The manufacturer whose '80s slogan was, famously, "Vorsprung durch Technik" (progress through technology) remains determined to beat its Bavarian and Swabian rivals on technical grounds. Yet, paradoxically, on suspects that Audis continue to sell largely on aesthetic grounds, as the the brand continues to endure the restriction of having to use parts from the VW Group bin.

For more than a quarter-century, Audi has attempted to distance itself from its transverse-engined, front-heavy parent. In recent years, buyers have responded to Audi's sense of style and, as it continues to fill every imaginable niche with new products - from 24 derivatives in 2006 to 40 in 2010 - Ingolstadt expects its sales to grow from 900,000 in 2006 to 1.5 million by 2015 (200,000 of which in the U.S. market). Rumor has it that the company is considering U.S. production as a way of achieving this goal.

Audi achieved record U.S. sales of 90,116 vehicles in 2006, posting a profit in the market after four years of losses.

Twelve new Audis launched that year drove Audi's net income to $1.77 billion (1.34 billion euros), up 63% over 2005. As such, Audi accounted for about half of the Volkswagen Group's 2006 profit (2.75 billion euros).

The brand's planned 66% sales jump in 6 years, from 2009 to 2015, is a steep climb; and yet Audi's board is clearly unconvinced that it is enough of a challenge - or sufficiently profitable - to necessitate or justify the major investment necessary to engineer balanced, rear-wheel-drive vehicles.

That said, with the 2007 A5, Audi moved a step closer to matching the dynamism of its more illustrious domestic rivals (BMW, in particlar). Engineering boss Stefan Hardl called for the front axle to be pushed 1,200 millimeters forward, in effect moving the engine rearward to the benefit of weight distribution. The A5 has a long wheelbase for a car of this size, and carries 55% of its heft over the front axle, versus the outgoing A4's 61%.

Combine the engine-forward layout with the use of aluminum for the hood and rear bulkhead, and it's an improvement over old-era Audis' nose-heavy handling, to be sure.

"The new layout really helps the steering," remarks Hardl.

"It's more precise and direct than even the RS4, we've removed all the elasticity. The weight distribution is much better, and the car is much more eager to turn around corners."

The first indication of Audi's emergence as a premium brand, out from its VW parent, was Quattro all-wheel drive, technology which quickly became legendary across the rally stages of Europe in the '80s.

In design, too, Audi set itself apart; first, with aerodynamics, when the 100CD (named for the abbreviation of coefficient of drag) debuted in early-80s as the most aerodynamic sedan of the era.

Then, in the mid-90s, Audi adopted Bauhaus minimalism: a place for everything, and everything in its elegantly unadorned place.

These days, much though this might contradict the company's aero past, Audis are overt, with gaping grilles.

As of 2008, Audi's crossovers will emphasize the vertical bars in the corporate grille, while cars will highlight the horizontal bars.

In Audi design language, the belt-line crease of current models is referred to as the Tornado Line. It figures slightly differently in each car.

Volvo Design Head Peter Horbury calls Audi, "the last true German design.

"Audi has taken the old idea of what a German car should be. While the others have become slightly confused and more flamboyant, Audi has stuck to its German principles.

"They've also taken every which niche and sliced it in half. Their expansion is breathtaking" (CAR, February 4^th, 2010).

Since at least the turn of the '90s, Audi has also generally been the industry benchmark for interior quality. The Audi interior is not exactly imaginative, but it sure is built well.


Audi's Quattro system, introduced on the Ur-Quattro at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show, is 30 this year.

The Quattro drivetrain on more powerful Audis adopts the rear-biased set-up from the RS4, and benefits from the more balanced weight distribution of Audi's new engineering package (beginning with the 2007 A5). 60% of drive is channeled to the rear tires.


"We see hybridification as bridging technology to electrification of the car," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler tells Autocar at the launch of the 2011 A8.

"But we don't know if it's 5, 10, or 20 years away. The next step is to learn a lot more about it. We have to optimize the performance of electric cars. Performance is part of our emotional appeal, so it's very important.

"Electric power will also give Quattro more possibilities, such as powering the rear axle like in the A1 concept, or four wheels in motors like the E-tron. In fact, we want to launch a production E-tron in small volumes at the end of 2012."

Stadler took over from Martin Winterkorn in January 2007.


Audi's seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission, dubbed S-Tronic, launched for the '09 model year. Effectively the same as parent Volkswagen's DSG Doppelkupplungsgetriebe system, S-Tronic can be combined with Quattro all-wheel-drive, and can handle up to 550 newton-meters of torque at up to 9,000 rpm.

Due to the higher torque output of their diesel engines, Q7 and A8 models continue to use the existing 6-speed automatic transmission. The new, 2011 A8 gets an 8-speed unit.


Having won the 24 hours of Le Mans five times, with the R8, Audi shows up at the 2006 event with diesel power. It is a brave move. Locked in a fierce competition with Peugeot, the R10 TDI proves its economy and durability, becoming the first diesel racer to win the event. By 2008, Audi has introduced common-rail diesel engines across its European range.


In 2007, Audi launches a "Truth in Engineering" campaign. The company that once operated under the slogan "Vorsprung Durch Technik" runs advertisements talking about such intricate bits and pieces as its patented sprocket. "It works," says Audi, "with the inertial compensation shaft to ensure the balancing of inertial torque within the engine.

"This gives added refinement to the way the engine performs."

There's no word on whether Volkswagen engines use the same set of components. And Audi has been on the defensive in this regard, insisting that its longtime use of VW componentry does not hamstring its ability to compete.


"For me, a premium product has nothing to do with the drivetrain," says Audi Australia Managing Director Joerg Hofmann, firing back at BMW Group Australia in June 2007 after his Bavarian counterpart Guenther Seeman suggests that Audi is not a premium competitor because it does not offer rear-wheel-drive cars.

"I think it's even boring for the customer if you offer only one drivetrain.

"Audi offers front-wheel-drive; Quattro four-wheel-drive, and, with the new R8, we even have mid-engined (layouts)" ('Audi makes no apology for gate-crashing an indignant BMW's luxury car party,' Marton Pettendy, GoAuto.com, June 19^th. 2007).

Hofmann cites innovation as being more important to luxury-car buyers than which wheels drive the car, pointing to Quattro all-wheel-drive (which accounts for 30% of Audi sales globally); Audi's direct-injection petrol FSI and turbodiesel TDI engines; the A8's aluminum spaceframe, and the MMI multimedia system.

For Hofmann, premium suggests innovation; design, and quality. "Every manufacturer is reacting to us in different ways - smarter, and less smart ways.

"For us, it is very important that we don't do discounting. It's very important that the customer can believe in a brand, can trust a brand" ('Audi makes no apology for gate-crashing an indignant BMW's luxury car party,' Marton Pettendy, GoAuto.com, June 19^th, 2007).

Audi sales in the first five months of 2007, in Australia, grow 41% versus BMW's 4.1%.