How Well Do You Actually Know Audi?

Although the four rings on Audi's badge are often mistaken for the Olympic rings, that's not what they represent. In fact, they represent the collaboration of four auto companies which led the Auto Union. The four companies are Audi, Wanderer, Horch and DKW.

Audi's first model was the Type A Sport-Phaeton which launched in 1910. A total of 140 were produced and its 2.6-liter, four-cylinder engine gave it a top speed of 46.6 mph.

Audi became embroiled in an emissions scandal back in 2015. After this, the company changed its slogan from "Truth in Engineering" to "Being Ahead Through Technology."

Group B rally competition rules were changed in the early '80s to allow four-wheel-drive systems to be used. Audi's Quattro was the first rally car to take advantage of this and won several competitions in the years that followed. Thanks to the Quattro, Audi won the driver's championship in '83 and '84.

The Neckarsulm facility produces the very best models that Audi has to offer, this includes the R8. These engineers are known as the "silverliners" as most of them have gray hair. It takes over 70 hours and 5,000 parts to produce an R8, and only Audi's most qualified engineers are permitted to assemble them.

It was in April 1910 that Audi Automobilwereke GmbH Zwickau was officially created. Before this, August Horch created August Horch Automobileweeke GmbH but this sounded too much like the old company he worked for "Motowagenwerke." So, after Horch was sued for trademark infringement, Audi was born.

Audi sold 67,516 Q5s in the U.S. in 2019, making it the company's best-selling model. This was down on the previous year when the automaker sold 69,978 Q5s, the best-ever year for the Q5 since it launched in 2009.

In 2010, an autonomous Audi TTS climbed all 12.42 miles of Pikes Peak. The TTS reached the 14,100-foot summit in 27 minutes. This wasn't terribly fast, as officials said an expert driver could run the course in around 17 minutes in a TTS, but it's impressive none the less.

When Audi launched the RS2 in 1994, people loved its unassuming nature mixed with its savage power. Audi's best qualities were mixed with Porsche's best qualities to produce this beast. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system mixed with its 315 horsepower got it to 30 mph in 1.5 seconds. That's faster than a McLaren F1.

"Iron Man's" producers planned to flip the R8 over in one of the final dramatic scenes but ran into a problem. The R8's space frame had such a low center of gravity that they couldn't get it to flip over. After destroying two R8s, the producers had to admit defeat and change the scene.

Dual-clutch transmission systems are standard in almost all sports cars today, but it was Audi that pioneered the transmission back in the 1980s. This transmission first made an appearance in Audi's rally cars.

Filipe Albuquerque broke the Le Mans lap record in 2015 in an e-tron Quattro by nearly one second. The hybrid Audi rounded the course in 3:17.647. Before this, the lap record of 3:18.4, set by Jackie Oliver, had stood for 44 years. Since Oliver set the record in '71, the course has been lengthened and now has over double the number of corners. Breaking his record was a real feat!

Audi was taken to court by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1995 for trademark infringement. But Audi's logo actually dates back to June '32, when Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer joined forces: The four rings represent each company. Ultimately, Audi won the court battle.

Audi invented a way to produce diesel from air and water. Hydrogen is isolated from water steam and then pumped into a high-pressure reactor with CO2. This creates "blue crude oil" which can be refined into diesel.

Audi's A6 won the "World Car of the Year" award back in 2005. This was the inaugural year of the award, making it a big win for the automaker. The other two finalists were Porsche's 911 and Volvo's S40 ... stiff competition.

The 5.2-liter V10 engine powering the 2020 Audi R8 V10 Performance Coupe produces a stomping 602 horsepower and 413 lb.-ft of torque. This gives the model a top speed of 205 mph, whereas the Spyder variant falls short of that by just 1 mph.

Audi introduced the Type K at the Berlin Motor Show in 1921. It was the first car produced by a German automaker to have left-hand drive. It quickly gained popularity and became a trendsetter.

The 2020 R8 V10 Performance-based Decennium is Audi's most expensive model currently on sale, with a starting price of $214,995. There will only be 222 examples made and all will be in the form of a coupe. It costs around $19,000 more than the standard R8 coupe and you get a host of cosmetic tweaks for all that money.

Audi was the first automotive company to perform what was considered to be a legitimate crash test. However, back in 1938, a legitimate crash test was rolling a DKW F7 down a hill in front of a group of spectators. The practice caught on, as safety tests are now standard practice for all automakers.

Audi launched the 100 in 1968 and, at the time, it was the largest car the company had ever produced. It was powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 100 PS (99 horsepower).

Audi developed the "Duo" in 1989 and it was the automaker's first hybrid car. The Duo was based on a 100 Avant that used a diesel engine and a part-time electric motor. The Duo never went on sale.

Audi's R8 won the "World Performance Car" award back in 2016. This was the model's 10th year of production and it had taken the world by storm. The 2016 R8 got to 60 mph in three seconds and wouldn't stop accelerating until it hit its 207 mph top speed.

Audi launched the R8 e-tron at the Geneva Motor Show in 2015. The all-electric model could get to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds, unfortunately, its sales figures weren't as impressive, selling less than 100 units. Audi quietly discontinued the model, which cost over one million euro, after a little over a year on the market.

Audi launched the TT in 1998, with the concept first being revealed at the 1995 Frankfurt auto show. Its name is taken from the popular British motorcycle road race called the Isle of Man TT, which takes place on the Isle of Man each year between May and June.

The Audi RS3 is all about performance, so the automaker uses aluminum instead of cast iron in its engine construction. This shaves 26 kg off the weight of the engine alone. This helps the RS3 get to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 174 mph.

Audi joined forces with Sanyo back in 2008 to develop hybrid and electric cars. At the moment, Audi has two electric vehicles on sale, the e-tron and the e-tron Sportback. But the automaker plans to have 30 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids by 2025.

Audi, with the support of a number of scientists and other companies, produced the Audi Lunar Quattro in 2015. Its flight to the moon is scheduled for October 2021. The Lunar Quattro has four electric motors that are powered by solar panels and lithium-ion batteries.

The Audi A4 Duo III went on sale in 1997 and was the first Duo to make it into series production. The car featured a 1.9-liter turbocharged diesel engine and a 21 kW electric motor. There was little demand for the model due to its high price and relatively poor performance. Only 100 Duos were produced.

In 1986, CBS reported that Audi 5000s had a fault which made them accelerate when the brake pedal was pushed. It was later found out that the program that made the accusations, "60 Minutes," engineered the faults it had shown. Nevertheless, this resulted in a drop in Audi's sales.

The 2003 Audi LeMans Concept sold for a jaw-dropping $5,000,000. The model was developed for presentation at the Frankfurt Motor Show featuring a 5-liter V10 engine which helps the car achieve a 214 mph top speed.

The 2020 Audi RS6 Avant gets to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. This is largely due to the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine under its hood which produces 600 horsepower and 590 lb.-ft of torque. Not bad for an estate car!

Audi's A3 starts at just over $33,000 making it Audi's most affordable model. The A3 launched in 1996 and is now in its third generation. In terms of price, it sits just below the Q3 which starts at $35,695.

The most recent winner of the "World Luxury Car" was Audi's A7. Audi has now won this award for two consecutive years, with the A8 taking the prize in 2018. The A7 is at the forefront of the automotive world in terms of technology. It can be had with laser lights which, according to Audi, are twice as bright as the LED alternatives on high beam.

Audi launched the R8 in 2006 and it took the world by storm. Its 4.2-liter engine pumped out 414 horsepower and 317 lb.-ft of torque. Its price tag of around $100,000 made it a relative steal when compared to other supercars at the time.

It takes over 70 hours and 5,000 parts to produce an R8 and only Audi's most qualified engineers are permitted to assemble them. This means the team of 70 workers that are permitted to assemble Audi's premiere vehicle are usually able to produce 8 - 15 cars per day.