By Alex C
The six-millionth Audi with quattro drive rolled off the production line at the Ingolstadt plant recently about one and a half years after the five-millionth quattro. To this end, Audi is set to deliver the Audi SQ5 3.0 TDI Quattro jubilee car in monsoon gray metallic, to a family in the United States.
This new production record demonstrates the global success of Audi quattro. Since the original quattro, the first Audi with permanent all-wheel drive in the year 1980, the automaker said the technology has conquered the roads of the world. With approximately 170 versions, the brand with the four rings offers the biggest selection of all-wheel drive vehicles amongst the premium manufacturers.
“Dynamism and sportiness, the utmost technical precision and safety – that’s what Audi’s quattro technology stands for. More than 30 years ago, it was recognised as a pioneering accomplishment; today, it is synonymous with technical progress,” states Hubert Waltl, board of management member for production at Audi AG.
Last February, Audi celebrated its five-millionth car with permanent all-wheel drive. After just one and a half years, the company has reached the six-million mark.
In 2013, Audi produced a total of 710,095 automobiles with Quattro drive. At the two German sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, a total of about 2,000 Audi models with all-wheel drive roll off the production lines every day. Permanent all-wheel drive convinces customers worldwide. 44 percent of all Audi customers decided in favour of a Quattro model in 2013.
No other premium manufacturer sells more cars with all-wheel drive. The best-selling model was the Q5, followed by A4. Audi’s all-wheel drive is in particularly strong demand in the United States, Canada, Russia and the Middle East. Audi models with Quattro are in high demand also in Germany: In the first half of the year, the company produced approximately 61,150 Quattro drive models for the German market.