacturers such as olks"agen olks"agen and and Cpel Cpel 4he decision to dispose of the &uto /nion business "as based on o n its lack of profitability $ronically, by the time they sold the business, it also included a large ne" ne " factory and near production'ready modern four'stroke engine, "hich "ould enable the &uto /nion business, under a ne" o"ner, to [8-]
[89]
embark on a period of profitable producing not &uto /nionsoforthe 0JWs, but using the 7&udi7 name, resurrected in 1-*gro"th, after a no" 8*'year gap /nder the terms sale, 0aimler'%en retained the old 0Nsseldorf plant, "hich sur!i!es to the present day as a centre for <ercedes'%en commercial !ehicle assembly $n 1-=, olks"agen ac#uired a *2+ holding in the business, "hich included the ne" factory in $ngolstadt and the trademark rights of the &uto /nion ;ighteen months later, olks"agen olks"agen bought complete control of $ngolstadt, and by 1-- "ere using the spare capacity of the $ngolstadt plant to assemble an additional -2,222 -2,222 olks"agen %eetles %eetles per year 4"o'stroke engines became less popular during the 1-2s as customers "ere more attracted to the smoother four'stroke engines $n :eptember 1-*, the 0JW F128"as F128"as fitted "ith a four'stroke engine and a facelift facelift for for the car.s front and rear olks"agen olks"agen dumped the 0JW brand because of its associations "ith t"o'stroke technology, and ha!ing classified the model internally as the F123 F123,, sold it simply as the 7&udi7 5ater de!elopments of the model "ere named after their horsepo"er ratings and sold as the &udi -2, 9*, @2, and :uper 2, selling until 198 $nitially, olks"agen olks"agen "as hostile to the idea of &uto /nion as a [8@]
standalone entity producing modelsassembly ha!ing ac#uired the company to boost its o"n production capacity through its theo"n $ngolstadt plant 4hen W chief merely 6ein ?ordhoff explicitly
forbade &uto /nion from any further product de!elopment Fearing that the company.s heritage "ould disappear underneath W badge engineering, engineering, &uto /nion engineers under the leadership of 5ud"ig Jraus de!eloped the first &udi first &udi 122 in 122 in secret, "ithout ?ordhoff.s kno"ledge When presented "ith a finished prototype, ?ordhoff "as so impressed he authorised the car for production, "hich "hen launched in 1-@, "ent on to be a huge h uge success With this, the resurrection of the &udi brand "as no" complete, this being follo"ed by the first generation generation &udi &udi @2 in @2 in 198, "hich "ould in turn pro!ide a template for W.s ne" front'"heel'dri!e "ater'cooled range "hich debuted from the mid' 192s on"ard
@2 assembly line &udi @2 line in in Wolfsburg Wolfsburg,, 193
$n 1-, &uto /nion merged "ith ?:/ ?:/,, based in ?eckarsulm ?eckarsulm,, near :tuttgart :tuttgart $n the 1*2s, ?:/ had been the "orld.s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, but had mo!ed on o n to produce small cars like the ?:/ >rin, the >rin, the 44 and 44: !ersions of "hich are still popular as !intage race cars ?:/ then focused engines based on the ideas of Felix Wankel $n 1-9, the ne" ne" ?:/ Bo @2 "as @2 "as aon carne" "ellrotary ahead of its time in technical details suchWankel as aerodynamics, light "eight, and safety 6o"e!er, teething teething problems "ith the rotary engines put an end to the independence of ?:/ 4he ?eckarsulm plant is no" used to produce the larger &udi models models &- &- and and &@ &@ 4he ?eckarsulm factory is also home of the the #uattro Gmb6, Gmb6, a subsidiary responsible for de!elopment and production of &udi high'performance modelsL the the B@ B@ and and the'()' model range 4he mid'sied car that ?:/ had been "orking on, the J92 J92,, "as intended to slot bet"een the rear' engined >rin models and the futuristic?:/ futuristic ?:/ Bo @2 @2 6o"e!er, olks"agen olks"agen took the J92 for its o"n range, spelling the end of ?:/ as a separate brand
Modern era 4he ne" merged company "as kno"n as Audi %) Auto nion AG , and sa" the emergence of &udi as a separate brand for for the first time since the the pre'"ar era olks"agen olks"agen introduced the &udi brand to the /nited :tates for the 192 model year 4he first ne" car of this regime "as the the &udi &udi 122 of 122 of 1-@ 4his "as soon oined by the &udi the &udi @2IFox @2IFox ("hich formed the basis for the 193 olks"agen >assat) >assat) in 198 and the the &udi &udi *2 *2 (later rebadged as the the olks"a olks"agen gen >olo >olo)) in 19= 4he &udi *2 "as a seminal design because it "as the first incarnation of the the GolfI>olo GolfI>olo concept, concept, one that led to a hugely successful "orld car 4he &udi image at this time "as a conser!ati!e one, and so, a proposal from chassis engineer Org %ensi %e nsing nger er "as accepted to de!elop the the four'"heel dri!e dri!e technology inolks"agen inolks"agen.s .s $ltis $ltis military military !ehicle for an &udi performance car and and rally rally racing racing car 4he performance car, introduced in 1@2, "as named the 7 &udi &udi Puattro7, Puattro7, a turbocharged turbocharged coupQ coupQ "hich "as also the first German large'scale production !ehicle to feature permanent all'"heel dri!e through dri!e through a centre centre differential differential Aommonly referred to as the 7/r'Puattro7 (the 7/r' 7/r'77 prefix is a German German augmentati!e augmentati!e used, used, in this case, to mean 7original7 and is also applied to the first generation of &udi.s := := and and ::- :port :aloons, as in 7/r:=7 and 7/r:-7), fe" of these !ehicles "ere produced (all hand'built by a single team), but the model "as a great success in rallying >rominent "ins pro!ed the !iability of all'"heel a ll'"heel dri!e racecars, and the &udi name became associated "ith ad!ances in automoti!e technology [8]
$n 1@*, "ith the &uto /nion and ?:/ brands effecti!ely dead, the company.s official name "as no" shortened to simply Audi AG
&udi Puattro
$n 1@-, as the >assat'based >assat'based &udi &udi @2 "as @2 "as beginning to de!elop a kind of 7grandfather.s car7 image, the type 89 "as introduced 4his completely ne" de!elopment sold extremely "ell 6o"e!er, its modern and dynamic exterior belied the lo" l o" performance of its base engine, and its base package "as #uite spartan (e!en the passenger'side mirror "as an option) $n 1@9, &udi put for"ard a ne" and !ery elegant &udi &udi 2, 2, "hich had a much superior set of standard features $n the early 12s, sales began to slump for the &udi @2 series, and some basic construction problems started to surface $n the early part of the 81st century, &udi set forth on a German racetrack to claim and maintain se!eral "orld records, such as top speed endurance 4his effort "as in'line "ith the company.s heritage from the 132s racing era era :il!er &rro"s &rro"s 4hrough the early 12s, &udi began to shift its target market upscale to compete against German automakers <ercedes'%en <ercedes'%en and %<W %<W 4his began "ith the release of the the &udi &udi @ @ in 12 $t "as essentially a ne" engine fitted to the &udi 122I822, but "ith noticeable body"ork differences <ost ob!ious "as the ne" grille that "as no" incorporated in the bonnet %y 11, &udi had the four'cylinder &udi @2, the *'cylinder &udi *'cylinder &udi 2 and 2 and &udi &udi 122, 122, the turbocharged &udi turbocharged &udi 822 822 and the &udi @ 4here "as also a coupe !ersion of the @2I2 "ith both =' and *'cylinder engines <hough the fi!e'cylinder engine "as a successful and robust po"erplant, po"erplant, it "as still a little too too different for the target market With the introduction of an all'ne" &udi 122 in 18, &udi introduced a 8@5 - engine 8@5 engine 4his engine "as also fitted to a face'lifted &udi @2 (all @2 and 2 models "ere no" badged @2 except for the /:&), gi!ing this model a choice of four', fi!e', and a nd six'cylinder engines, in :aloon :aloon,, AoupQ AoupQ and and Aabriolet Aabriolet body body styles 4he fi!e'cylinder "as soon dropped as a maor engine choiceR ho"e!er, a turbocharged turbocharged 832 832 hp (192 kW) !ersion remained 4he engine, initially fitted to the 822 #uattro 82 of 11, "as a deri!ati!e of the engine fitted to the the :port Puattro Puattro $t "as fitted to the the &udi &udi AoupQ, AoupQ, and named the :8 the :8 and also to the &udi 122 body, and named the := := 4hese t"o models "ere the beginning of the mass'produced : series of series of performance cars
Audi *+++ unintended acceleration allegations :ales in the /nited :tates fell after a series of recalls from 1@8 to 1@9 of &udi &udi *222 models associated "ith reported incidents of sudden unintended acceleration linked *222 acceleration linked to six deaths and 922 accidents accidents &t the time, ?64:& "as in!estigating *2 car models from 82 manufacturers for sudden surges of po"er [32]
[32]
[31]
[38]
Minutes & 60 after report unintended aired 83 ?o!ember 1@-,sho"ing featuring six people sued &udi reporting acceleration, acceleration, an inter!ie"s &udi *222 "ith &udi ostensibly suffer"ho suffering ing ahad problem
"hen the brake pedal "as pushed :ubse#uent in!estigation re!ealed that 60 Minutes had engineered the failure D fitting a canister of compressed air on the passenger'side floor, linked !ia a hose to a hole drilled into the transmission [33][3=] [33][ 3=]
[38]
122 A3, sold as the &udi 122 the &udi &udi *222i *222in the /:
&udi contended, prior to findings by outside in!estigators, that the problems "ere caused by b y dri!er error, specifically pedal misapplication :ubse#uently, the the ?ational 6igh"ay 4raf 4raffic fic :afety &dministration (?64:&) &dministration (?64:&) concluded that the maority of unintended acceleration cases, including all the ones that prompted the 60 Minutes report, "ere caused by dri!er error such as confusion of pedals A%: did not ackno"ledge the test results of in!ol!ed go!ernment agencies, but did ackno"ledge the similar results of another study study [31]
[31]
[3*]
[33]
$n a re!ie" study published in i n 8218, ?64:& summaried its past findings about the &udi unintended acceleration problemsL 7Cnce an unintended acceleration had begun, in the &udi *222, due to a failure in the system initial of 23g), pedal resulting fromidle'stabilier panic, confusion, or (producing unfamiliarityan"ith theacceleration &udi *222 contributed to themisapplication se!erity of the incident7 [3-]
4his summary is consistent "ith the conclusions of ?64:&.s most technical analysis at the timeL 7&udi idle'stabiliation systems "ere prone to defects "hich resulted in excessi!e idle speeds and brief unanticipated accelerations of up to 23g ["hich is similar in magnitude to an emergency stop in a sub"ay car] 4hese accelerations could not be the sole cause of [(long'duration) sudden acceleration incidents (:&$)], but might ha!e triggered some :&$s by startling the dri!er 4he defecti!e idle'stabiliation system performed a type of electronic throttle control control :ignificantlyL multiple 7intermittent malfunctions of the electronic control unit "ere obser!ed and recorded and ["ere also obser!ed and] a nd] reported by 4ransport Aanada7 [39]
[39]
With a series of recall campaigns, &udi made se!eral modificationsR the first adusted the distance bet"een the brake and accelerator pedal on automatic'transmission models 5ater repairs, of 8*2,222 cars dating back to 19@, added a de!ice re#uiring the dri!er to press the brake pedal before shifting out of park & legacy of the &udi *222 and other reported cases of sudden unintended acceleration are intricate gear stick stick patterns and brake brake interlock interlock mechanisms mechanisms to pre!ent inad!ertent shifting into for"ard or re!erse $t is unclear ho" the defects in the idle'stabiliation system "ere addressed [32]
[32]
&udi.s /: sales, "hich "hich had reached 9=,2-1 in 1@*, dropped to 18,8@3 in 11 and remained le!el for three years D "ith resale !alues falling dramatically dramatically &udi subse#uently offered increased "arranty protection and renamed the affected models D "ith the 5000 becoming becoming the 100 and and 200 in in 1@ D and only reached the same sales le!els again by model year 8222 [32]
[3@]
[3@]
[31]
[32]
& 8212 usiness!eek article article D outlining possible parallels bet"een &udi.s experience and 822D 8212 4oyota !ehicle recalls D recalls D noted a class'action la"suit filed in 1@9 by about 9,*22 &udi *222' model o"ners remains unsettled and is currently being contested in county court in Ahicago after appeals at the $llinois state and /: federal le!els [32]
Model introduction introductions s
&udi 44
$n the mid'to'late 12s, &udi introduced ne" technologies including the use of o f aluminum construction >roduced from 1 to 822*, the &udi &8 &8 "as a futuristic super mini, born from the &l8 concept, "ith many features that helped regain consumer confidence, like the aluminium aluminium space frame,, "hich "as a first in production car design $n the &8 &udi further expanded their 40$ frame technology through the use of frugal three'cylinder engines 4he &8 "as extremely aerodynamic and "as designed around a a "ind tunnel tunnel 4he &udi &8 &8 "as criticised for its high price and "as ne!er really a sales success but it planted &udi as a cutting'edge manufacturer 4he model, a <ercedes' %en &'Alass competitor, &'Alass competitor, sold relati!ely "ell in ;urope 6o"e!er, the &8 "as discontinued in 822* and &udi decided not to de!elop an immediate replacement 4he next maor model change came in 1* "hen the the &udi &udi &= replaced &= replaced the &udi the &udi @2 @2 4he ne" nomenclature scheme "as applied to the &udi 122 to become the &udi the &udi &- &- ("ith a minor facelift) 4his also meant the := became the ::- and and a ne" := "as introduced in the &= body 4he :8 "as discontinued 4he 4he &udi &udi Aabriolet continued Aabriolet continued on (based on the &udi @2 platform) until 1, gaining the engine"as upgrades along & in ne" ne" &3 hatchback &3 hatchback model (sharing the olks" olks"agen agen Golf <k=..s <k= platform) introduced tothe the"ay range 1-, and the radical &udi radical &udi 44 coupQ 44 coupQ and and roadster "ere "ere debuted in 1@ based on the same underpinnings 4he engines a!ailable throughout the range "ere no" a 1= 5, 1- 5 and 1@ 5 four'cylinder, 1@ 5 four'cylinder turbo, 8- 5 and 8@ 5 -,, 88 5 turbo'charged fi!e'cylinder and the =8 5 @ engine engine 4he -s "ere replaced by ne" 8= 5 and 8@ 5 32 -s in 1@, "ith marked impro!ement in po"er, tor#ue and smoothness Further engines "ere added along the "ay, including a 39 5 @ and -2 5 W18 engine engine for the &@
Audi AG today
&udi P9
&udi.s sales gre" strongly in the 8222s, "ith deli!eries to customers customers increasing from -*3,222 in 8222 to 1,223,222 in 822@ 4he largest sales increases came from ;astern ;urope (S13+), &frica (S198+) and the <iddle ;ast (S*@*+) Ahina in particular has become a key market, representing 12@,222 out of 92*,222 cars deli!ered in the first three #uarters of 822 Cne factor for its popularity in Ahina is that &udis ha!e become the car of choice for purchase by the Ahinese go!ernment for officials, and purchases by the go!ernment are responsible for 82+ of its sales in Ahina &s of late 822, &udi.s operating profit of T119'billion (U1@*'billion) made it the biggest contributor to parent olks"agen olks"a gen Group.s nine'month operating profit of T1*'billion, "hile "hi le the other mar#ues in Group [3]
[=2]
such as %entley and an d :;&4 had suffered suffered considerable losses <ay 8211 sa" record sales for &udi
of &merica "ith the ne" &udi &9 and &udi &udi &3 &3 40$ Alean 0iesel $n <ay 8218, &udi reported a 12+ ne" &udi &9 and increase in its salesMfrom =2@ units to =@2 in the last year alone [=1]
[=8]
&udi manufactures !ehicles in se!en se!en plants around the "orld, some some of "hich are shared "ith other other W Group mar#ues although many sub'assemblies such as engines and transmissions are manufactured "ithin other olks"agen Group plants [=3]
&udi.s t"o principal assembly plants plants areL •
$ngolstadt,, Cpened by &uto /nion in 1-=, (&3, &=, &*, P*) $ngolstadt
•
?eckarsulm,, &c#uired from ?:/ in 1- (&=, &-, &9, ?eckarsulm &9, &@, B@ V all B: !ariants)
Cutside of Germany, &udi produces !ehicles atL •
&urangabad,, $ndia since 822 &urangabad
•
%ratisla!a,, :lo!akia, shared "ith olks"agen, :;&4, koda and >orsche (P9) %ratisla!a
•
%russels,, %elgium, ac#uired from olks"agen in 8229 (&1) %russels
•
Ahangchun,, Ahina since 1* Ahangchun
•
GyXr , 6ungary, (44 and some &3 !ariants)
•
akarta,, $ndonesia since 8211 akarta
•
<artorell,, :pain shared "ith :;&4 and olks"agen (P3) <artorell
$n :eptember 8218, &udi announced the construction of its first ?orth &merican manufacturing plant in >uebla >uebla,, <exico 4his plant is expected to be operati!e in 821- and produce the second generation P* P* [==]
From 8228 up to 8223, &udi headed the &udi %rand Group, a subdi!ision of the olks"agen Group.s &utomoti!e 0i!ision consisting of of &udi, 5amborghini and :;&4 :;&4, that "as focused on sporty sporty !alues, "ith the mar#ues. product !ehicles and performance being under the higher responsibility of the &udi brand $n 821=, most of the &udi dealers in /J falsely claimed that the &udi &9, &9, &@, and B@ "ere ;uro ?A&> safety tested, all achie!ing fi!e out of fi!e stars $n fact none "ere tested [=*]
Technology Bodyshells &udi produces 122+ gal!anised gal!anised cars cars to to pre!ent corrosion corrosion,, and "as the first mass'market !ehicle to do so, follo"ing introduction of the process by b y >orsche >orsche,, c 19* &long "ith other precautionary measures, the full'body inc inc coating coating has pro!ed to be !ery effecti!e in pre!enting rust 4he body.s resulting durability e!en surpassed &udi.s o"n expectations, causing the manufacturer to extend its [=-]
original 12'year "arranty against (e xcept for aluminium bodies "hich do"arranty not rust) against corrosion perforation to currently 18 years (except [=9]
)pace frame
4he &udi B@ uses &udi :pace Frame technology
&udi introduced a ne" series of !ehicles in the mid'12s and continues to pursue ne" technology and high performance &n all'aluminium car "as brought for"ard by &udi, and in 1= the &udi the &udi &@ "as &@ "as launched, "hich introduced aluminium aluminium space frame frame technology (called Audi "pace #ra$e or &:F) "hich sa!es "eight and impro!es torsion rigidity compared compared to a con!entional steel frame frame >rior to that effort, &udi used examples of the 4ype 4ype == chassis fabricated out of aluminium as test'beds for the techni#ue 4he disad!antage of the aluminium frame is that it is !ery expensi!e to repair and a nd re#uires a specialied aluminium bodyshop 4he "eight reduction is some"hat offset by the #uattro the #uattro four'"heel dri!e system dri!e system "hich is standard in most markets ?onetheless, the &@ &@ is usually the lightest all'"heel dri!e car in the full'sie luxury segment, also ha!ing best'in'class fuel economy 4he 4he &udi &udi &8, &8, &udi 44 and 44 and &udi &udi B@ also B@ also use &udi :pace Frame designs [=@]
[=]
,ri-etrains ayout &udi &=
For most of its lineup (excluding the &3, &1, and 44 models), &udi has not adopted the trans!erse engine layout "hich is typically found in economy cars (such as >eugeot and AitroYn), since that "ould limit the type and po"er of engines that can be installed 4o 4o be able to mount po"erful engines (such as a @ engine in the &udi the &udi := and := and &udi &udi B:=, B:=, as "ell as the W18 engine in engine in the &udi the &udi &@5 W18), W18), &udi has usually engineered its more expensi!e cars "ith a longitudinally longitudinally front'mounted engine,, in an 7o!erhung7 position, o!er the front "heels in front of the axle line While this allo"s for engine the easy adoption of all'"heel dri!e, it goes against the ideal *2L*2 "eight distribution $n all its post olks"agen olks"agen'era 'era models, &udi has firmly refused to adopt the traditional traditional rear'"heel dri!e layout dri!e layout fa!ored by its t"o arch ri!als ri!als<ercedes'%en <ercedes'%en and and %<W %<W,, fa!oring either front'"heel dri!e dri!e or or all'"heel dri!e 4he maority of &udi.s lineup in the /nited :tates features dri!e standard on most dri!e of its expensi!e !ehicles (only the entry'le!el trims of the &= andall'"heel &- are a!ailable "ith front'"heel dri!e), in contrast to to <ercedes'%en <ercedes'%en and and %<W %<W "hose "hose lineup treats all'"heel dri!e as an option %<W did not offer all'"heel dri!e on its @'po"ered cars (as opposed to crosso!er :/s) until the 8212 %<W 9 :eries and 8211 %<W * :eries, "hile the &udi &@ &@ has had all'"heel dri!e a!ailableIstandard since the 12s Begarding high'performance !ariants, !ariants, &udi &udi : and B: models ha!e models ha!e al"ays had all'"heel dri!e, unlike their direct ri!als from from %<W < and < and <ercedes' &<G "hose &<G "hose cars are rear'"heel dri!e only (although their performance crosso!er :/s are all' "heel dri!e) &udi has recently applied the %uattro badge to models such as the &3 and 44 "hich do not use the 4orsen the 4orsen'based 'based system as in prior years "ith a mechanical center differential, but "ith the 6aldex 4raction electro'mechanical 4raction electro'mechanical clutch &W0 system /ngines
olks"agen Group Group W18 engine from the the olks"agen >haeton W18
#urther in&or$ation: in&or$ation: Audi Audi production en'ines
$n the 1@2s, &udi, along "ith ol!o, "as the champion of the the inline'fi!e inline'fi!e cylinder, cylinder, 81I88 5 engine 5 engine as a longer'lasting alternati!e to more traditional six'cylinder engines 4his engine "as used not only in production cars but also in their race cars 4he 81 5 inline fi!e'cylinder engine "as used as a base for the rally cars in cars in the 1@2s, pro!iding "ell o!er =22 horsepo"er (322 kilo"atts) kilo "atts) after modification %efore 12, there "ere engines produced "ith a displacement bet"een 82 5 and 83 5 4his range of engine capacity allo"ed for both fuel economy and po"er For the ultra'luxury !ersion of its &udi its &udi &@ &@ fullsie luxury flagship sedan, the &udi &@5 W18, &udi uses the olks"a the olks"agen gen Group Group W18 engine instead engine instead of the con!entional con!entional 18 engine fa!ored engine fa!ored by ri!als <ercedes'%en and %<W 4he 4he W18 engine configuration (also kno"n kno "n as a 7WB187) is created by forming t"o imaginary narro"'angle 1*Z B- engines at engines at an angle of 98Z, and the narro" angle of each set of cylinders allo"s ust t"o o!erhead camshafts to camshafts to dri!e each pair of banks, so ust four are needed in total 4he ad!antage of the W18 W 18 engine is its compact packaging, allo"ing &udi to build a 18'cylinder sedan "ith all'"heel dri!e, "hereas a con!entional con!entional 18 engine could engine could only ha!e a rear' "heel dri!e configuration as it "ould ha!e no space in the engine bay for a differential and other components re#uired to po"er the front "heels $n fact, the -2 5 W18 in the &udi &@5 W18 is smaller in o!erall dimensions than the =8 5 @ that po"ers the &udi &@ =8 !ariants 4he 8211 &udi &@ debuted a re!ised -3'litre !ersion !ersion of the W18 (WB18) engine "ith *22 >: (392 kWR =2 hp) [*2]
[*1]
0uel )tratified $n1ection
?e" models of the &3, &=, &- and &@ ha!e been introduced, "ith the ageing 1@'litre engine no" n o" ha!ing been replaced by ne" ne" Fuel :tratified $nection $nection (F:$) engines ?early e!ery petroleum burning model in the range no" incorporates this fuel'sa!ing technology
@ F:$ engine ,irect")hift Gearbo2
&t the turn of the olks"agen en introduced the the 0irect':hift Gearbox (0:G), Gearbox (0:G), a type of dual the century, olks"ag clutch transmission transmission $t is an automatedsemi'automatic automatedsemi'automatic transmission, transmission, dri!able like a con!entional automatic transmission transmission %ased on the gearbox found in the Group % :1, the system includes dual electrohydraulically controlled clutches clutches instead instead of a a tor#ue con!erter 4his is implemented in some W Golfs, Golfs, &udi &3 &3 &udi , &udi &= &= and and 44 44 models "here 0:G is called :'tronic
/, daytime running lights "hite 5;0 %eginning in 822*, &udi has implemented "hite 5;0 technology technology as daytime running lights (0B5) lights (0B5) in their products 4he distincti!e shape of the 0B5s has become a trademark of sorts 5;0s "ere first introduced on the &udi the &udi &@ &@ W18, W18, the "orld.s first production car to ha!e 5;0 0B5s, 0B5s, and ha!e since spread throughout the entire model range 4he 5;0s are present on some &udi &udi billboards billboards [*8][*3][*=]
:ince 8212, &udi has also offered the 5;0 technology in lo"' and high'beam headlights headlights
[**]
4he 0B5 in an &udi &= %@
Multi Media $nterface
<ulti <edia $nterface'<enu on &udi cockpit, &udi &udi 44 <k3 on &udi !irtual cockpit,
:tarting "ith the 8223 8223 &udi &udi &@, &@, &udi has used a centralised control interface for its on' boardinfotainment board infotainment systems, systems, called <ulti <edia $nterface (<<$) $nterface (<<$) 4his came amid criticism of %<W.s i0ri!e i0ri!econtrol control $t is essentially a rotating control knob and .segment. buttons D designed to control all in'car entertainment de!ices (radio, A0 changer, i>od, 4 tuner), satellite na!igation, heating and !entilation, and other car controls "ith a screen <<$ "as "idely reported to be a considerable impro!ement on %<W.s i0ri!e, although %<W has since made their i0ri!e more user' friendly 4he a!ailability of <<$ has gradually filtered do"n the &udi lineup, and follo"ing its introduction on the third generation &3 in 8211, <<$ is no" a!ailable across the entire range $t has been generally "ell'recei!ed, as it re#uires less menu'surfing "ith its segment buttons around a central knob, along "ith .main function. direct access buttons D "ith shortcuts to the radio or phone functions 4he colour screen is mounted on the upright dashboard, and on the &= (ne"), &*, &-, &-, &@, and P9, the controls are mounted horiontally
)ynthetic ,iesel
&udi has come out "ith technology diesel from "ater and carbon dioxide dioxide technology to produce synthetic diesel
[*-]
Models Main article: article: (ist o& Audi )ehicles
Current model range 4he follo"ing tables list &udi production !ehicles that are sold as of 821=L Audi cars
A1
A+
A9
A=
A>
A8
A-
) and () models article: Audi Main article: Audi " and *" $odels
S+
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66S
/lectric -ehicles #urther in&or$ation: Audi concept )ehicles in&or$ation: Audi
&udi is planning an alliance "ith the apanese apanese electronics giant giant :anyo :anyo to de!elop a pilot hybrid electric proect for the olks"agen Group Group 4he alliance could result in :anyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future models of the olks"agen Group Aoncept electric !ehicles un!eiled to date include the &udi the &udi &1 &1 :portback Aoncept, &udi &udi &= &= 40$ Aoncept ;, and the fully electric &udi e'tron Aoncept :upercar [-2]
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•
0ata from 1@ to 8212 Figures for different body typesI!ersions of models ha!e been merged to create o!erall figures for each model
Motorsport forms of motorsports &udi has competed in !arious forms motorsports &udi.s tradition in motorsport began "ith their former company &uto company &uto /nion in /nion in the 132s $n the 12s, &udi found success in the 4ouring and :uper 4ouring categories of motor racing after success in circuit racing in ?orth &merica 4ouring (allying article: Audi Main article: Audi "port !*+ results
Walter BOhrl "ith BOhrl "ith his Puattro &8 during the 1@= 1@= Bally >ortugal
$n 1@2, &udi released the Puattro Puattro,, a a four'"heel dri!e dri!e (=W0) (=W0) turbocharged turbocharged car that "ent on to "in rallies rallies and and races "orld"ide $t is considered one of the most significant rally cars of all time, because it "as one of the first to take ad!antage of the then'recently changed rules "hich allo"ed the use of four'"heel dri!e in competition racing <any critics doubted the !iability of four'"heel dri!e racers, thinking them to be too hea!y and complex, yet the Puattro "as to become a successful car 5eading its first rally it "ent off the road, ho"e!er the rally "orld had been ser!ed notice =W0 "as the future 4he Puattro "ent on to achie!e much success in the World Bally Ahampionship $t "on the Ahampionship the 1@3 1@3 ( (6annu 6annu <ikkola) <ikkola) and the 1@= 1@= (:tig %lom#!ist) %lom#!ist) dri!ers. titles, titles, and brought &udi the the manufacturers. title in title in 1@8 1@8 and and 1@= [99]
[9@]
&udi Puattro :1 :1 dri!en at the the 8229 Ballye 0eutschland
$n 1@=, &udi launched the short'"heelbase :port Puattro Puattro "hich dominated rally races in <onte Aarlo and Aarlo and :"eden :"eden,, "ith &udi taking all podium places, but succumbed to problems further into WBA contention $n 1@* 1@*,, after another season mired in mediocre finishes, Walter BOhrl BOhrl finished the season in his :port Puattro :1, :1, and helped place &udi second in the manufacturers. points &udi also recei!ed rally honours in the 6ong Jong to %eiing rally in that same year <ichle <outon, <outon, the only female dri!er to "in a round of the World Bally Ahampionship and a dri!er for &udi, took the :port Puattro :1, no" simply called the 7:17, and raced in the >ikes >eak $nternational 6ill Alimb Alimb 4he 1,=3'metre (=,981 ft) climb race pits a dri!er and car to dri!e to the summit of the =,328'metre (1=,11= ft) >ikes >eak mountain >eak mountain in Aolorado Aolorado,, and in 1@*, <ichle <outon set a ne" record of 11L8*3, 11 L8*3, and being the first "oman to set a >ikes >eak record $n 1@1@-,, &udi formally left international rally racing follo"ing an accident in in >ortugal >ortugal in!ol!ing in!ol!ing dri!er oa#uim :antos in :antos in his Ford B:822 :antos s"er!ed to a!oid hitting spectators in the road, and left the track into the cro"d of B:822 spectators on the side, killing three and inuring 32 32 %obby /nser used used an &udi in that same year to claim a ne" record for the >ikes >eak 6ill Alimb at 11 11L288 L288 $n 1@9, Walter BOhrl claimed the title for &udi setting a ne" >ikes >eak $nternational 6ill Alimb record of 12L=9@* in his &udi :1, "hich he had retired from the WBA t"o years earlier 4he &udi :1 employed &udi.s time'tested inline'fi!e'cylinder turbocharged turbocharged engine, "ith the final !ersion generating ==1 kW (-22 >:R *1 bhp) 4he engine "as mated to a six'speed gearbox and ran on &udi.s famous four'"heel dri!e system &ll &ll of &udi.s &udi.s top dri!ers dro!e this this carR 6annu <ikkola, :tig %lom#!ist, Walter BOhrl and <ichle <outon 4his &udi :1 started the range of &udi .:. cars, cars, "hich no" represents an increased le!el of sports'performance e#uipment "ithin the mainstream &udi model range [9]
$n the )A &udi mo!ed a"ay from rallying and into circuit racing, they chose &s &udi chose to mo!e first into &merica "ith the 4rans'&m the 4rans'&m in 1@@ $n 1@, &udi mo!ed to to $nternational <otor :ports &ssociation &ssociation ($<:&) G4C G4C "ith the &udi the &udi 2, 2, ho"e!er as they a!oided the t"o maor ma or endurance e!ents (0aytona and :ebring) despite "inning on a regular basis, they "ould lose out on the title
ouring cars $n 12, ha!ing completed their obecti!e to market cars in ?orth &merica, &udi &udi returned to ;urope, turning first to the 0eutsche 4ouren"agen <eisterschaft (04<) <eisterschaft (04<) series "ith the &udi @, @, and then in 13, being un"illing to build b uild cars for the ne" formula, they turned their attention to the fast' gro"ing :uper 4ouring series, 4ouring series, "hich are a series of national championships &udi first entered in the French :upertourisme the :upertourisme and $talian :uperturismo :uperturismo $n the follo"ing year, &udi "ould s"itch to the German :uper 4ouren"agen Aup (kno"n Aup (kno"n as :4W), and then to %ritish 4ouring Aar Ahampionship (%4AA) Ahampionship (%4AA) the year after that
l.&utomobile (F$&), ha!ing difficulty regulating the the #uattro #uattro four' four' 4he FQdQration $nternationale de l.&utomobile "heel dri!e system, and the impact it had on the competitors, "ould e!entually ban all four'"heel dri!e cars from competing in 1@, but by then, &udi s"itched all their "orks efforts to sports car racing racing [@2]
%y 8222, &udi "ould still compete in the /: "ith their B:= B:= for for the the :AA& :peed World G4 Ahallenge,, through dealerIteam Ahampion Bacing competing Ahallenge Bacing competing against Aor!ettes, ipers, and smaller %<Ws ("here it is one of the fe" series to permit =W0 cars) $n 8223, Ahampion Bacing entered an an B:B:- Cnce again, the #uattro four'"heel dri!etheir "astitle, superior, and Ahampion &udi "ith &udi "on the the ne" championship 4hey returned in 822= to defend but a ne"comer, Aadillac Cmega Ahassis A4:', ga!e them a run for their money &fter four !ictories in a ro", the &udis "ere sanctioned "ith se!eral negati!e changes that deeply affected the car.s performance ?amely, added ballast "eights, and Ahampion &udi deciding to go "ith different tyres, and reducing the boost pressure of the turbocharger $n 822=, after years of competing "ith the the 44'B 44'B in in the re!italised 04< series, "ith pri!ateer team &bt BacingIIAhristian &bt taking Bacing &bt taking the 8228 title "ith 5aurent &\ello, &\ello, &udi returned as a full factory effort to touring car racing by entering t"o factory supported oest Bacing Bacing &= &= 04< 04< cars
34 Hours of e Mans in&or$ation: (ist o& Audi )ehicles ,(e Mans prototypes#urther in&or$ation:
&udi B12 40$
&udi began racing prototype sportscars sportscars in 1, debuting at the 5e <ans 8= hour 4" 4"o o car concepts "ere de!eloped and raced in their first season ' the &udi the &udi B@B (open'cockpit B@B (open'cockpit .roadster. prototype) and the &udi the &udi B@A (closed'cockpit B@A (closed'cockpit .coupQ. G4'prototype) G4'prototype) 4he B@B scored a credible podium on its racing debut at 5e <ans and "as the concept "hich &udi continued to de!elop into the 8222 season due to fa!ourable rules for open'cockpit prototypes 6o"e!er, most of the competitors (such as %<W, 4oyota 4oyota,, <ercedes and ?issan) retired at the end of 1 4he factory'supported oest Bacing Bacing teamin"on 5e <ans5e three times in a inro" &udi B@ (8222D8228), as "ell as "inning e!ery race theat the &merican &merican <ans :eries :eries in its "ith first the year &udi &udi also sold the car to customer teams such as Ahampion Bacing Bacing $n 8223, t"o %entley :peed @s, @s, "ith engines designed by &udi, and dri!en by oest dri!ers loaned to to the fello" olks" olks"agen agen Group Groupcompany, company, competed in the G4> class, and finished the race in the top t"o positions, "hile the Ahampion Bacing B@ finished third o!erall, and first in the 5<>22 class &udi returned to the "inner.s podium at the 822= race, "ith the top three finishers all dri!ing B@sL &udi :port apan 4eam 4eam Goh finished first, &udi :port /J elo#x second, and Ahampion Bacing third &t the the 822* 8= 6ours of 5e <ans, <ans, Ahampion Bacing entered t"o B@s, along "ith an B@ from the &udi >lay:tation 4eam 4eam Creca Creca 4he B@s ("hich "ere built to old 5<>22 regulations) recei!ed a narro"er air inlet restrictor, reducing po"er, and an additional *2 kg (112 lb) of "eight compared to the ne"er 5<>1 chassis Cn a!erage, the B@s "ere about 8D3 seconds off pace compared to the >escarolo D the Dudd udd %ut "ith a team of excellent dri!ers and experience, both Ahampion B@s "ere able to take first and third, "hile the Creca team took fourth 4he Ahampion team "as also the first &merican team to "in 5e <ans since the Gulf Ford Ford G4s G4s in 1-9 4his also ends the long era of the
B@R ho"e!er, its replacement for 822-, called the &udi B12 40$, 40$, "as un!eiled on 13 0ecember the &udi 822* 4he B12 40$ 40$ employed employed many ne" and inno!ati!e i nno!ati!e features, the most notable being the the t"in' turbocharged direct inection turbocharged inection diesel engine engine $t "as first raced in the the 822- 18 6ours of :ebring :ebring as a race'test in preparation for the the 822- 8= 6ours of 5e <ans, <ans, "hich it later "ent on to "in &udi has been on the forefront of sports car racing, claiming a historic "in in the first diesel sports car at 18 6ours of :ebring (the car "as de!eloped "ith a 0iesel engine due to &AC regulations that fa!or diesel engines) &scapabilities "ell as "inning the 8= the 6ours of 5e <ans in <ans in 8228F& 22making the B12 40$ has also sho"n its by beating the >eugeot 2@ 60i F&> > in 8229,, history, 8229 and beating >eugeot again in 822@ 822@,, (ho"e!er >eugeot "on the 8=h in 822) and, in a podium clean's"eep by pro!ing its reliability throughout the race (compared to all four 2@ entries retired before the end of the race) "hile breaking a ne" distance d istance record (set "ay back by the the >orsche 19J 19J of <artini Bacing in Bacing in 191 191), ), in 8212 8212 "ith "ith the the B1* 40$ >lus >lus [@1]
&udi.s sports car racing success success "ould continue "ith the &udi the &udi B1@. [email protected] !ictory at the the 8211 8= 6ours of 5e <ans <ans &udi &udi :port 4eam 4eam oest oest..s %enot 4rQluyer earned earned &udi their first pole position in position in fi!e years "hile the team.s sister car locked out the front ro" ;arly accidents eliminated t"o of &udi.s three entries, but the sole remaining remaining &udi &udi B1@ 40$ of 40$ of 4rQluyer ,<arcel F^ssler , and and &ndrQ &ndrQ 5otterer held held off the trio of >eugeot 2@s to 2@s to claim !ictory by a margin of 13@ seconds [@8]
(esults
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/uropean e Mans )eries &udi participated in the 8223 1222km of 5e <ans <ans "hich "as a one'off sports car race in preparation pr eparation for the 822= ;uropean 5e <ans :eries :eries 4he factory team &udi :port /J "on races and the championship in the 822= season but b ut &udi "as unable to match their s"eeping success of &udi :port ?orth &merica in the &merican &merican 5e <ans :eries, partly due to the arri!al of a factory competitor in 5<>1, >eugeot 4he French manufacturer.s 2@ 60i F&> became F&> became the car to beat in the series from 822@ on"ards "ith 82 5<> "ins 6o"e!er, &udi "ere able to secure the championship in 822@ e!en though >eugeot scored more race !ictories in the season [@3]
(esults
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#orld /ndurance Championship 3+53
$n 8218, the F$& sanctioned a a World ;ndurance Ahampionship "hich Ahampionship "hich "ould be organised by the &AC as a continuation of the $5<A &udi competed "on the the first W;A race at :ebring :ebring and follo"ed this a further "ins, and including the 8218 8=the 6ours of 5e <ans <ans &udi scored a finalup *th"ith !ictory in thethree 8218successi!e W;A in %ahrain "ere the able to "in ina ugural inaugural W;A <anufacturers. Ahampionship 3+56
&s defending champions, &udi once again entered entered the the &udi &udi B1@ e'tron #uattro chassis #uattro chassis into the 8213 W;A and W;A and the team "on the first fi!e consecuti!e races, including the 8213 8= 6ours of 5e <ans <ans 4he !ictory at Bound *, *, Aircuit of the &mericas &mericas,, "as of particular significance as it marked the 122th "in for &udi in 5e <ans prototypes &udi secured their second consecuti!e W;A W ;A <anufacturers. Ahampionship at Bound - after taking second place and half points in the red'flagged Fui race [@=]
[@*]
3+54
For the 821= season &udi entered a redesigned and upgraded B1@ e'tron #uattro "hich featured a 8 < < energy energy reco!ery system &s defending champions, &udi &udi "ould once again face a challenge in 5<>1 5<>1 from from 4oyota 4oyota,, and additionally from >orsche >orsche "ho "ho returned to endurance racing after a 1-' year absence 4he season opening -hrs of :il!erstone"as :il!erstone"as a disaster for &udi "ho sa" both cars
retire from the race, marking the first time that an &udi car has failed to score a podium in a World ;ndurance Ahampionship race Ahampionship race (esults
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0ormula / article: Audi Main article: Audi "port A. A. #or$ula / .ea$ .ea$
&udi "ill pro!ide factory support to a Formula ; team in partnership "ith 04< team team &bt :portsline 4his team "ill be called Audi )port Abt 0ormula / eam in the inaugural 821=I1* Formula ; season Cn 13 February 821= the team announced its dri!er line up as 0aniel &bt and &bt and World ;ndurance Ahampionship dri!er 5ucas di Grassi Grassi [@-]
[@9]
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Marketing
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Branding
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4he old logo used by &udi (1@*D822)
4he &udi emblem is four o!erlapping rings that represent the four mar#ues mar#ues of &uto /nion 4he &udi emblem symbolises the amalgamation of &udi "ith 0JW, 6orch and WandererL the first ring from the left represents &udi, the second represents 0JW, third is 6orch, and the fourth and last ring Wanderer $ts similarity to the Clympic rings caused the $nternational Clympic Aommittee to Aommittee to sue &udi in $nternational 4rademark 4rademark Aourt in 1*, to "hich they lost [@@][@] [@@][ @]
[2]
&s part of &udi.s centennial celebration celebration in 822, the company updated the the logo, changing the font font to to left'aligned &udi 4ype, 4ype, and altering a ltering the shading for the o!erlapping rings ri ngs 4he re!ised logo "as designed by Bayan &bdullah [1]
[8]
&udi de!eloped a Aorporate :ound concept, concept, "ith &udi &udi :ound :tudio designed for producing the the Aorporate :ound 4he Aorporate :ound proect began "ith sound agency Jlangerfinder Gmb6 V Ao JG and s18 Gmb6 &udio samples "ere created in Jlangerfinder.s sound studio in :tuttgart, becoming part of &udi :ound :tudio collection Cther &udi :ound :tudio components include 4he %rand <usic >ool, 4he %rand oice oice &udi also de!eloped :ound %randing 4oolkit including certain instruments, sound themes, rhythm and car sounds "hich all are supposed to reflect the &/0$ sound character [3]
[=]
[*]
&udi started using a beating heart heart sound trademark beginning in 1- &n updated heartbeat sound logo, de!eloped by agencies J5&?G;BF$?0;B Gmb6 V Ao JG of :tuttgart and :18 Gmb6 of <unich, "as first used in 8212 in an &udi an &udi &@ &@ commercial "ith the slogan 74he &rt of >rogress7 [-][9]
)logans
corporate tagline &udi.s corporate tagline is orsprun' durch .echnik , meaning ro'ress throu'h .e .echnolo'y chnolo'y 4he German'language tagline is used in many ;uropean countries, including the /nited Jingdom, and in other markets, such as 5atin &merica, Cceania and parts of &sia including apan & fe" fe" years ago, the ?orth &merican tagline "as 3nno)ation throu'h technolo'y , but in Aanada the German tagline orsprun' durch .echnik "as "as used in ad!ertising <ore recently, ho"e!er, &udi &udi has updated the tagline to 74ruth in ;ngineering7 in the /: [@]
[]
ypography
on /ni!ers &udi :ans (based on /ni!ers ;xtended) ;xtended) "as originally created in 19 by Cle :ch^fer for <eta0esign <eta0esign <eta0esign "as later commissioned for a ne" corporate typeface called &udi 4ype, designed by >aul !an der 5aan and >ieter !an Bosmalen of %old <onday <onday 4he font began to appear in &udi.s 822 products and marketing materials [122]
)ponsorships
&udi sponsors %undesliga %undesliga club club%ayern %ayern <unich
&udi is a strong partner of football,, long partnerships exist bet"een &udi of different kinds of sports $n football and domestic clubs including FA %ayern <unich, <unich, 6amburger :, :, 1 FA ?uremberg, ?uremberg, 6ertha %erlin, %erlin, and %orussia <Onchengladbach and and <Onchengladbach and international clubs including including Ahelsea FA, FA, Beal <adrid AF, AF, FA %arcelona,, &A %arcelona &A <ilan, <ilan, &ax &ax &msterdam &msterdam,, Pueens >ark Bangers FA FA and and >erspolis FA FA &udi also sponsors "inter sportsL 4he &udi F$: &lpine :ki World Aup is named after the company &dditionally &dditionally,, &udi supports the German :ki &ssociation &ssociation (0:) as "ell as the alpine skiing national teams of :"iterland, :"eden, Finland, France, 5iechtenstein, $taly, &ustria &ustria and the /: For almost t"o decades &udi fosters golf sportL for example "ith the &udi #uattro Aup and the 6ypoereinsbank 5adies German Cpen presented by &udi $n sailing, &udi is engaged in the <edcup regatta and supports the team 5una Bossa during the 5ouis uitton >acific :eries and also is the primary sponsor of the <elges 82 sailboat Further, &udi sponsors the regional teams ;BA $ngolstadt (hockey) $ngolstadt (hockey) and FA $ngolstadt 2= (soccer) 2= (soccer) $n 822, the year of &udis 122th anni!ersary, the the company organises the the &udi &udi Aup for Aup for the first time &udi also sponsor the ?e" _ork _ankees as _ankees as "ell $n Cctober 8212 they agreed to a three sponsorship year'deal "ith ;!erton ;!erton &udi also sponsors the ;ngland ;ngland >olo >olo 4eam 4eam and holds the &udi the &udi >olo &"ards &"ards [121] [128]
[123]
[12=][12*]
Multitronic campaign
&udi Aentre :ydney, :ydney, Eetland, ?e" :outh Wales, Wales, &ustralia
$n 8221, &udi promoted the ne" multitronic multitronic continuously !ariable transmission "ith transmission "ith tele!ision commercials throughout ;urope, featuring an impersonator of musician and actor ;l!is >resley >resley & prototypical prototypical dashboard dashboard figure D later named 7Wackel';l!is 7Wackel';l!is77 (7Wobble ;l!is7 or 7Wobbly ;l!is7) D appeared in the commercials to demonstrate the smooth ride in an &udi e#uipped "ith the multitronic transmission 4he dashboard figure "as originally intended for use in the commercials only, but after after they aired the demand for Wackel';l!is fans gre" among fans and the figure "as mass'produced in Ahina and marketed by &udi in their factory outlet store [12-]
[129]
[12@]
Audi ,$ &s part of &udi.s attempt to promote its 0iesel technology technology in 822, the company began &udi <ileage <arathon 4he dri!ing tour featured a fleet of 83 &udi 40$ !ehicles from = models ( &udi ( &udi P9 32 P9 32 40$, &udi 40$, &udi P* 32 P* 32 40$, &udi 40$, &udi &= &= 32 40$, &udi 40$, &udi &3 :portback &3 :portback 82 40$ "ith : tronic transmission) tra!elling across the &merican continent from ?e" _o _ork rk to 5os &ngeles, passing maor cities like Ahicago, 0allas and 5as egas during the 13 daily stages, as "ell as natural "onders including the Bocky <ountains, 0eath alley and the Grand Aanyon [12]
&s part of 821= model year year &udi 40$ !ehicles launch in the /:, 3 tele!ision commercials (74he :tation7, 7Future7, 7Bange7) "ere produced $n the -2'second .4he :tation. ad, a "oman at a fueling station reaches for the diesel pump to fill up her &udi &- $n a dramatic fashion, unsuspecting onlookers race to"ards her and they can.t imagine i magine the luxury !ehicle is in fact a diesel 4he spot ends "ith the tagline 7$t.s time to rethink diesel D oin the club7 74he :tation7 appeared on primetime net"ork and cable 8213 fall programming including &gents of :6$;50, <odern Family, 4he 4he %ig %ang 4heory, 6ostages, :ons 6ostages, of &narchy and ?%A Football 4he 1*'second 7Bange7 ad demonstrates the potential to dri!e from?F5 ?e":unday _ork to ?ight Ahicago on a single tank of gas,
co!ering a range of approximately 92 miles $n the 1*'second 7Future7 ad, !ie"ers see the potential for clean diesel as today.s leading alternati!e fuel solution and an intelligent choice for those on the leading'edge &udi 40$ pro!ides dri!ers "ith 32+ better fuel economy and range "ithout compromises on performance and design $n addition to the three ne" tele!ision spots, &udi also tried to dispel the most common myths of diesel D gas station a!ailability, the smell and perception associated "ith an older generation of diesel !ehicles, "eak performance D in a series of four online !ideo shorts that "ould roll out o!er the next t"o months on the &udi _ou4ube _ou4ube channel (httpLII"""youtubecomIaudiusa httpLII"""youtubecomIaudiusa) ) 4he spots also "ill appear on 4he Washington >ost and :latecom in a custom user'generated content hub through 8213'12'31 $n addition to standard and high'impact ads, the content hub features custom !ideos, articles and infographics, along "ith rele!ant social con!ersations 4he &udi 40$ clean diesel campaign also features print ads that reinforce the message 7the future of fuel is here no" no"77 >rint ads "ould roll out in select automoti!e buff books in fall 8213 .4he :tation. ad "as premiered in Aanada in :eptember 8213 .4he :tation. (also called .4he <oment of 4ruth.) ad "as produced by enables %ell V >artners, %iscuit Film"orks, Final Aut [112][111]
[118]
[113][11=][11*]
&s part of 821= model year year &udi 40$ !ehicles launch in the /:, the .4ruth .4ruth in =@. dri!ing challenge took place from &udi >acific dealership at 5os &ngeles to ?e" _ork _ork in =@ hours or less, began at am >04 on 8213'2'29 4he Aoast'to'coast attempt used 821= &udi &- 40$ and &udi &9 &9 40$ and a 821= &udi P* 40$ crosso!er as the support !ehicle, "ith teams of eight noted hypermilers and four ournalists [11-][119] [11-][ 119]
Audi e"tron 4he next phase of technology &udi is de!eloping is the e'tron e'tron electric electric dri!e po"ertrain system 4hey ha!e sho"n se!eral concept cars as of <arch 8212, each "ith different le!els of sie and performance 4he original e'tron concept sho"n at the 822 Frankfurt motor sho" is sho" is based on the platform of the B@ and has been scheduled for limited production >o"er is pro!ided by electric motors at all four "heels 4he second concept "as sho"n at the 8212 0etroit <otor :ho" :ho" >o"er is pro!ided by t"o electric motors at the rear axle 4his concept is also considered to be the direction for a future mid'engined gas'po"ered 8'seat performance coupe 4he 4he &udi &udi &1 &1 e'tron concept, based on the &udi &1 production model, is a hybrid !ehicle "ith !ehicle "ith a range extending extending Wankel rotary engine to engine to pro!ide po"er after the initial in itial charge of the battery is depleted $t is the only concept of the three to ha!e range extending capability 4he car is po"ered through the front "heels, al"ays using electric po"er $t is all set to be displayed at the &uto ;xpo 8218 in ?e" 0elhi, $ndia, from * anuary >o"ered by a 1= litre engine, and can co!er a distance up to *= km s on a single charge 4he e'tron "as also sho"n in the 8213 blockbuster film $ron <an 3 and "as dri!en by 4ony 4ony :tark ($ron <an)
$n -ideo games
&udi B@
$n >lay:tation 6ome, 6ome, the >lay:tation 3.s 3.s online community'based ser!ice, &udi has supported 6ome by releasing a dedicated 6ome spacei spacein the ;uropean !ersion of 6ome &udi is the first carmaker to de!elop a space for 6ome Cn 19 0ecember 822, &udi released the &udi :pace as t"o spacesR the &udi 6ome 4erminal 4erminal and the the &udi ertical ertical Bun 4he &udi 6ome 4erminal features an &udi 4 channel deli!ering !ideo content, an $nternet %ro"ser feature, and a !ie" of a city 4he &udi &udi ertical Bun is "here users can access the mini'game ertical Bun, a futuristic mini'game featuring &udi.s &udi.s e' [11@]
tron concept >layers collect energy and race for the highest possible speeds and the fastest players earn a place in the &udi apartments located in a large to"er in the centre of the &udi :pace $n both the 6ome 4erminal 4erminal and ertical Bun spaces, there are teleports "here users can teleport back and forth bet"een the t"o spaces &udi has stated that additional content "ill be added in 8212 [11]
See also
