Photo: Audi
quattro all-wheel drive is among the most powerful brands in the German auto industry. Nearly one in two new Audis are kittle out with it and as you'd expect this has a huge impact on sales. In a statement made today, the Ingolstadt company has announced it's the six-millionth Audi with quattro drive has just rolled off the production line.
The jubilee model is an SQ5 sports SUV, which needs quattro in order to cope with the grunt of a 3-liter twin-turbo TDI engine making 313 PS.
Currently, Audi says it has about 170 different quattro versions, if they include all the body shapes and engines configurations. There are also three different types of quattro. There's the hydraulic multi-plate clutch system fitted to the A1, A3, Q3 and TT. It sends most of the power to the front and diverts it to the back when it's needed. The other major type is the self-locking center differential, the most common system fitted to A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 (plus their S and RS variants). This complex set of gears and friction plates usually has a set split between the front and rear. Finally, there's the standalone system fitted to the R8, Audi's flagship sportscar that uses a viscous coupling.
In 1980, Audi was the first European car manufacturer to offer permanent all-wheel drive on the Quattro. The car gained such a legendary status through motorsport that the capital letter at the beginning of the name was dropped as a sign of respect.
“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 recognized as a pioneering accomplishment; today, it is synonymous with technical progress,” states Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG.
The previous quattro milestone was celebrated in Febuary 2013, when an A6 was the fifth million car with produced with this system.
“Six million times Audi quattro drive – that’s an outstanding performance! 30 years of quattro success are a credit to our motivated production team, which consistently and efficiently implements the Audi production system,' concluded the official.
Currently, Audi says it has about 170 different quattro versions, if they include all the body shapes and engines configurations. There are also three different types of quattro. There's the hydraulic multi-plate clutch system fitted to the A1, A3, Q3 and TT. It sends most of the power to the front and diverts it to the back when it's needed. The other major type is the self-locking center differential, the most common system fitted to A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 (plus their S and RS variants). This complex set of gears and friction plates usually has a set split between the front and rear. Finally, there's the standalone system fitted to the R8, Audi's flagship sportscar that uses a viscous coupling.
In 1980, Audi was the first European car manufacturer to offer permanent all-wheel drive on the Quattro. The car gained such a legendary status through motorsport that the capital letter at the beginning of the name was dropped as a sign of respect.
“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 recognized as a pioneering accomplishment; today, it is synonymous with technical progress,” states Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG.
The previous quattro milestone was celebrated in Febuary 2013, when an A6 was the fifth million car with produced with this system.
“Six million times Audi quattro drive – that’s an outstanding performance! 30 years of quattro success are a credit to our motivated production team, which consistently and efficiently implements the Audi production system,' concluded the official.
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