You’ve probably heard of Audi, the luxury car brand, right? You’ve also probably seen cars with the iconic logo driving down the road, seeming luxurious. If you own one, you know how spectacular they are.
Long before he started his company in 1899, August Horch had a vision that he would make cars that would change the world. After creating Audi, he did just that. Keep reading to learn more about the company, its history, models of cars available, and more.
How the Company Got Started
Audi’s history begins in 1899, when founder August Horch created the car company August Horch & Cie. After operating under this name for a decade, he decided to found a new company called Zwickau, or Audiwerke AG, Zwickau in 1910. This company still exists today, known as Audi for short.
Along with the launch of a new company, Horch also launched his first vehicle, the Audi Type A Sport-Phaeton. Its companion was released and called the Type B Sport-Phaeton within a year.
By 1932, much had changed with the company. Because of the complexities that challenges in the government had brought, Horch had temporarily left the company to take a small position with the military. Although he did not return as an engineer, he was still involved as a trustee. In the meantime, Jorgen Rasmussen had gotten a majority of the Shares in the Audi company. Along with Audi, the three companies that Rasmussen had also acquired (Horch, Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (DKW), Wanderer) were merged to create Audi Front.
Post World War II, the Audi Front began developing a more diverse array of vehicles. The next several decades included an expansion of their models and a new slogan, “Vorsprung durch Technik” in German, or “Advancement through Technology” in English. . In 1985, the company shortened its name to Audi AG. The company has always been known for speedy, sleek, and luxurious cars.
Other Brands
In the 1960s, Audi (or Auto Union) was taken over by Volkswagen. It had previously been owned by Daimler-Benz, which is the company now known today as Mercedes-Benz.
The Logo
As you can see, the Audi logo has undergone significant changes in the past century.
Before they launched, their logo was an intricate font spelling out “Audi” with a circle around it. By 1909, it had evolved into a completely new logo.
In 1932, the company adopted a part of the iconic logo that is still present today – the four interlocking rings. However, it was mostly used on racing cars until the end of World War II. By 1969, any other branding had been removed, leaving only the interlocking rings. The company also created a word-based logo that featured the “Audi” in a black (‘69-’95) or red (‘78-’95) circle.
Sales
The chart below depicts Audi’s sales since their emergence in the U.S., which was around the 1970s.
They experienced a large period of growth then, plateauing for the next several decades. However, in the early 2000s, they had another period of growth. However, their highest sales took place from 2010 and onward. According to statistics compiled by CarSalesBase, Audi has sold a little over 2.6 million cars in the United States since 2000.
Many Different Models
Audi has a wide selection of cars and SUVs available for purchase. Here’s a list of the ones currently available:
Model | Avg Asking Price | Picture | Options |
Used: $23,545 New: $36,400 |  | SUV | |
Used: $24,990 New: $43,900 |  | e-Tron, Sportback e-Tron | |
Used: $29,990 New: $43,400 |  | SUV, Sportback, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback | |
Used: $38,999 New: $57,500 |  | SUV, SQ7 | |
Used: $62,995 New: $70,800 |  | SUV, SQ8, RS Q8 | |
Used: $57,996 New: $65,900 |  | e-Tron Sportback, e-Tron GT, RS e-Tron GT, e-Tron S, e-Tron S Sportback | |
Used: $15,995 New: $34,800 |  | Sedan, S3, 3, | |
Used: $19,990 New: $39,900 |  | Sedan, allroad quattro, S4 | |
Used: $24,990 New: $46,000 |  | Coupe, S5 Coupe, RS5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS 5 Sportback. A5 Cabriolet, S5 Cabriolet | |
Used: $32,990 New: $55,900 |  | Sedan, S6 Sedan, A6 allroad quattro, RS 6 Avant | |
Used: $52,395 New: $69,200 |  | Sedan, S7, RS 7 | |
Used: $60,829 New: $86,500 |  | Sedan, S8 | |
Used: $32,876 New: $50,500 |  | Coupe | |
Used: $81,995 New: $148,700 |  | Coupe, Spyder |
For more information on the types of vehicles that Audi offers, visit their website here.
Most Popular Models
Audi is known for its classic and timeless designs. Because of this, many popular Audi models sell wildly across the globe. The following are the ten most popular Audi cars:
- A4 – Sedan
- A3 – Hatchback
- Q5 – SUV
- A6 – Sedan
- A5 – Sedan
- TT – Coupe
- A1 – Hatchback
- Q3 – SUV
- Q7 – SUV
- A8 – Sedan
Geographic Popularity
Because Audi is a German-based company, they are extremely popular in Europe. It’s not uncommon to see Audis driven as common cars, especially in Western European countries. The small, compact models are popular in these countries, as many of the populated, urban roads cannot accommodate large vehicles. In North America, however, the larger models are popular.
The headquarters of the company is located in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. However, they have nine additional factories across the globe in Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Mexico, Slovakia, Spain, Russia, Brazil, India, and China.
Sustainability
Audi is a company that has long valued sustainability. Their vision is as follows: “We at Audi want to unleash the beauty of sustainable mobility for our customers and, in addition, act consistently in a sustainable way in all areas of the company. This is why sustainability has moved to the core of our corporate activity. Activity that focuses on the entire value chain. After all, every contribution counts towards creating the decisive change.”
The company focuses on being sustainable in all areas of their business, including Operations & Integrity, Products & Services, Value Creation & Production, and with their Employees & Society. Each of these sectors has its own independent plan on
Sustainability is also a global effort for Audi. They have efforts all across the world to help clean up the environment, produce cleaner energy, and make life better for their drivers and passengers. Since January, they have published press releases about three major efforts to increase global sustainability:
- Cleanup efforts of the Danube River in Romania
- Adding more solar power to remote villages in the Amazon region of Brazil
- Exceeding 2021 CO2 fleet targets in Europe.
Safety
Audi is one of the leading luxury brands when it coforheir efforts to keep both drivers and passengers safe are rooted in extensive research and the “further development of driver assistance systems, on safety features, and on research into the causes of accidents.” They have created the Audi Accident Research Unit, which is an entire program dedicated to looking at, investigating, and resolving accidents that Audi vehicles are involved in. The unit is based in Germany.
Each Audi model features unique safety features, but all new and updated models are equipped with Driver Assistance. The standard package includes
- Pedestrian and stationary vehicle detection and preparation
- Rear collision detection and preparation that adjusts seatbelts and seats into an “optimal position”
Othe features can include:
- Audi adaptive cruise assist, which uses “radar, camera, laser scanner, and ultrasonic sensors to monitor the environment and help assist with highway driving continuously.”
- Active lane assist detects “lane markings, roadside structures, and vehicles in adjacent lanes.”
- Night vision assistance, which helps drivers see in the dark using a long-range infrared camera
- Parking system plus, which helps to detect things in the way when parking and displays a visual warning on the main screen in the vehicle
- Audi side assist, which uses the rear-mounted radar sensors to look for oncoming vehicles.
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