Where is Audi assembled: concern factories and assembly features. Audi cars: localization of assembly plants and production features Assembling "Audi" in Russia

Audi was founded in 1910 by a young engineer August Horch. This was his second attempt to start his own business: the first company, Horch & Co, was founded back in 1899. However, in 1909 he was forced to leave Horch & Co by a court order. The reason was the disagreement with the partner-creditor.

Horch's new company, founded in the town of Chemnitz, at first, like the previous one, bore his name. When the city authorities found out about this, the court gave the new firm a different name, "Audi". Some sources claim that it was invented by one of Horch's business partners. He simply suggested using the same word, "Horch" (which means "listen" in German), but in the Latin version - "Audi".

The Audi logo features four silver rings. They symbolize the merger of four companies - DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer - which took place in 1932 into the Auto Union auto concern. At first, the Audi emblem was installed only on cars intended for racing, and on production models there were nameplates - specially made plates.

Major milestones in the company's development

In 1911, the debut car - Audi B, first took part in the race for the Alpine Cup in Austria, and in 1912–1914, an improved version of this model again participated in the Alpine Cup and has already achieved very solid success. Thanks to this, the car received the name Alpensieger - "conqueror of the Alps".

In 1921, Audi introduced the first left-hand drive car - a kind of breakthrough at the time. The production of front-wheel drive cars also became an innovation: in 1931 Audi showed the world the DKW F1, an inexpensive and compact car.

By the mid-1930s, after the merger of the four companies, Audi became the second largest car manufacturer in Germany. In 1934, in order to increase the authority and recognition of the Audi brand, it took part in the most prestigious Grand Prix racing. Over the next years, the Silver Arrow cars won prizes in races and championships around the world, setting a huge number of records.

In 1945, the factories of the company, which were located in the zone occupied by Soviet troops, were dismantled, and the company itself was subject to deletion from the Chemnitz Trade Register. Shortly before the end of the war, the Audi leadership was evacuated to Bavaria. The first attempts to restore the concern began there. At the end of 1945, the Auto Unuion auto parts warehouse was built. It took four years before the company's production was restored. In the late 1950s, the revived concern was again registered in the city register.

In 1964, the company became part of the Volkswagen Group. In the beginning, Volkswagen didn't want Audi to make its own car models. But Ludwig Kraus, the head of the design department, decided to secretly develop a new Audi model. The result was a legendary one that was a great success. So the company retained its right to individuality.

In 1974, Ferdinand Piech took over the design department. Under him, the company reached unprecedented heights. Audi was the first in the world to start producing cars with permanent four-wheel drive. In 1985, the Audi headquarters was relocated to Bavaria again. Audi's subsequent success was driven by a number of technical innovations. Among them - full galvanized bodywork, the use of turbocharged gasoline engines and fuel efficient diesel engines with direct injection technology, hybrid drive, heavy-duty eight- and twelve-cylinder engines.

Interesting facts, technology and motorsport

Audi was the first company to carry out (starting in 1938).

The Audi 80 was initially marketed in North America under the Audi Fox name and later as the Audi 4000.

The Audi concern became the first automaker to create its own virtual world on the PlayStation Home resource. Visitors can enjoy excursions in the virtual space of Audi Space and the opportunity to participate in the Vertical Run race.

Audi cars won the prestigious Le Mans 24 race three times in a row - in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In honor of this huge success, the Audi Le Mans quattro sports concept was unveiled in Frankfurt in 2003.

Key models in the history of the brand

- one of the most popular cars of the 20th century. The total volume of cars produced is more than 4 million copies. The model was produced for 30 years - from 1966 to 1996. Initially, the car was made on the same platform as the Volkswagen Passat. In 1987, a new generation of Audi 80 appeared on the B3 platform, which no longer had anything in common with Volkswagen. The body of the B3 was fully galvanized to provide such high protection against corrosion that Audi extended the warranty period from 8 to 12 years. Galvanized bodies are also used to build current Audi models.

The Audi Quattro is the company's first rally car. Thanks to innovations in the rules that allowed the use of four-wheel drive vehicles in competitions, Quattro was able to participate in races. The car won two competitions in a row.

Development of the famous began in September 1994 in California. The first concept car was shown at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. The next modification of the model, the Audi TT Coupe, was demonstrated by the developers to the visitors of the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005. The new TT was much lighter than the previous one thanks to a combination of aluminum and steel materials.

The company started producing the crossover in 2005. The first copy was seen by critics at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The E-platform model is based on the 2003 Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept.

Audi A3 – family class hatchback. In 1996 - 2003, the first generation was produced, from 2003 to 2012 - the second. More recently, the third generation of the compact car has appeared and quickly became popular in European countries. The Audi A3 has won many different awards.

Audi in Russia

One of the first Audi to appear in Russia was the Audi 80 B3. The famous "barrel" with the 89th body quickly became popular due to its simple design: motorists, who were well versed in front-wheel drive VAZs, could easily change parts for Audi. Some even modernized their foreign cars, replacing parts with domestic counterparts. They fell in love with Audu 80 in Russia and for the high strength of the suspension - the car with unprecedented agility for a foreign car conquered domestic roads.

Today Audi does not give up its position as the leader in sales of premium cars in the domestic market. From January to August 2012, 22,292 copies were sold, a 41% increase over 2011 figures. But these cars are not stolen so often: according to statistical data for Russia for 2010-2011, the Audi brand did not even make it into the top twenty. Our most popular models today are the Audi A3 Sportback, Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi Q3, Audi Q5 and Audi Q7.

In 2001, Audi opened the Quattro Driving School in Russia. This is the first school established by a foreign car manufacturer in Russia. Throughout its existence, the Quattro school has been very popular among our compatriots: over 11 years, more than 16 thousand private and corporate clients have been trained.

Audi was the official sponsor of the Russian national team at the XXX Summer Olympic Games 2012 in London. The concern has provided 129 vehicles as prizes for Russian athletes. The executive A8 models won gold medals, the silver medalists were awarded the keys to the A7 Sportback, and the bronze winners were awarded the elegant A6. Also, Audi was selected as the official partner of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

Today Audi is one of the most famous companies in Europe, which has been producing non-commercial passenger cars for about 100 years. The history of Audi is very interesting and eventful. In 1910, the company was founded by August Horch, who had by that time been a shareholder of the company named after him (Horch Werke), but due to internal disagreements had to leave it. Horch didn't have to think long about how to name the new company. His surname translates from German as "listen", which is why he decided to use its Latin version

After the founding of the company, the designers began to actively work on its activities, which were associated with the production of cars. The history of the Audi brand began in 1910, when the company produced the first car created by Horch and his employees, the Audi-A. The history of the creation of the car "Audi A" is unknown. Over the next few years, the company gained a lot of popularity in Germany, producing several more cars. In 1911, in a major competition that took place in Austria, the Audi-B car was even able to win. Each version of Audi became more powerful, more solid and more beautiful.

However, the glory of the company's developments was the release of Audi-K and Audi-M cars in the 20s of the last century. And if the first, with a 50-horsepower 2.1-liter engine, was very popular among the citizens of Germany and Europe, then the second, with a 6-cylinder 4.7-liter unit installed on it, was at that time one of the fastest cars in the world, developing a speed of 120 km / h. That is why the price of Audi-M did not allow an ordinary middle-class citizen to buy a luxury car.

History of creation and development.

Audi (Audi), a German company specializing in the production of passenger cars. Part of the Volkswagen concern. The headquarters is in Ingoldstadt.

The Audi company was founded in 1909 by August Horch. Its roots go back to the now defunct, but no less famous in the past company Horch ("Horch"), which shone in the German sky during the Third Reich. In 1899, the talented inventor August Horch founded Horch and Company in Mannheim, which moved to Zwickau four years later.

In 1909, he built a very unsuccessful new 6-cylinder engine, which almost brought the company to the brink of bankruptcy, which greatly outraged his partners, who decided to deal with the zealous inventor and expel him from their own company. But Horch immediately founded another company nearby, which, of course, also bore the name “Horch”. His former partners, sensing a strong competitor in the young firm, filed a lawsuit against Horch demanding to change the name of the firm.

According to the decision of the court, the new enterprise for the production of cars could not bear the name Horch, and August Horch turned to the Latinized version of the previous name: the word horch, meaning “listen” in German, became audi. So in 1909 the famous trade mark and no less famous company "Audi" was born.

The first car called Audi-A was produced in 1910. The Audi-B model followed the next year. Horch exhibited three of these cars in June 1911 at the first Auto Alpenfart races in the Austrian Alps, about 2500 km long, which replaced the famous runs for the prize of the German Prince Heinrich.

In 1912, the most famous model appeared - the Audi-S. In the same year, its first samples passed a serious test at the next Alpine races and achieved good results, for which the cars of the C series began to be called "Alpenziger" or "Conqueror of the Alps".

In the 1920s, Audi was on the brink of bankruptcy. She had to merge with another firm.

In 1928 the company was acquired by the German DKW (DKW), and Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen became the owner of Audi.

In 1932, the economic crisis prompted a number of German firms to create the Auto Union concern ("Auto Union"). It includes, along with DKW and Wanderer ("Wanderer"), former rival firms Horch and Audi. The concern released two models equipped with front-wheel drive and Wanderer engines. Cars sold well until the start of World War II.

After World War II, Audi and other Auto Union partner firms were nationalized. They were transformed into a division of the Association of People's Enterprises for the Production of Cars.

In 1949, Auto Union was reformed by attracting a majority of the shares of Mercedes-Benz (Mercedes-Benz).

In 1958, Daimler-Benz AG acquired a controlling stake in Auto Union, but then sold them to Volkswagen. After the transfer in 1965 of a controlling stake to Volkswagen ("Volkswagen"), the name Audi was again used. Shortly after this event, a new front-wheel drive car was launched, and by the end of 1968 Audi was back on the market with a good range of models and excellent sales statistics. Four circles have been retained as the emblem, symbolizing the merger of the four companies in 1932.

The "100", which appeared on the market in 1968, and its successors, including the famous Audi Quattro, featured a sporty profile and four-wheel drive, which was a new milestone in the German automotive industry. It was the Quattro model, which appeared in 1980, that gave a powerful impetus to the development of the automotive industry and brought Audi, a Volkswagen subsidiary, worldwide fame. It was a light, fast Gran Turismo with excellent stability, a type of rally car. It was difficult for competitors to compete with this rally Quattro. The model has performed exceptionally well in several auto races.

In 1969, Volkswagen bought the Neckarsulmer Automobilwerke (NSU Automobile Plant in Neckarsulm). As a result, the name of the company changed, the company became known as Audi NSU Auto Union, and in the summer of 1985 the name of the company was transformed again into Audi AG.

Since 1970, extensive export of Audi to the United States began. At first, exports to the US were limited to the Audi Super 90 (sedan and station wagon). as well as the new Audi 100.Since 1973 they were joined by the Audi 80. which, unlike the European version, existed as an Audi 80 station wagon (in fact, a VW Passat Variant with a higher equipment level). Later, Audi models received their own designations in the US market: Audi 4000 for the Audi 80. Audi 5000 for the Audi 100. However, repeated cases of manufacturer liability violations for their products since the mid-1980s led to a decline in Audi shipments to the USA.

In 1980, the all-wheel drive sports coupe attracted a lot of attention at the Audi booth at the Geneva Motor Show. For the first time, an all-wheel-drive, high-performance passenger car was offered as an Audi quattro with an all-wheel drive concept, which until now has only been used in trucks and SUVs. The idea of \u200b\u200bsuch a passenger car arose in the winter of 1976/77 during test drives on the VW Iltis SUV being developed for the Bundeswehr. The excellent behavior of this car when driving on ice and snow led to the idea of \u200b\u200bintroducing the VW Iltis all-wheel drive in the serial Audi 80. An increased power option was also developed - a five-cylinder 2.2 liter turbo engine with 147 kW / 200 hp, presented in the fall of 1979. from.

In 1982, the Audi 80 quattro launched the large-scale production of permanent all-wheel drive. Gradually, the quattro concept was also offered for other Audi model series.

On the basis of the Audi 80, a sports coupe (Audi Coupe) was produced, which debuted at the end of 1993. The cabriolet version was first presented in Geneva in 1991. This veteran of the Audi family was discontinued in mid-2000. Since 1992, they have produced about 72 thousand pieces.

In December 1990, the new Audi 100 (internal designation C4) was presented, which for the first time in the company's history was also offered with a V-shaped six-cylinder engine. The compact (128 kW. 174 hp) powerful unit with an engine displacement of 2.8 liters was the shortest and lightest in its class.

The Audi A4 is the successor to the Audi 80 from 1986-1994. It was first presented in October 1994. In 2001, the A4 Avant station wagon and the A4 Cabrio coupe-cabriolet were released, which will receive a folding hardtop (like the Mercedes-Benz SLK) and, obviously, will be assembled at the Karmann plant.

Audi A8 flagship of the Audi lineup was first shown in February 1994

In May 1994, the public was presented with a five-seater RS2 Avant with a 2.2-liter 315-horsepower turbo-injection engine.

The Audi A3 is based on the Golf IV platform. The first show of the model took place in June 1996. Production of the Audi A3 began in 1997.

The Audi A6 was first presented as a sedan at the Geneva Motor Show in 1997. In February 1998, the A6 Avant was introduced with a station wagon. All models of the C4 platform were discontinued in the summer of 1997 in connection with the development of the completely new A6 (4B-type).

From the moment the concept Audi A2 was shown in the fall of 1997, to the start of mass production (early 2000) of the A2 model, a little more than two years passed. This is how Audi has a new family of passenger cars in the European size class B.

AUDI S4 / S4 Avante / RS4, high-performance sports modification of the Audi A4 with 2.7-V6-Biturbo engine. It was first presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1997. In 1999, a modification of the RS4 Avante with a 2.7-V6-Biturbo engine (380 hp) was presented.

In the fall of 1996, the S6 / S6 Avant “sports” configurations appeared.

The Audi TT sports car with a coupe body was first presented in Geneva in September 1998, with a roadster body in August 1999. The prototype model was presented at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show.

AUDI S3, a sports modification of the Audi A3 with a 1.8 20V turbocharged engine and an all-wheel drive transmission with high power. It was first introduced in March 1999.

AUDI S8, high-performance sports version of the Audi A8 with 4.2 V8 engine and all-wheel drive. It was first shown in early 1998.

The Audi Allroad, an off-road model based on the A6 Avant, was first introduced in February 2000.

Currently, Audi, which is part of the Volkswagen concern, is experiencing a boom. Such success became possible thanks to new developments of the company.

The history of the creation of Audi - M

Audi-M replaced the Audi-K model. It was on this car that the "Audi unit with the globe" logo was first used. The engine, as before, used a six-cylinder with a working capacity of 4700 cc. see and he had a capacity of 70 horses. The crankshaft had 7 bearings, the camshaft was removed to the top. The cylinder block was assembled from an aluminum alloy. The brake system was equipped with a vacuum booster and acted on all four wheels of the car. Note that the maximum speed of this car reached 120 km / h.

1928 is a very important, one might even say, a turning point in Audi, the history of the German company will refer to it more than once. It was then that the first car of the completely new "R" series appeared on the German market, which had an engine unsurpassed at that time. The popularity of the Audi-R had no boundaries, since this car was first equipped with an 8-cylinder unit, the volume of which was 5.0 liters.

But even creating such a popular model did not help the company avoid bankruptcy. The financial situation worsened every day, so August Horch was forced to sell his brainchild to DKW. And four years later, Audi, DKW and Horch became part of the Auto Union concern. Wanderer has also joined these companies.

The war hit the German economy hard and bankrupted many companies that operated in the state. However, the Auto Union concern was one of the few exceptions, even despite the fact that in the early 50s, the corporation, which was on the verge, was acquired by one of the then largest automobile concerns in the world, Daimler-Benz AG. And the history of Audi has moved on to a new stage.

It would seem that the prospects for Auto Union became visible, but already in 1965 the concern was gone. Daimler-Benz AG sold a controlling stake in Volkswagen Corporation, after which Auto Union regained its former name - Audi. Since then, the history of the creation of Audi has lost its independence.

History of the car Audi 100

The model was first shown to the public in early 1990. This car is also known as the C4 model. It was here that the V-shaped six-cylinder engine celebrated its debut. The small (128 kW. 174 hp) powerful 2.8-liter engine was the smallest and lightest in its range.

In the future, Audi conquers the United States market. In 1970, an active export of cars produced under the "flag" of the company founded by August Horch began. However, in the middle of the next decade, the level of car deliveries to the United States declined, after which the company produces cars exclusively for the European market.

After the release of the first production cars "60", "75", "80" and "100", which managed to gain popularity all over the world in the 70s of the twentieth century, the designers of Audi concentrated on the development of the Audi Quattro. All-wheel drive modifications of this car, actively created in the 80s of the last century, were not only popular in Europe, but also won various competitions more than once.

History of the car Audi A4

AUDIA4 is a middle class car with a longitudinal engine. Equipped with a front or all wheel drive system. Became the heir to the Audi 80, which was produced from 1986-1994. The debut of the new Audi A4 family took place in the fall of 1994, and serial production began in November. The body is made in a more rapid shape with a rounded roof design characteristic of the new VW-Audi style. The salon is quite comfortable and has a bright unique design.

In 2002, the divisions of world renowned automakers Lamborghini and SEAT became part of the Audi AG corporation, thanks to which the popularity of the products manufactured by the German automotive giant has significantly increased. The fans of the Audi AG concern could not be happy with the acquisition of Lamborghini, as they dreamed of acquiring a reliable sports car that is distinguished by true German quality.

Today, the main production facilities of Audi AG are concentrated not only in Germany, but also in several other countries. For example, in the Bosnian Sarajevo, in the Slovak Bratislava, as well as in the Hungarian Gier.

The number of Audi models that pleasantly surprise the public is increasing every year. A2, A3, A4, and A6 shocked motorists. Many became fans of the concern after the release of the S3, S6 and S8. Well, the most sophisticated potential buyers took great pleasure in the appearance on the market of the all-wheel drive Audi Q7 SUV, the Audi Allroad crossover, as well as the updated coupe Audi TT and Audi R8. By the way, the history of Audi models is very interesting, and Audi R8 is a legend car!

The novelties of the Audi company of the 2000s are falling in love not only with Europeans and Americans, but also with representatives of Asia, including the Japanese. Why isn't this a justification for the rapid development of the corporation? New developments of the company, combined with unrivaled production capacity and high professionalism of employees, are the best weapons that help Audi AG to rapidly conquer the modern automotive market in the world.

History of the Audi logo

I think everyone knows what the logo of the German brand looks like, but who knows what the four rings on the Audi emblem mean? And they talk about the merger of 4 companies - "Audi Werke", "August Horch Automobile Werke", DKV and "Wanderer", the merger of which took place in 1934. Initially, the Audi emblem was installed exclusively on racing models. And serial samples were decorated with their own unique nameplates.

This now world famous company was born in 1910 by a court decision. The case was pending against August Horch by his former colleagues at Horch. As a result of disagreements with partners, the wayward Horch was forced to leave his own company, which he founded in Zwickau in 1899. After some time, he created a new company in the same city, naturally, giving it his name. Two firms with the same name existed for a short time in one small town: by a court decision the second was given a new name Audi, which in Latin means the same thing as Horch in German - "listen".

The first Audi was equipped with a 4-cylinder 2,612 cc engine, similar to Horch's earlier designs for Horch. But soon it was followed by new motors with a working volume of 3562, 4680 and 5720 cm3. All had so-called symmetrical valves: the inlet was at the bottom, and the outlet was strictly above it "upside down".

The persistence with which August Horch presented his cars to various competitions was rewarded only in 1911, when his Audi B with a 2.6 liter engine in the race for the Alps Cup in Austria covered the entire distance without penalty points. Taking into account all the shortcomings of the "B" series in 1913, a new model Audi C was developed, equipped with a 4-cylinder 3.5-liter engine, in which the crankshaft rotated on three bearings and was slightly offset to the side of the cylinder axes. The conventional tapered clutch had a leather friction surface. The wooden body on a chassis with a base of 2900 or 3200 mm was open with an elongated and pointed rear end, which, according to its creators, provided better streamlining and imparted a swift appearance. In 1912-1914, this car achieved significant success in the competition for the Alpine Cup. This is why he is known as the Alpensieger - "The Conqueror of the Alps".

Before the war, another small car of the "8/28" type with an engine of 2071 cm3 was created, which continued to be produced after the establishment of peace. But the most popular in the 1920s was the 50-horsepower "Audi-K" with an overhead valve engine of 3.5 liters. The first 6-cylinder was the Audi-M, produced in 1924. Its working volume was 4655 cm3, and the camshaft was moved up for the first time. The crankshaft had 7 bearings, and the cylinder block was made of aluminum alloy, although the cylinder liners remained steel. The overhead camshaft directly acted on the valve stems. The brakes of all wheels were equipped with a vacuum booster. The maximum speed of the car reached 120 km / h.

The first 8-cylinder 4872 cm3 engine appeared in 1928 in the "R" series car, which received the big name Imperator. It turned out to be the last of Audi's own construction, which was soon taken over by another car company, DKW.

DKW in Audi history

Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen, the founder of DKW, decided not to create his own engines for the new Audi range, but bought all its equipment and developments from the ruined American company Rickenbacker. The next Audi models appeared in 1929. These were 6-cylinder Dresden and 8-cylinder Zwickau. In 1931, the light model "P" on the DKW chassis with a 4-cylinder Peugeot 1122 cm3 engine entered the Audi range.

In 1932, 4 German companies DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer merged into the Auto Union automobile concern. The first collaboration for Audi was the Front-wheel drive Front series with a 2257cc Wanderer 6-cylinder OHV engine, followed by the rear-wheel drive Audi 920 with a Horch 6-cylinder 3281cc engine.

History of Audi Front

The front-wheel-drive Audi Front became the "collective product" of all the Auto Union companies: the idea of \u200b\u200bfront-wheel drive for mass cars belonged to the founder of DKW Rasmussen, its 6-cylinder engine was developed by Wanderer and produced by Horch, and the finished car bore the Audi brand. Despite the difficulties of mastering the new design, the car worked well and was produced until 1938. The front suspension was wishbone and transverse leaf spring and in many ways resembled the Alvis design. Unlike most front-wheel drive subcompact cars, the Front belonged to the middle class. The vehicles were equipped with various multi-seat bodies and developed a speed of over 105 km / h. At the 1937 Berlin Motor Show, the elegant three-seater sports version of the Front was presented.

After the war, the territory of Germany, where the city of Zwickau was located, became part of the GDR. The former Audi plant was nationalized and the equally famous Trabant cars were produced there. The Audi brand temporarily disappeared as after the war Auto Union produced only DKW vehicles. Only in 1957 did the only model appear under the name Auto Union 1000. The next year Auto Union came under the control of Daimler Benz, and in 1964, when the transition to front-wheel drive cars was planned, it became the property of the Volkswagen concern. In 1965, the Audi brand was revived. At the Frankfurt Motor Show, a front-wheel drive Audi 1700 was shown with a highly efficient engine developed by Daimler Benz, with a compression ratio of 11.2 and a power of 72 hp.

History of the merger of Auto Union and NSU. Renaming to Audi

In 1969, Auto Union and NSU merged - the new company became NSU Auto Union. The last organizational change came in 1984 when the NSU Auto Union was renamed simply Audi.

Curious things have happened throughout the firm's 104-year history. So, after its absorption by the Volkswagen concern in the mid-60s, the brand almost disappeared altogether: they decided to throw the entire potential of Audi on the mass production of "beetles". And only the successful development of our own model - secretly from the management of the concern - allowed to preserve the Audi identity.

Recent history of Audi

The latest period in the history of the company covers the last quarter of a century. After joining Volkswagen, for many years, Audi was perceived in Germany as an ordinary national brand. This continued until the early 80s, when cars with four rings on the radiator again began to stand out with innovative solutions. The quattro all-wheel drive versions, created in 1980, have repeatedly achieved success in international rallies, which has brought the Audi brand a high reputation.

Engineer Ferdinand Piech was the initiator of the production of all-wheel drive cars Audi (Ferdinand Piech), who considered this process as natural as the transition from installing brakes only on the rear wheels to brakes on all wheels. The advent of mass-produced all-wheel drive Audi is considered a revolutionary stage in the development of the automotive industry. The basis for the all-wheel drive modifications were standard vehicles with front-wheel drive. In the block with the gearbox, a transfer case with a differential was installed, which distributed the torque almost equally to both axles. At first, there was also a mechanism for enabling or disabling the rear drive. The first all-wheel drive Audi were designed primarily for sporting events, where the reliability of new designs could be tested. They were powered by powerful turbocharged 5-cylinder engines. Influenced by the all-wheel drive Audi, a new direction was laid in the creation of production cars for both sports and ordinary use.

Today's brand image is based on four principles: the use of high technology, emotionality, sportiness and global ambition. Each of them performs a specific task, and together they all pursue the main goal: in the next five to six years, at least double sales, equal in terms of global sales and perception with the main competitors - BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

However, at the headquarters of Audi AG, these principles are also called tools, with the help of which quite specific tasks of capturing markets are solved. So, the company was the first to make all-wheel drive in a sedan, and this attracted new customers: if in 1995 about 50 thousand of such models were sold, then in 2002 - four times more. For almost seven years, Audi was the only one to use direct fuel injection on diesel engines. This made it possible to reduce the noise of the engine, increase the environmental friendliness and speed of cars. As a result, the sales of such machines in the same seven years grew from 100 thousand to 300 thousand per year. And the production of large series of cars with aluminum bodies in general influenced the development of the entire world auto industry.

They made a bet on the brand's emotionality when they moved away from the image of a mass machine. “In the premium segment, the very atmosphere surrounding the customer is very important,” says Graeme Lisl, head of the department of global communication strategies at Audi AG. “When purchasing an expensive model, a person first of all buys emotions. must be done at the highest level. "

First of all, the product itself must correspond to this level: its quality, technical characteristics, design. How seriously the company takes this can be judged by the current development of the model range. Since 1995, one or two new models began to appear annually. Starting with the A4, the Germans issued the A3 and A4 Avant, the A6 business model, the A6 Avant station wagon and the TT Coupe within three years. In the next four years, the TT Roadster and the all-road Audi allroad quattro, the compact A2 and the new A4, the A8 limousine and the new A4 Avant, the A4 convertible and the second generation A8, appeared on the market. Finally, in 2003, there was a new version of the A3 model and three completely innovative concepts - Pikes Peak, Nuvolari and Le Mans, presented between January and September. This "rate of fire" is especially impressive considering that the creation of each model takes about five years and up to two billion euros.

Following the general concept of the brand, the company endows all new items with a sporty character. This is reflected in excellent dynamic characteristics, powerful engines, suspensions, cars and interior design. Moreover, in addition to the basic models, sports modifications with the S index and supersport RS are produced. The RS6, for example, is impressive: its 450 horsepower literally provokes rapid jumps and lane changes, and on the Autobahn, only the electronic speed limiter did not allow jumping out of the 250 km / h mark. But the marketing policy requires an even more aggressive nurturing of the sports spirit, and Audi actively sponsors competitions in alpine skiing, golf, sailing, and supports two famous European football clubs.

All this works on the fourth tenet of the company, which sounds like this: Audi is one of the largest players in the world market. To do this, dealer networks are expanding in various regions of the planet, joint ventures are being created to work in the promising Chinese market, and its share in Europe is expanding, where the German brand now owns 3.6% of the market. Jurgen De Grave, a business and finance specialist, tried to explain the general level of the company's aspirations with a specific example: “In the US, we sell eighty-five thousand cars a year, and BMW - a quarter of a million. We intend to first equalize our sales figures, and then displace competitors ".

Audi production

To implement such ambitious plans, the company's business must be fine-tuned like clockwork. Audi AG believes that this is the case and boldly introduces the various divisions and industries. First of all, this is the plant itself, more precisely, one of the factories, since the company produces cars at three European enterprises. One is located in Hungary, where the TT is partly manufactured. The company's engine plant also operates in Hungary, where 1.3 million engines are produced annually, of which one half goes to Audi, and the other to other brands, including Skoda and Seat. In the German city of Neckarsulm, solid models with aluminum bodies are produced - A8, A6, Allroad, as well as the "baby" A2. The Audi Security division is also based there, on which the armored business sedans A6 and limousines A8 are assembled. But the company's largest plant is located in Ingolstadt, an hour's drive from Munich. Working in three shifts, he daily produces up to 780 A3, almost the same A4 and about two hundred TT models.

However, the ownership of Audi in Ingolstadt is not limited to production alone: \u200b\u200bthey occupy almost 2 million hectares here, and this is more than the territory of the Principality of Monaco. It is here that the headquarters of Audi AG is based, designers and constructors work, the main marketing department, a large tool production and the company's technical center are located. By the way, the latter is considered one of the most advanced in the world: its aerodynamic complex allows you to "develop" a speed of up to 320 km / h, and the temperature can be lowered to -60C. Other members of the parent concern, Volkswagen and Seat, use it free of charge, German bobsledders receive the complex as sponsorship for training, but it is rented to other customers at 2,700 euros per hour.

The plant is also stuffed with all kinds of electronics. For example, the automation factor of the workshop for the production of the A4 model was brought to 83% back in 2000. For this, many problems had to be solved, including the control of robots. Different modifications of cars move along the conveyor one after another, and each requires its own set of technological operations. Therefore, a sensor with a task is attached to the body, and the electronics reads the data and controls the equipment without human intervention.

But the final assembly area is crowded: here you cannot do without human eyes and hands. Moreover, each employee also becomes a kind of controller, checking the quality of previous operations. If he noticed a colleague's mistake, he gives a signal, and the defect is instantly corrected. Every second counts - if the conveyor stops completely, a minute of downtime will cost the company 13 thousand euros.

However, the firm also takes care of its workers. For example, not so long ago, bodies were hung above the assembly line at an angle of 45 degrees - it was believed that it was more convenient for assemblers. However, the company ordered a study, and it turned out that working with a horizontally hanging body for the spine was less harmful, after which all the lines were redone at the factories. Another example: excellent parquet flooring is laid under the entire assembly line. Noticing my surprised look, the attendant explained: "Wood is not as hard and cold as concrete, and this is very important for human health."

Creativity on a schedule

The work of Audi designers for years to come is scheduled literally week by week. Until recently, Audi took 60 months to create a new model, but due to fierce competition, it now had to switch to a shorter cycle of 50 months (a little over four years). In this cycle, the schedule of work of all departments, including designers, is scheduled.

The machine begins with a document prepared by the product planning team. In accordance with the prospects of the market, it issues a terms of reference, which indicates the dimensions of the future car, body type, number of seats, basic dynamic parameters, and the level of cost. After that, within eight months, artists can offer almost anything. But with a condition: firstly, it must comply with the basic principles of the brand (innovation, sportiness, emotionality), and secondly, it must comply with the age-old traditions and style of the brand. The fact is that Audi adheres to the principle that there should be evolution in the design of the model range, not revolution.

Subsequently, from the mass of ideas, only two projects will be selected, and work on them will proceed at the next stage. Three divisions should present their sketches here - for exterior, interior and color schemes. Moreover, they have their own specialization: designers for seats, upholstery, dashboards, controls. And about 25 months after the start, the final one is selected from the two options, and somewhere in the 33rd month, a plasticine model is made on a 1: 1 scale.

By this point, designers must prepare accurate images of all details, including such small ones as buttons, instrument arrows, joints and seams. Moreover, each stroke should carry a semantic or functional load. Florian Gulden, one of Audi's designers, explains how decisions can affect people's associations. Some lines and details emphasize the stability and power of the car, others - its swiftness, and still others give a sense of security and peace.

If everything is done correctly, then 15-18 months before the start of production, an almost final version is created, which is agreed with the technologists and exhibited at one of the international car dealerships. This version is so close to the serial sample that it is even used for making dies for many assemblies and tools. However, some amendments can be made after the exhibition: the responses of the press, dealers and the public play an important role.

Audi Forum - Retail Holidays

The huge Audi AG complex in Ingolstadt is an excellent example of business development in line with the outlined strategy. Having decided to promote a prestigious brand, the company has done its best to ensure that customers "buy" those very positive emotions here. And next to the factory floors, she erected an Audi Forum - a special customer center. In 1992, it was opened by the legendary Ferdinand Pich, who was then the head of the Volkswagen concern, but who remembered well the beginning of his automotive career at Audi AG.

Now the Audi Forum includes a museum of the company, a restaurant, offices, shops of auto accessories and company paraphernalia. However, its main part is a huge, stadium-sized, branded hangar, which has become the prototype of modern Audi dealerships. It was in it that such standards of the brand's showrooms were laid as a large amount of light and air, the use of special anti-reflective mirrors and projectors, the creation of comfortable areas for customers. “All of this has one goal - to create an atmosphere of celebration, a memorable event,” says employee of the center Günter Gerlich. “Each client should feel their significance and exclusivity. Every day we release up to two hundred and eighty new cars of all company models from this center. not only Germans, but also residents of other European countries. "

The most curious thing is that Audi Forum does not sell cars - dealers accept orders and payments for them. And in Ingolstadt you can only get the car itself. But how is it done! On the appointed day, the buyers arrive at the company. And while the car is being prepared for delivery, the clients get acquainted with the museum, they are taken to the factory workshops, and they are fed at the expense of the company in the restaurant. Here you can also buy souvenirs, accessories, and even order additional equipment - sports chairs, an exclusive steering wheel or alloy wheels.

And when the time comes to receive the keys, the client will be informed about it over the speakerphone and the information will also be displayed on a light board. It shows that every quarter of an hour, another five to ten people or companies become owners of a brand new car, who also often want to turn the buying process into pleasure. After that - a small briefing by the consultant, a ceremonial start of the engine, a photo for memory - and go. Obviously, all this is in fact attractive: according to the center's staff, many clients come here for the second or even the third time, taking their wives, children, and friends with them. In general, almost a quarter of all cars of this brand sold in Germany are annually released from the Audi Forum.

History of Audi. Based on materials from: "Encyclopedia of Cars", "Expert-Auto" # 12 (55) of December 15, 2003.

The Audi A4 is a D-class sedan that appeals to both consumers and government officials. The latest generation of the model was presented this year and has not yet reached our market.

In fact, the car became an updated version of the Audi 80 and was released in 1994. Some features of its predecessor are still recognizable in it. The car has the highest production volume in the German company's lineup. In terms of the number of cars, it is in fourth place after the models of major world manufacturers.

In March 2011, the five millionth copy of the car rolled off the assembly line. But we will consider where the Audi A4 is assembled in this article.

Where is the Audi A4 assembled for the world market:

Germany, plant in Ingolstadt and Wolfsburg;

China, a plant in Changchun;

Japan, a factory in Tokyo;

Ukraine, plant in Solomonovo;

Indonesia, Jakarta plant;

India, plant in Aurangabad.

The car is delivered to Russia directly from Germany. We will talk about the characteristics of the model later.

In 2013, the Audi A4 was supposed to be assembled in Russia. SKD in Kaluga has been authorized by German manufacturers.

The fact is that in our country, from next year, officials are prohibited from buying cars that are not manufactured by us. And the fourth Audi is quite popular among politicians.

The new production was announced back in August 2012. The chairman of the corporation said that Audi A4, A5 and A6 will be assembled in Russia.

But, this year, we not only decided not to launch new production facilities, but also to close old ones. The lineup assembled in Kaluga has shrunk by three times. Now only Audi A6 and A8 are produced here. The plant's capacity allows the production of 10 thousand vehicles per year. But, how much has been released in the past 11 months of 2015 is not reported. The economic situation does not allow the plant to operate at full capacity.

The conveyor was reopened in 2013, when the company's management had an idea to increase production. All parts were supplied to us from Germany, but we only fastened them together.

Then the plant invested 570 million euros. Due to inflation, they actually disappeared.

For the first two months of this year, sales of Audi A4 in Russia decreased by 23%. The rest of the dynamics is still kept secret.

Characteristics of the Audi A4 for our market

Audi A4 for the Russian market is being modernized for the eighth time. But, this model is completely redesigned. Some motorists worried that it turned out worse than its predecessor. Let's see if this is so.

The axle suspension is much improved. To be honest, almost perfect. The motor is located in the front axle. Therefore, the hood turned out to be a little loaded. The engineers have slightly increased the wheelbase. Compared to the seventh generation, it has grown by 160 millimeters. The battery, oddly enough, was moved to the trunk.

The car has become much more manageable and stable. Now you can ride it quickly and actively. The body was branded. He got a predatory front end and aggressive bumper. The squinted front optics are perfectly combined with the trapezoidal radiator grille.

For our market, the Germans have made two modifications. We are talking about a four-door sedan and a five-door station wagon. The latter is not very popular among our consumers. But, everything is on sale - it's not bad. They also made a model similar to an SUV on the basis of the sedan.

The classic car is highly resistant to corrosion. Even if you peel off the paint a little, the metal will not rust. Passive safety for both passenger and driver received five stars in 2009. Here you can see some great LED lights that are everywhere. It looks technologically advanced, but in practice it is completely unsightly, or rather, expensive.

In the salon you can feel all the high cost and premium quality of the brand. Solid and high quality materials will not leave anyone indifferent. The parts fit very precisely and the durability of the cladding has been proven for generations. Even in the basic version, the machine is equipped quite expensively.

The central part of the front panel is turned towards the driver. The seats have developed support and a zero position of the speedometer arrows with a tachometer. The wheelbase of 2810 millimeters is suitable for all roads. There is enough space in the back seat for anyone. If you sit in the middle, then the massive floor will interfere with you. The shelf at the rear window begins to creak over time, and the power windows work with a squeak. But, these are all the shortcomings that were discovered.

Gasoline and diesel engines are presented in our market in different proportions. In gasoline units, an individual ignition coil may fail. The most popular engine is the 1.8 liter engine. But the most unclaimed 3.2-liter.

For gasoline units, the chain may stretch and the hydraulic tensioner break. This happens with runs from 70 to 100 thousand kilometers. Therefore, do not forget to control the motor. The pump of a 1.8 liter engine may leak.

Audi A4 can be front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. They are quite stable and passable. The transmission has no weak points. She's a six-speed manual. On the market, you can also find a variator or a robot. The latest dual-clutch transmission is a little weak.

The suspension of the car is similar to its predecessor. And in front and behind there is a multi-link. The chassis is energy-intensive. Stiffness settings vary, as do dampers. The four operating modes of the machine are changed by a button near the gear selector. Over time, it may become difficult to replace parts. The bolts may stop turning. We'll have to heat and drill them.

The trunk volume is 480 liters. That's a lot for a model like this. The parking brake is electric. It is turned on by a button near the gear selector.

The weak point of the car is the gasoline engine. He has chain stretching. Optics can also fail. Especially the front. LEDs burn out at the back.

In general, the advantages of the car include high safety, rich finishing materials and quality seats. Also, it is worth noting the problem-free motor and a good transmission. Stability and controllability all praise.

The price of the car is quite high. But, for a German assembly, it is acceptable. Unfortunately, optics often burn out, and the seats are folded only as an option. But, this is all insignificant, because the Audi A4 is very high quality and reliable. Therefore, if you value prestige and rich design, then you can afford it.

Thanks to their high-quality assembly, Audi cars are among the most reliable used cars. The company has a very memorable logo consisting of four rings. The competition is made up of two companies - BMW and Mercedes Benz. The feud began in 2006 with the release of a congratulatory video by BMW on the victory of the Audi car in the category "Best Car in South Africa".

History

The Audi company was born in 1909, ahead of its main competitors. The headquarters of the concern is located in Ingolstadt.

The cars currently in production were originally produced under the Auto Union brand. The rise of the company took place after the Second World War thanks to the purchase of all shares by Daimler-Benz AG. In 1964, Auto Union became a subsidiary of Volkswagen. Thanks to their joint activities, the concern has produced many iconic cars, such as the Audi-100 (popularly nicknamed the cigarette), Audi-80, Audi-Q7 and many others.

The company is still not losing ground in the automotive market, producing more and more premium cars, an example of which is the new Audi-A8.

Where is Audi assembled?

Volkswagen manages all production tasks as it is the parent company. Auto production from Germany is scattered all over the world. Today it is located in more than 10 countries.

Germany. It houses the headquarters of the company. It is the main assembly country for Audi, the center of production and design. There are more than 10 workshops, as well as engineering centers.
Argentina. Manufactures vehicles for the South American automotive market.
China. Many components are manufactured at factories in China (engine, suspension, body).
USA. The largest production and design complex is located here.
Brazil. There are five car factories for the South American Automotive Industry.
South Africa. For the African car industry, almost all models are produced here.
Slovakia. Many design work is carried out in this country.
India. Here is a production facility that produces certain models. Most of them are cheaper than German cars.

The production of cars from Germany under the Audi brand is carried out according to all the canons of German assembly. The main features and principles of the design and production of Audi cars can be distinguished:

the best quality and complete exclusion of the possibility of defective parts;
constant testing of cars for safety, passability, technical quality and much more;
production is fully automated, manual assembly is not present at any Audi plant;
production is controlled by experts with many years of experience;
the ability to choose options for interior decoration, car functionality, technical characteristics and much more;
constant development of production, adjustment to modern technologies.

Model range and prices for "Audi"

For 2018, the company produces cars of different price categories, functionality and technical characteristics. List of the latest model range and prices for "Audi":

"Audi-A7" Sportback: a sports sedan with a rounded rear end, updated optics. Popular colors: blue. The cost depends on the configuration: 4,300,000 - 5,000,000 rubles.
"Audi-RS4" Avant: the station wagon of the RS line, which received an updated design and technical components. The cost of the car is 5,400,000 rubles .;
"Audi-A8": a premium sedan, received a new interior and exterior design. The most noticeable change is the radiator grill. The price varies from 6,000,000 to 7,140,000 rubles, depending on the configuration.
Audi Q7: A premium SUV with new LED optics, a radiator grill and an updated interior. The price ranges from 3,870,000 to 5,200,000 rubles.

New cars "Audi"

To date, all Audi models are produced no more than five years, then they are replaced by new ones. The interior design has been completely redesigned in cars over the past three years. Since 2018, the interior has received more interactive touchscreen displays, as, for example, in the Audi-A8, where one display is responsible for the interior functionality, the second for navigation, multimedia, and the third for the dashboard.

Also, a new model in the RS line appeared - “Audi-RS6”, which received a matte gray design, and also became one of the most powerful and fastest cars of the “Audi” company.

The new A8 has received an updated look, interior, functionality and technical characteristics. Now this car is not inferior to premium cars of the seventh series "BMW" and S-class "Mercedes".

Also in 2019, it is planned to release a new Q8, which should be presented to the public in Germany, where Audi is assembled.

The most popular cars "Audi"

The popularity of the Audi company was brought by a lot of cars, as well as the fact that even twenty-year-old cars are reliable and serve the car owner without serious breakdowns. The most popular models were "Audi-100", "Audi-80", "Audi-Q7", as well as new models: "Audi-A8", "Audi-R8", and "Audi-RS6", which turned out not only an ordinary station wagon, but also a great sports car.

The most popular cars on the roads of Russia are "Audi-A6" 1996-2002 in the station wagon.

After an increase in demand for a coupe, "Audi" updated the A6 version, dividing it into a sedan, station wagon and a coupe, the version of the latter was called "Audi-A5".

Assembling "Audi" in Russia

Audi car production is located in many countries. In Russia, where Audi is assembled for the Russian market, there are also production workshops.

Only one model is produced in Kaluga - "Audi-Q7". Prior to this, the Russian assembly of "Audi" produced a large range of models, but production decreased due to a small demand for these cars in the Russian market, as well as due to the fall in the ruble exchange rate.

Models such as A1, P8, A8, TT and convertibles of the third and fifth versions were withdrawn from production in Russia due to new requirements of Russian legislation, according to which new cars must be equipped with the ERA-GLONASS system. But, due to the policy of Audi, this is not possible.

The Audi A4 is a D-class sedan that appeals to both consumers and government officials. The latest generation of the model was presented this year and has not yet reached our market.

In March 2011, the five millionth copy of the car rolled off the assembly line. But we will consider where the Audi A4 is assembled in this article.

Where is the Audi A4 assembled for the world market:

- Germany, a plant in Ingolstadt and Wolfsburg;

- China, a plant in Changchun;

- Japan, a plant in Tokyo;

- Ukraine, a plant in Solomonovo;

- Indonesia, a plant in Jakarta;

- India, a plant in Aurangabad.

The car is delivered to Russia directly from Germany. We will talk about the characteristics of the model later.

In 2013, the Audi A4 was supposed to be assembled in Russia. SKD in Kaluga has been authorized by German manufacturers.

The fact is that in our country, from next year, officials are prohibited from buying cars that are not manufactured by us. And the fourth Audi is quite popular among politicians.

The new production was announced back in August 2012. The chairman of the corporation said that Audi A4, A5 and A6 will be assembled in Russia.

The conveyor was reopened in 2013, when the company's management had an idea to increase production. All parts were supplied to us from Germany, but we only fastened them together.

Then the plant invested 570 million euros. Due to inflation, they actually disappeared.

For the first two months of this year, sales of Audi A4 in Russia decreased by 23%. The rest of the dynamics is still kept secret.

Characteristics of the Audi A4 for our market

The trunk volume is 480 liters. That's a lot for a model like this. The parking brake is electric. It is turned on by a button near the gear selector.

The weak point of the car is the gasoline engine. He has chain stretching. Optics can also fail. Especially the front. LEDs burn out at the back.

Pre-war history of "Audi"

Audi-A was the firstborn of the new firm. It came out in 1910. The next one was Audi-B. This model raced in Austria. The track, 2.5 thousand km long, passed through the Alps. In 1912 in Auto Alpenfart (as the Austrian races were called) the Audi-S proved itself to be excellent. This model was later called "Alpenziger", which means "Conqueror of the Alps".

Financial problems began with the company in the twenties. First she merged with the other, then both became the property of Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen. The same problems forced small manufacturers to create the Auto Union concern in 1932. It included, among others, both companies created by Horch. True, by this time he himself had not been involved in production for a long time (since 1916).

The concern produced two front-wheel drive models equipped with Wanderer motors. They were in demand and sold well until the war broke out.

Audi after the war

The Auto Union concern was nationalized at the end of the war. A major reform took place in 1949, when the main rights of Auto Union were transferred to Mercedes-Benz. Then the controlling stake was transferred from one firm to another several times. The Audi brand disappeared for several years.

The Audi name reappeared only in 1965, when Volkswagen took over the ownership of the shares. Four circles, assigned by Audi since the merger of the four firms (1932), flaunt on the hoods of all models of this car.

By 1968, Audi was introduced to the markets in a wide range. Its sales have grown steadily.

Being a "daughter" of the famous Volkswagen, Audi has gained worldwide fame largely thanks to the "Audi Quattro" model. This car had a "sporty appearance" and four-wheel drive. It was distinguished by its lightness, speed and amazing stability. Few people could compete with the Quattro, which was confirmed by the results of several car races.

Since 1958 the company has been called Audi AG. The German car manufacturer is part of the Volkswagen Group, one of the world's most powerful concerns.

The production of cars is increasing from year to year. Since the 10th year of our century, it has exceeded 1 million pieces.

Audi's lineup is very extensive. It is represented by executive cars, racing cars, supercars and crossovers.

Due to its excellent technical characteristics, Audi is very popular, including in Russia. It should be noted that not only new cars are in demand here. The sale of the model is also excellent at secondary car markets. And to especially ardent fans of German cars, you can recommend special gadgets for your computer, such as a Mercedes flash drive.

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Interesting facts, technology and motorsport

Audi was the first company to conduct crash tests (starting in 1938).

The Audi 80 was initially marketed in North America under the Audi Fox name and later as the Audi 4000.

Audi cars won the prestigious Le Mans 24 race three times in a row - in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In honor of this huge success, the Audi Le Mans quattro sports concept was unveiled in Frankfurt in 2003.

Key models in the history of the brand

Audi 80 is one of the most popular cars of the 20th century. The total volume of cars produced is more than 4 million copies. The model was produced for 30 years - from 1966 to 1996. Initially, the car was made on the same platform as the Volkswagen Passat. In 1987, a new generation of Audi 80 appeared on the B3 platform, which no longer had anything in common with Volkswagen. The body of the B3 was fully galvanized to provide such high corrosion protection that Audi extended the warranty period from 8 to 12 years. Galvanized bodies are also used to build current Audi models.

Development of the famous Audi TT began in September 1994 in California. The first concept car was shown at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show. The next modification of the model, the Audi TT Coupe, was demonstrated by the developers to the visitors of the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005. The new TT was much lighter than the previous one thanks to a combination of aluminum and steel materials.

The company began producing the Audi Q7 crossover in 2005. The first copy was seen by critics at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The “E” platform model is based on the 2003 Audi Pikes Peak quattro concept.

Audi in Russia

Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer within the Volkswagen Group, specializing in the production of cars under the Audi brand. The headquarters is located in Ingolstadt (Germany).

The history of Audi AG is closely connected with the name of August Horch.

August Horch was born on October 12, 1868 in the village of Winningen in the Moselle valley in the family of a blacksmith. At first he was trained in his father's profession. However, he did not show the abilities necessary for blacksmithing. And then, after several years of wandering, he began his studies at the then famous technical school in the city of Mitweida. After graduating from technical school, he qualified as an engineer and worked in various design offices in the cities of Rostock and Leipzig. He was particularly interested in the use of an internal combustion engine, which at that time was still only a shapeless mechanism.

In 1896 Horch was invited to lead the production of motorcycles at Benz & Cie in Mannheim. However, Karl Benz, being the innovator of the conservative plan, did not support most of the ideas and proposals for changes in its designs. Dissatisfied with this situation, August Horch decides to organize his own business.

Together with one of the shareholders, he founded the Horch & Cie company in Cologne in 1899. Along with the provision of services for the repair and equipment of vehicles, since 1901, the company began to establish its own production of cars. However, when the available capital began to deplete, Horch, with drawings in a suitcase and ideas in his head, set off on a journey through Germany in search of money for his projects.

In Saxony, Horch found an industrialist who was interested in his ideas and was ready to finance them. Then in 1902 Horch moved with all his machines and equipment to Reichenbach, and then in 1904 to Zwickau. In 1909, disagreements arose between the shareholders, and August Horch left the company. Still, his thirst for activity was not broken. With the help of his friend Franz Fickencher, a respected entrepreneur from Zwickau, he soon founded a new car company. The second company was also named after Horch. But this led to a lawsuit over the rights to the firm's name. August Horch lost this trial. For the young firm, it was necessary to find a new name. What is the name of the company?

Horst Fickencher (grandson of Horst Fickencher Franz) says that there was endless debate on this issue in his grandfather's living room: “All possible and impossible proposals arose. In the adjoining room, my grandfather's three schoolboy sons also took part in the search for a name for the company. My father Heinrich, who was then 10 years old, stunned all adults with a simple solution to a difficult problem: Horen, Horchen (listen, listen) are translated from German into Latin as "audire", and the imperative form is "horch!" (listen!) - "audi!" From that day on, everyone called my father only Audi. "

It took only a few years for the new Horch cars to gain recognition. For three consecutive years, starting in 1913, the Audi team won the international route through the Austrian Alps, which was considered the most difficult test for cars at the time. With the founding of the second company, Horch's innovation phase ended. During the First World War, he took over the organizational functions, and after the war he was invited as an expert on technical issues by many representatives of the German automotive industry.

The story of the four rings
Audi's symbol - "Four Rings" - is a trademark of one of the oldest car manufacturers in Germany. It symbolizes the amalgamation of four previously independent car manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. They are the roots of modern AUDI AG.

1910-1920
At the beginning of 1909, after a legal dispute with the first Horch-Werke plants, August Horch renamed his second automobile plant Audi Automobil-Werke. When choosing a new name, Horch, who did not want to completely "yield" his own surname to his rivals, decided to use a pun. Horch means listen in German, just like audi in Latin.

In mid-1910, the plant launched the first Audi car on the market. This car had a 2.6 liter four-cylinder engine producing 22 hp.

1920-1930
In 1920, Audi Automobil-Werke AG introduced a new brand name - Audi. In keeping with the business style of the time, Lucian Bernhardt's flourish replaced the vignette-embellished Audi emblem. Now a new emblem (gold letters on a blue background in an oval) adorned the radiators of Audi cars. When in 1965 the Volkswagen concern acquired 100% of the shares of the Auto Union concern (before that part of them belonged to the Daimler-Benz concern), which also included Audi, the first post-war car with the Audi brand was produced. It entered the market with the Auto Union emblem representing the interweaving of four rings, which was due to the fact that Audi cars were produced under the Auto Union brand from 1949 to 1965. Also on the right front fender and on the rear part of the body there were emblems reminiscent of the first Audi emblem (the font was changed from the original version). This emblem was modified with the launch of the NSU product line in 1977. She got a red-brown oval instead of a blue one. Since 1982, the signature oval has also adorned the side surfaces of the fenders of cars.

At the end of World War II, all Auto Union Saxon factories were destroyed as a result of Allied air strikes, and many employees and management of the concern left the Soviet zone of occupation. All equipment that survived was dismantled and removed. Shortly before the end of the war, the company's management managed to move to Bavaria. At the end of 1945, an Auto Union spare parts warehouse appeared in Ingolstadt. But there was still a long way to go before full-fledged production. Only on September 3, 1949 the production of motorcycles and distribution trucks resumed. The company was re-registered and Auto Union GmbH appeared.

1950-1960
The first DKW passenger car after the war. After the establishment of Auto Union GmbH in Ingolstadt in September 1949 and the start of production in the same year of motorcycles and small consignment vehicles in August 1950, production of DKW, the first post-war Auto Union passenger car, began. Until the end of 1961, DKW passenger cars were produced at the Rheinmetall-Boersing AG production facility in Düsseldorf.

In April 1958, the joint-stock company Daimler-Benz AG bought 88% of the shares of Auto Union, and a year later bought the company completely. The Ingolstadt company became its subsidiary. But the popularity of the Volkswagen Käfer model negatively affected the sales of other small cars and the financial position of the Auto Union concern, and in 1964 the company became part of Volkswagen. In 1965 it was decided to release all new models of the concern that had lost its independence under the Audi brand. In the early days after the takeover, Volkswagen did not want Audi to develop its own vehicles. They were going to produce the Volkswagen Beetle at the facilities of the enterprise. But Ludwig Kraus, who was then the head of the design department, decided to develop the model secretly from everyone. Ultimately, they found out about this in Wolfsburg, but did not interfere. The fruit of such activity was the Audi 100 middle class car, which appeared in 1968.

In 1969 Volkswagenwerk AG merged Auto Union GmbH and NSU Motorenwerke AG from Neckarsulm. The company was named Audi NSU Auto Union AG with headquarters in Neckarsulm. In 1974, a significant event took place. Ferdinand Piëch became the head of the design department.

1970-1980
At the beginning of 1970, extensive Audi exports to the United States of America began. At first, exports to the USA were limited to the Audi Super 90 (sedan and station wagon) and the new Audi 100.Since 1973 they were joined by the Audi 80, which, unlike the European version, was also produced in a station wagon. Later, Audi models received their own designations on the US market: Audi 4000 for Audi 80, Audi 5000 for Audi 100.

1980-1991
In March 1980, Audi's booth at the Geneva Motor Show was a real sensation with the introduction of a new all-wheel drive sports coupe. For the first time, a passenger car was offered with a drive concept that until now has only been used in trucks and SUVs. The idea for such a car came up in the winter of 1976/77. during test drives on the developed military off-road vehicle VW Iltis. The excellent behavior of this car when driving on ice and snow led to the idea of \u200b\u200bintroducing the VW Iltis all-wheel drive in the production Audi 80. In the same year, development work was carried out, the result of which was the creation of the sports coupe Audi quattro.

The Audi quattro made its sporting debut in early 1981 at the January rally in Austria. The new Audi was out of competition. Until 1985, no one could compete with them. And in 1986, the group "b" in which the Quattro played was closed, as the FIA \u200b\u200bmanagement considered these competitions too dangerous. This was the end of the racing career of this car.

In December 1982, serial production of the Audi quattro, a serial sports coupe with four-wheel drive and outstanding driving characteristics, was launched: Weighing about 1.5 tons, the car had a 200 hp engine, which allowed it to accelerate to 100 km / h in 7.1 seconds. In 1984, the Audi Sport Quattro became available to buyers. She had a body shortened by 300 mm with Kevlar inserts and two engine options - 220 and 306 hp. The latter accelerated the Audi to 100 km / h in 4.9 seconds. The top speed of this car reached 250 km / h. Gradually, quattro® was also offered for other Audi models.

1990-1991
In 1990, Audi AG competed for the first time in the German Production Car Championship (DTM). The winner of this season was Hans-Joachim Stuck in an Audi V8. The following year, Frank Biela was able to successfully defend the championship title while driving an Audi of the same model.

Audi with V6 engine
In December 1990, the new Audi 100 (internal designation C4) was presented, which for the first time in the history of the concern was also offered with a six-cylinder V-engine. The powerful (174 hp) power unit with a displacement of 2.8 liters was the most compact and lightest in its class. It had a new fuel injection system that provided the required high tractive effort at low revs and high power in the upper rev range.

1990-2000
At the Geneva Motor Show in March 1990, Audi AG unveiled the Audi duo, the production Audi 100 Avant quattro, in which, in addition to the conventional gasoline engine, an electric motor with rear axle drive was also installed. If necessary, the drive could be switched from a gasoline engine to an electric one. This hybrid vehicle was developed especially for use in the public utility sector.

In 1993, the Audi Group was formed, which eventually included the Hungarian and Brazilian divisions, the British Cosworth Technology and the Italian Automobili Lamborghini and the Spanish SEAT were taken over. The company is dynamically developing in most of the auto directions existing today. These are the business segment (A6), executive (A8), sports and racing cars (Audi TT, sports versions A4, supercar R8), as well as crossovers Q7, Q5 and Q3.

2005 Audi hybrid
On September 12, 2005 at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (Germany), Audi AG presented its new brainchild - the Audi Q7 hybrid SUV. The uniqueness of this car lies in the fact that it is equipped with two high-tech engines. Along with the 4.2-liter FSI V8 petrol engine, the Audi Q7 hybrid is equipped with the latest electric motor, which increases torque specifications by 200 Newton-nA-meters and power by 32 kW (44 hp).
It is hard to believe that with all this, the technical data of the car can reduce fuel consumption by an average of 13%. Optimization of energy efficiency is achieved through Audi's innovation - intelligent energy management. In addition, the integrated quattro technology provides the SUV with an impeccable performance in various road conditions.

2008 - Double victory for all-wheel drive Audi models
Two all-wheel drive Audi models won the "4-4 of the Year 2008" competition organized by the German magazine AUTO BILD ALLRAD. The new Audi A4 quattro won the car category “from 25,000 to 40,000 euros”, and the Audi R8 won in the category “all-wheel drive coupes and sports cars”. Following the G8, the second place was taken by the Audi A5 quattro.

Among other models of the German automaker, the second and third places in the category "over 40,000 euros" were taken by the Audi A6 quattro and Audi A8 quattro. The winners were awarded at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) international exhibition in Leipzig.

The VW Kaluga plant was built in November 2007 (Technopark Grabtsevo, Kaluga). In addition to Audi models, the production of VW and Skoda cars was launched at this enterprise.

German brand Audi was founded in 1909. But the history of this auto giant began in the 19th century, more precisely in November 1899, when August Horch founded the A. Horch company. In 1909, Horch left A. Horch and founded another own brand - Audi. In 1958, Daimler-Benz AG acquired a controlling stake in Auto Union (which included Audi), but then sold them to Volkswagen. Currently, the Audi brand is widely known. The company's profile is the production of expensive executive class cars. Despite the fact that this company is a subsidiary of VW, Audi has long been on a par with such giants of the executive segment as Mercedes and BMW.

The whole history of Audi

After a disagreement with the board of directors of A. Horch, August Horch left the factory he had created in 1909 and created another brand - Audi Automobil-Werke. The first Audi car appeared in 1910 and had a 2.6 liter 4-cylinder engine with 22 hp. The tenacity with which August Horch exhibited his cars in various competitions was rewarded in 1911 when his Audi B with a 2.6 liter engine covered the entire distance in the Alpine Cup race in Austria without penalty points. In 1932, 4 German companies DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer merged into the Auto Union automobile concern. This is how the famous four rings appeared. The first collaboration for Audi was the Front-wheel drive Front series with a 2257cc Wanderer 6-cylinder OHV engine, followed by the rear-wheel drive Audi 920 with a Horch 6-cylinder 3281cc engine. After the war, the territory of Germany, where the city of Zwickau was located, became part of the GDR. The former Audi plant was nationalized and the equally famous Trabant cars were produced there. The Audi brand temporarily disappeared as after the war Auto Union produced only DKW vehicles. Only in 1957 did the only model appear under the name Auto Union 1000. The next year Auto Union came under the control of Daimler Benz, and in 1964, when the transition to front-wheel drive cars was planned, it became the property of the Volkswagen concern. In 1965, the Audi brand was revived. At the Frankfurt Motor Show, a front-wheel drive Audi 1700 was shown with a highly efficient engine developed by Daimler Benz, with a compression ratio of 11.2 and a power of 72 hp. In 1969, Auto Union and NSU merged - the new company became NSU Auto Union. The last organizational change came in 1984 when the NSU Auto Union was renamed simply Audi. After 1965, the family of Audi models began to expand - by the beginning of the 70s the series "60", "75", "80" and "100" appeared. The quattro all-wheel drive versions, created in 1980, have repeatedly achieved success in international rallies, which has brought the Audi brand a high reputation. Engineer Ferdinand Piech was the initiator of the production of all-wheel drive cars Audi (Ferdinand Piech), who considered this process as natural as the transition from installing brakes only on the rear wheels to brakes on all wheels. The advent of mass-produced all-wheel drive Audi is considered a revolutionary stage in the development of the automotive industry. The basis for the all-wheel drive modifications were standard vehicles with front-wheel drive. In the block with the gearbox, a transfer case with a differential was installed, which distributed the torque almost equally to both axles. At first, there was also a mechanism for enabling or disabling the rear drive. The first all-wheel drive Audi were designed primarily for sporting events, where the reliability of new designs could be tested. They were powered by powerful turbocharged 5-cylinder engines. Influenced by the all-wheel drive Audi, a new direction was laid in the creation of production cars for both sports and ordinary use.

This now world famous company was born in 1910 by a court decision. Prosecution case pending August Horch (August Horch) by his former colleagues from the company Horch. As a result of disagreements with partners, the wayward Horch was forced to leave his own company, which he founded in the city of Zwickau in eastern Germany in 1899. After some time, he created a new company in the same city, naturally, giving it his name. Two firms with the same name existed for a short time in one small town: by a court decision, the second was given a new name Audi, which in Latin means the same as Horch in German - “ listen».

First Audi was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine of 2612 cm 3, similar to the previous designs Horch created for the company Horch. But soon it was followed by new motors with a working volume of 3562, 4680 and 5720 cm 3. All had so-called symmetrical valves: the inlet was at the bottom, and the outlet was strictly above it "upside down".
The persistence with which August Horch exhibited his cars in various competitions was rewarded only in 1911, when his Audi B with a 2.6 liter engine in the Alpine Cup race in Austria, he covered the entire distance without penalty points. Taking into account all the shortcomings of the "B" series in 1913, a new model was developed Audi C, equipped with a 4-cylinder 3.5-liter engine, in which the crankshaft rotated on three bearings and was slightly offset to the side of the cylinder axes. The conventional tapered clutch had a leather friction surface. The wooden body on a chassis with a base of 2900 or 3200 mm was open with an elongated and pointed rear end, which, according to its creators, provided better streamlining and imparted a swift appearance. In 1912-1914, this car achieved significant success in the competition for the Alpine Cup. Therefore it is known as Alpensieger - "Conqueror of the Alps".

Before the war, another small car of the type was created. "8/28" with an engine of 2071 cm 3, which continued to be produced after the establishment of peace. But the most popular in the 20s was the 50-strong "Audi-K" with an overhead valve engine of 3.5 liters. The first 6-cylinder was "Audi-M", released in 1924. Its working volume was 4655 cm 3, and the camshaft was moved up for the first time. The crankshaft had 7 bearings, and the cylinder block was made of aluminum alloy, although the cylinder liners remained steel. The overhead camshaft directly acted on the valve stems. The brakes of all wheels were equipped with a vacuum booster. The maximum speed of the car reached 120 km / h.
The first 8-cylinder engine in 4872 cm 3 appeared in 1928 on the car of the "R" series, which received the big name Imperator. She turned out to be the last design of her own Audi, which was soon taken over by another car company DKW.

Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen (Jorgen Skafte Rasmussen), founder DKW, decided not to create for the new range Audi own engines, and bought all its equipment and developments from the ruined American company Rickenbacker. Regular models Audi appeared in 1929. These were 6-cylinder Dresden and 8-cylinder Zwickau. In 1931 in the gamut Audi light model entered "R" on chassis DKW with 4-cylinder Peugeot engine in 1122 cm 3.
In 1932, 4 German firms DKW, Audi, Horch and Wanderer merged into an automobile concern Auto Union. The first result of joint work for Audi became a front-wheel drive series Front with a 6-cylinder Wanderer overhead valve engine in 2257 cm 3, followed by a rear-wheel drive Audi 920 with a 6-cylinder Horch engine of 3281 cm 3.

Front-wheel drive Audi Front became a "collective product" of all members of the concern Auto union firms: the idea of \u200b\u200bfront-wheel drive for mass-produced cars belonged to the founder DKW Rasmussen, his 6-cylinder engine was designed to Wanderer and was released on Horch, and the finished car wore a brand Audi. Despite the difficulties of mastering the new design, the car worked well and was produced until 1938. The front suspension was wishbone and transverse leaf spring and in many ways resembled the Alvis design. Unlike most front-wheel drive subcompact cars, the Front belonged to the middle class. The vehicles were equipped with various multi-seat bodies and developed a speed of over 105 km / h. At the 1937 Berlin Motor Show, the elegant three-seater sports version of the Front was presented.

After the war, the territory of Germany, where the city of Zwickau was located, became part of the GDR. Former factory Audi was nationalized and produced equally well-known cars Trabant. Brand Audi temporarily disappeared, since after the war the company Auto union produced only cars DKW. Only in 1957 did the only model appear under the name Auto Union 1000. Next year Auto union passed under the control of Daimler Benz, and in 1964, when the transition to the production of front-wheel drive cars began to be planned, became the property of the Volkswagen concern. In 1965, the brand Audi revived. Front-wheel drive was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show Audi 1700 with a highly economical engine developed by Daimler Benz with a compression ratio of 11.2 and a power of 72 hp.
In 1969, Auto Union and NSU merged - the new company became NSU Auto Union. The last organizational change took place in 1984, when NSU Auto Union was renamed to simply Audi.
Curious things have happened throughout the firm's 104-year history. So, after its absorption by the Volkswagen concern in the mid-60s, the brand almost disappeared altogether: all the potential Audi decided to throw it into mass production "Zhukov". And only the successful development of our own model - secretly from the management of the concern - made it possible to preserve the identity Audi.

We are ours, we will build a new brand.

The latest period in the history of the company covers the last quarter of a century. After joining Volkswagen for many years Audi was perceived in Germany as an ordinary folk brand. This continued until the early 80s, when cars with four rings on the radiator again began to stand out with innovative solutions. All-wheel drive modifications created in 1980 "Quattro" have repeatedly achieved success in international rallies, which brought the brand Audi high authority.
Initiated the production of all-wheel drive cars Audi was an engineer Ferdinand Pich (Ferdinand Piech), who considered this process to be as natural as going from rear-only braking to all-wheel braking. The advent of mass-produced all-wheel drive Audi is considered a revolutionary stage in the development of the automotive industry. The basis for the all-wheel drive modifications were standard vehicles with front-wheel drive. In the block with the gearbox, a transfer case with a differential was installed, which distributed the torque almost equally to both axles. At first, there was also a mechanism for enabling or disabling the rear drive. The first all-wheel drive Audi were designed primarily for sporting events, where the reliability of new designs could be tested. They were powered by powerful turbocharged 5-cylinder engines. Influenced by 4WD Audi a new direction was laid in the creation of serial cars for both sports and ordinary use.

Since then, the creation of a new brand image began, which became even more relevant by the early 90s - the fall of the European market forced the Volkswagen management to reconsider their approaches to business. Three options were considered: leave the brand Audi in the mass segment, just transfer it to the "premium" segment or swing at the "premium progressive". We chose the latter and started building our own marketing strategy Audi - after all, until then, the brand did not even have its own salons, the cars were sold together with Volkswagen models. Moreover, until 1994, the brand's lineup amazed everyone with its scarcity: it had only two cars - Audi 80 and Audi 100, which caused obvious dissatisfaction from customers and criticism of specialists.
Today's brand image is based on four principles: the use of high technology, emotionality, sportiness and global ambition. Each of them performs a specific task, and together they all pursue the main goal: in the next five to six years, at least double sales, equal in terms of global sales and perception with the main competitors - BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
However, at headquarters Audi AG these principles are also called tools, with the help of which quite specific tasks of capturing markets are solved. So, the company was the first to make all-wheel drive in a sedan, and this attracted new customers: if in 1995 about 50 thousand of such models were sold, then in 2002 - four times more. Almost seven years Audi was the only one who used direct fuel injection on diesel engines. This made it possible to reduce the noise of the engine, increase the environmental friendliness and speed of cars. As a result, the sales of such machines in the same seven years grew from 100 thousand to 300 thousand per year. And the production of large series of cars with aluminum bodies generally influenced the development of the entire world auto industry.

They made a bet on the brand's emotionality when they moved away from the image of a mass machine. " In the segment « premium» the very atmosphere surrounding the client is very important- says the head of the department of global communication strategies Audi AG Graeme Lisle. - By purchasing an expensive model, a person first of all buys emotions. He wants to feel the exclusivity of the car and attitude towards himself, so everything needs to be done at the highest level". First of all, the product itself must correspond to this level: its quality, technical characteristics, design. How seriously the company takes this can be judged by the current development of the model range. Since 1995, one or two new models began to appear annually. Starting with A4, the Germans issued A3 and A4 Avant, business model A6, station wagon A6 Avant and TT Coupe. In the next four years, TT Roadster and off-road Audi allroad quattro, compact A2 and already new A4, limousine A8 and new A4 Avant, convertible A4 and second generation A8. Finally, in 2003, a new version of the model appeared A3 and three completely innovative concepts - Pikes Peak, Nuvolari and Le Mans, submitted between January and September. This "rate of fire" is especially impressive when you consider that the creation of each model takes about five years and up to two billion euros.

Following the general concept of the brand, the company endows all new products sporty character. This is reflected in excellent dynamic characteristics, powerful engines, suspensions, cars and interior design. Moreover, in addition to the basic models, sports modifications with the S index and supersport RS are produced. RS6, for example, it is impressive: its 450 horsepower literally provokes rapid jumps and lane changes, and on the Autobahn only the electronic speed limiter did not allow to jump out beyond the 250 km / h mark. But marketing policy requires an even more aggressive nurturing of the sporting spirit, and Audi actively sponsors competitions in alpine skiing, golf, sailing, supports two famous European football clubs. All this works for the fourth tenet of the company, which sounds like this: Audi is one of the largest players in the world market. To do this, dealer networks are expanding in various regions of the planet, joint ventures are being created to work in the promising Chinese market, and its share in Europe is expanding, where the German brand now owns 3.6% of the market. The general level of the company's aspirations, business and finance specialist Jurgen De Grave tried to explain with a specific example: “ In the US, we sell eighty-five thousand cars a year, and BMW sells a quarter of a million. We intend to first equalize our sales figures, and then push out competitors».

Every motorist knows the Audi company. It received thanks to its consistent quality and original design, which admirers are all over the world. Audi's history has gone through many difficult stages that made the company what we know it today.

How it all started

Audi is a German company that produces passenger cars. The main office of the company is located in the village of Ingolstadt. The centenary history of the name and brand started in 1910, from the time when August Horch decided to register a company, the name of which he took from his last name. Horch means "to hear", which is translated from Latin. At that time, the entrepreneur was already in the position of auctioneer in one large company, but he quickly left it for personal reasons. This was the impetus to start your own business.

August's job didn't always have. In 1909, he created a 6-cylinder engine, which immediately failed in sales. This severely crippled the company, which made it nearly bankrupt. For this reason, the engineer was quickly fired, but not far away he quickly founded a new company called Horch.

Learn at a glance

Any self-respecting car enthusiast will recognize the Audi logo without mistake. The history of the logo was formed around four companies that were united into a single force. Among them were Audi Werke, DKV, August Horch Automobile Werke and Wanderer. The grand merger happened in 1934.

As the history of the badge says, at first it was installed only in racing format cars, and individual design was created for production models. This was later changed, which only attracted potential buyers.

First ideas and steps

The object of the company's enterprises was the construction of machines. Renowned engineers were hired to create the original models. Already in the first year of its activity, the Audi-A car was designed. How this model was invented is still unknown to anyone.

Job recognition

Soon, several more models were released, which immediately received recognition from motorists. Germany appreciated the merits of the new brand. So, in 1911, a big competition took place in Austria. The history of the brand remembered this year as the victory of its Audi-B model. Since then, special attention has been focused on subsequent flagships, which have gotten better every time.

The year 1912 became famous for the release of the Audi-C model. Test drive for her came at the Alpine races, where she showed quite good results, for which she was given the name "Alpenziger".

The main success of the brand took place in the 1920s, when the company acquired Audi-M and the equally famous Audi-K for sale. The first stood out with a spacious engine of 4.7 liters per 6 cylinders, and the second had 2.1 liters for the engine. This made it popular among ordinary car users. But Audi-M also managed to become one of the fastest cars of that time, because it covered 120 kilometers in 1 hour. The price corresponded to this, which was at the level of brand models.

Solution of problems

The success ended in the same 1920s, when Audi was threatened with bankruptcy. To solve this problem, the management decided to merge with another firm. Thus, in 1928, DKW acquired the company's capacity, changing the main owner to Jørgen Skaft Rasmussen.

When the big economic crisis hit in 1932, the Auto Union was decided. His task was to combine the famous and powerful brands Wanderer and DKW, as well as former competitors Audi and Horch. The result of their work was the release of two models, whose work was based on a motor from Wanderer. As the history of Audi testifies, sales have seemed quite good.

New format

With the onset of World War II, all partner companies were nationalized. They became one division that made cars. So in 1949 the company increased its scale thanks to the capacities of Mercedes-Benz. Daimler-Benz AG doubled its efficiency when in 1958 it acquired shares from Auto Union by selling them to Volkswagen. But they decided to keep the name, so the company continued to be called Audi.

After a short hiatus, in 1968 the company released a front-wheel drive car, which gave good results. With the advent of the Audi Quattro, the firm has a good chance of claiming sports class. This car gave a great leap, making it one of the best alternatives again. The vehicle was light enough and had excellent protection. The transport met the requirements for high-speed rallies, so it was able to compete with other manufacturers.

Change of leadership

In 1969 Neckarsulmer Automobilwerke bought the main shares of Volkswagen, which included Audi. The history of the creation of the company indicates that at one time the company had the name Audi NSU Auto Union, but in 1985 it returned to the classic Audi AG.

The strategy of the renewed firm was to organize sales to the United States. It happened in 1970, and the first car to go to another continent was the Audi Super 90. This station wagon immediately received support from users. Later, their ranks were joined by the Audi 80, which had slightly improved characteristics for buyers in the United States. After that, the real models received their designations in this market - Audi 80 and Audi 4000, respectively.

Back to the start

In the 1980s, some irregularities were discovered in the company, so the level of its sales fell sharply in the regions of the United States. 1980 was remembered for the launch of a large novelty on the market in the form of a sports class all-wheel drive coupe. Previously, a similar model was the Audi quattro, which used a truck drive system.

The creation of this model was indicated in 1977, when during the tests by the Bundeswehr, the flagship VW Iltis attracted everyone's attention. It had excellent driving qualities on ice and snow, so it was decided to implement such a system in the Audi 80. This model received a reinforced version with a turbo engine of 5 cylinders and 2.2 liters, the power of which produced 147 kW, or 200 horsepower.

More new products

The history of the company remembers the introduction into serial production of cars with all-wheel drive. Later, the quattro concept was offered with other Audi flagships. On the basis of this car, the sports coupe Audi Coupe, which appeared in 1993, was launched. Later it was decided to use the original body, which would complement the range. This transport remained one of the best of its kind for a long time until it was withdrawn from sales in 2000. In general, the total number of manufactured units was 72 thousand.

One of the models that the history of the brand remembered was the Audi 100. Its feature was the use of a six-cylinder V-type engine. This unit is considered the lightest among the model line. But the Audi A4 saw its buyer in 1994. In the same year, the company created the RS2 Avant, a five-seater car with a 315-horsepower turbocharged engine on an injection basis.

A little later, the famous platform of the Golf IV company laid the foundation for the flagship Audi A3. It was shown in 1996, receiving a lot of positive reviews. A year later, its serial production began. A year later, the presentation of the new flagships took place in Frankfurt am Main. The flagship Audi S4 / S4 Avante / RS4 was a striking modification for the “sports” segment at that time. He used a 2.7 V6 biturbo engine for his work, which was able to deliver 380 hp. from.

New generation

The history of the concern saw a universal body for the new flagships in 1998. To focus on the development and production of such vehicles, it was decided to discontinue production of the C4 series. Since the company in a short period of time began production of fundamentally new cars, this was the beginning of the release of a new class B family.

But 1998 was also remembered for the premiere of the Audi TT, which had a coupe-type body. He was seen in Geneva, positively accepting the novelty. A year later, the same fate befell the roadster, which was shown in Frankfurt am Main. In 1999, the sports model Audi A3 was modified, which received a turbocharged engine and an all-wheel drive type transmission. The Audi S8 is an analogue of the famous racing car, but it has a 4.2 V8 engine with all-wheel drive.

Views are changing

The year 2000 began for Audi with the premiere of the flagship Audi Allroad, which was based on the A6 Avant. In 2001, a folding roof transport was produced, which later began to be assembled at the Karmann facilities.

Today, the company's facilities are located in different countries, not just in Germany. The company tries to increase its scale and capacity every year. The lineup made it possible to satisfy the wishes of every customer, and even fans of powerful cars could choose the Audi Q7 SUV.

Among the unusual novelties, we can single out the models of the 2000s, which attracted buyers from Asian countries. Manufacturing is trying to create more and more simple and powerful development every time, which attracts new markets. Such a modern perspective allows you to make big profits and strengthen your sales position.

A special look at Audi – M

This model received special attention from the company, as it was for the first time installed with the emblem "Audi - a unit against the background of the globe". For work, a classic six-cylinder engine with a volume of up to 4700 cc was used. see Power in 70 liters. from. created comfort during the trip. Among the changes, a camshaft was noticed, which it was decided to move upward.

The technical side involved the use of aluminum for the cylinder block. Also, the designers took care of the safety of the driver, due to which the brake system was distributed immediately to four wheels. The fastest speed that the flagship could reach was 120 km / h.

How the Audi 100 appeared

This model was widely shown to buyers in 1990. It was also known as C4. It was for her that the V-shaped six-cylinder engine was first released. It is small in size, but the power of 174 horsepower was one of the best in its price range.

History of the Audi A4

Among the cars of the Audi brand in the middle class, the A4 model deserves special attention. Thanks to the use of rear and front wheel drive, steering control is improved, so in 1994 an active series production began. The company introduced a new case design, which highlighted the flagship among its peers.

Today the Audi brand is part of the Volkswagen Group. It is at the stage of recovery and growth, as the company has been enjoying high quality indicators for a long time. This creates successful sales for her, thanks to which constant development takes place.

If you are looking to buy a quality and affordable car, the Audi brand is a great choice. Throughout the history of the company, it has been actively working to improve its models and introduce new technologies. This allowed us to get a decent quality.

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One of the largest and most successful German automobile concerns has developed a chic development in recent years. Cars of the Audi brand have always been considered a premium class; under the wing of the huge Audi-Volkswagen corporation, this brand has received enormous opportunities for applying the best technologies, the most successful solutions in the technical and design part. It is with these features that the cars attract their buyers, despite the constantly growing price tags and incredible configurations, in which you can find many unnecessary parts. Audi is competing with BMW today and is also one of the main rivals of Japanese and American luxury brands. This is the fate that the current features of the corporation's growth envision.

Among the first questions asked by potential car buyers is the question of car assembly. Many people believe that all Audi models, like premium cars, are assembled exclusively in Germany. In fact, the brand has a mass of assembly plants around the world, which explains its prevalence both on the distant shores of the Atlantic and in the difficult Australian market. It is also an interesting fact that Audi cars are today officially recognized as the best purchase in the secondary market, which increases their popularity due to the confirmed quality and a huge service life. Let's take a look at the main features of the assembly of cars of this German brand.

Geographic distribution of Audi vehicles

The car companies belonging to the Volkswagen AG group are incredibly widespread throughout the world. Today it is one of the broadest geographical concerns, which successfully operates on almost all continents. In most cases, outside Germany, only SKD machines are assembled, the main production assets are located within the European country. As for Audi cars, the company offers a wide assembly geography. The largest factories outside Germany are located in North America, one of the first markets for these vehicles. In general, in the world you can find enterprises associated with Audi in the following countries:

Germany - more than ten factories of different directions and large research engineering centers;
USA - the largest assembly and production unit with its own model range and technical features;
Brazil - five factories that produce SKD for all Latin American countries;
Argentina and Mexico are two more Latin countries in which some models are assembled;
South Africa - almost the entire model range for Africa is assembled at a large plant in this country;
India and Malaysia - Asian concerns created to reduce the cost of some production processes;
China is a huge division of Audi that designs and manufactures engines, bodies and all other parts for cars in Asia;
Slovakia and Belgium - some of the engineering developments for the concern are carried out in these countries.

There are also assembly facilities for Audi cars in Russia, but they are not very common. At the Volkswagen AG plant in Kaluga, today they assemble the Audi A6, as well as the Audi A8 - the two most popular sedans in their class for the market of our country. In most cases, these machines are sold to businesses or politicians, which is why the corporation has left mass assembly in our country. The rest of the models, which were previously assembled in Russia, left our conveyors and are exported to the country from Europe. This caused a slight increase in the price of cars, but the quality increased significantly. Let's face it, the Kaluga assembly needs certain changes in the technological process. This is evidenced by the deteriorating reviews of the new popular A6 sedans.

The main assembly features of the Audi concern

The company manages to keep track of all its divisions. The concern conducts strict control of the assembly quality, which is what caused the withdrawal from Russian production of some Audi models, in particular the Q5 and Q7 crossovers. Customers expect more from the company than just decent quality. In Europe, Audi is being assembled in full, every detail of the future vehicle is subject to strict certification. It is worth noting that the corporation is actively developing technologies that will subsequently be successfully inherited by other brands of the concern. Today the main tasks and principles of the company are as follows:

the highest quality of cars, the absence of any childhood diseases in new developments;
extended testing of each technology that is introduced into the technical or functional part of the machines;
certification of each individual piece of equipment, testing and lapping of parts at the factory;
maximum automation of production even in those countries where it is more profitable to use manual labor;
assembly control, which is carried out by German experts at each plant where Audi is assembled;
a multi-stage system for choosing materials for the interior, high-quality plastic and an excellent layout;
the most modern design features, a constant competition among the best designers of the company.

Audi is one of the few brands that doesn't have one permanent design bureau. The corporation collects competitive submissions from different departments of its designers, and then selects the best developments. However, other projects do not remain idle, because the company has brands such as Volkswagen, Skoda and Seat, which are less picky about the appearance of their equipment. That is why Audi always has the best design features among the management's choice. However, this is a rather subjective field of activity, because some Spanish Seat likes much more than the classic stylish image of Audi.

New models - a chic development of technology from Audi

Not a single model lingers on the assembly line of the corporation for more than five years today. And five years for such cars can be quite a long time. Therefore, in most cases, the corporation offers an updated style of its cars even before the old design becomes irrelevant. Many potential buyers are surprised at how quickly the design line of cars is updated, but this is not too much of a concern for the picky management of the company. In 2015, the corporation presented a fairly large number of new products and restyling, the main attention of which is attracted by the following updates:

Audi RS4 Avant - a large station wagon with sporty characteristics and futuristic design, rigid suspension and powerful engines, costs from 4,700,000 rubles;
Audi RS5 Coupe - a chic sports car with incredible style and very advanced technology, the car is capable of surprising with sports dynamics and the price of 4,800,000 rubles;
Audi S6 Avant - a new model with sporty inclinations, low ground clearance and amazing dynamics, luxurious engines make the trip unforgettable, and the price is raised to 4,480,000 rubles;
Audi Q3 and RS Q3 are amazing compact crossovers with a real zeal for the future not only in design, but also in the technical part, the cars start at a price of 1,615,000 and 2,990,000 rubles, respectively;
Audi Q7 - a large crossover that has changed a generation has become the focus of the company's model range, the optimal appearance and improved technology began to cost from 3 630 000 rubles.

Don't forget about design models like the Audi TTS Coupe and Audi R8 Coupe. These are the most expensive and unique representatives of passenger cars from the German concern, which have proven their right to exist with unexpectedly high sales all over the world. The new design developments of the automobile concern are becoming even more aggressive, the company offers more and more interesting features and presents unforgettable features of the technical part of its cars. Development does not stop for a second, so next year we will look at the Audi lineup with completely different eyes. We invite you to be amazed at the new Audi technologies by watching a test drive of the 2015 Q7:

Summing up

Different views on Audi cars can provide both unexpected surprise and disappointment. Some liked the soft, flowing lines of premium sedans from the early 2000s, while others preferred the unique, edgy and aggressive design of the current generation of cars. But we can safely say that the company is growing faster than its competitors, offering more affordable models with equally fascinating technology under the hood. Also, it will not be superfluous to notice the unique developments of the corporation, which amaze the imagination with their capabilities.

It is difficult to imagine what the further development of the geography of Volkswagen AG and Audi will be. But it’s safe to say that corporate growth and expansion is inevitable. Today we see the future in the cars of this company. All European concerns try to imitate the technical and visual know-how offered by the German luxury brand. And how do you feel about the modern style and features of the development of the technical part of the Audi automobile company?

History

The Audi company was born in 1909, ahead of its main competitors. The headquarters of the concern is located in Ingolstadt.

The company is still not losing ground in the automotive market, producing more and more premium cars, an example of which is the new Audi-A8.

Where is Audi assembled?

Volkswagen manages all production tasks as it is the parent company. Auto production from Germany is scattered all over the world. Today it is located in more than 10 countries.

Germany. It houses the headquarters of the company. It is the main assembly country for Audi, the center of production and design. There are more than 10 workshops, as well as engineering centers.
Argentina. Manufactures vehicles for the South American automotive market.
China. Many components are manufactured at factories in China (engine, suspension, body).
USA. The largest production and design complex is located here.
Brazil. There are five car factories for the South American Automotive Industry.
South Africa. For the African car industry, almost all models are produced here.
Slovakia. Many design work is carried out in this country.
India. Here is a production facility that produces certain models. Most of them are cheaper than German cars.

the best quality and complete exclusion of the possibility of defective parts;
constant testing of cars for safety, passability, technical quality and much more;
production is fully automated, manual assembly is not present at any Audi plant;
production is controlled by experts with many years of experience;
the ability to choose options for interior decoration, car functionality, technical characteristics and much more;
constant development of production, adjustment to modern technologies.

Model range and prices for "Audi"

For 2018, the company produces cars of different price categories, functionality and technical characteristics. List of the latest model range and prices for "Audi":

"Audi-A7" Sportback: a sports sedan with a rounded rear end, updated optics. Popular colors: blue. The cost depends on the configuration: 4,300,000 - 5,000,000 rubles.
"Audi-RS4" Avant: the station wagon of the RS line, which received an updated design and technical components. The cost of the car is 5,400,000 rubles .;
"Audi-A8": a premium sedan, received a new interior and exterior design. The most noticeable change is the radiator grill. The price varies from 6,000,000 to 7,140,000 rubles, depending on the configuration.
Audi Q7: A premium SUV with new LED optics, a radiator grill and an updated interior. The price ranges from 3,870,000 to 5,200,000 rubles.

New cars "Audi"

Also, a new model in the RS line appeared - “Audi-RS6”, which received a matte gray design, and also became one of the most powerful and fastest cars of the “Audi” company.

The new A8 has received an updated look, interior, functionality and technical characteristics. Now this car is not inferior to premium cars of the seventh series "BMW" and S-class "Mercedes".

Also in 2019, it is planned to release a new Q8, which should be presented to the public in Germany, where Audi is assembled.

The most popular cars "Audi"

The most popular cars on the roads of Russia are "Audi-A6" 1996-2002 in the station wagon.

After an increase in demand for a coupe, "Audi" updated the A6 version, dividing it into a sedan, station wagon and a coupe, the version of the latter was called "Audi-A5".

Assembling "Audi" in Russia

Audi car production is located in many countries. In Russia, where Audi is assembled for the Russian market, there are also production workshops.

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Major milestones in the company's development

Interesting facts, technology and motorsport

Key models in the history of the brand

The history of the creation of Audi - M

History of the car Audi 100

History of the car Audi A4

History of the Audi logo

Where is the Audi A4 assembled for the world market:

Characteristics of the Audi A4 for our market

History

Where is Audi assembled?

Model range and prices for "Audi"

New cars "Audi"

The most popular cars "Audi"

Assembling "Audi" in Russia

Where is the Audi A4 assembled for the world market:

Characteristics of the Audi A4 for our market

Pre-war history of "Audi"

Audi after the war

CHANGE OF MANUAL

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MORE NEWS

NEW GENERATION

Interesting facts, technology and motorsport

Key models in the history of the brand

Audi in Russia

We are ours, we will build a new brand.

How it all started

Learn at a glance

First ideas and steps

Job recognition

Solution of problems

New format

Change of leadership

Back to the start

More new products

New generation

Views are changing

A special look at Audi – M

How the Audi 100 appeared

History of the Audi A4

Geographic distribution of Audi vehicles

The main assembly features of the Audi concern

New models - a chic development of technology from Audi

Summing up

History

Where is Audi assembled?

Model range and prices for "Audi"

New cars "Audi"

The most popular cars "Audi"

Assembling "Audi" in Russia

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