Audi Celebrates 30 Years Of Quattro In 2010

ZETLAND, AUSTRALIA – June 24, 2010: Thirty years ago, Audi unveiled the vehicle that would revolutionise automotive technology - the first Audi quattro. First shown in March of 1980 at the Geneva Motor Show, quattro has since become synonymous with the Audi brand.

Borne from driving trails in the snow, the first quattro was based on a unique idea at the time – a hollow shaft in the transmission that transmits engine power to both the front and rear wheels. With the addition of a centre differential, Audi’s first vehicle to feature this pioneering technology went on sale at the end of 1980.

The angular coupe became an instant sales success. With its permanent all-wheel drive and 200 hp five-cylinder turbo engine it created a dimension of driving dynamism that had never been achieved.

On the rally circuits, Audi’s quattro models won two World Rally Championship drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles between 1982 and 1984.

Focus was subsequently moved to circuit racing where permanent all-wheel drive demonstrated its superiority, and Audi motorsport drivers won the most prestigious trophies in Europe, the United States and Australia.

quattro has become one of the core technologies of the Audi brand. Over time, the first Audi quattro, known as the Ur quattro, has been joined by a diverse range of vehicles, including sedans, Avants, coupes, allroads and SUVs, all with permanent all-wheel drive.

By the end of 2009, Audi had produced 3,296,917 quattro models. The current global model range includes 126 all-wheel drive variants.

In Australia, Audi’s share of quattro sales has grown from 25 percent in 2004 (955 : 3,702 units) to almost 50 percent in 2009 (5,558 : 11,310 units).

Following in the tracks of its spiritual ancestor, the next generation quattro model made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The new Audi RS 5 high-performance coupe was unveiled earlier this year with the latest evolution of quattro technology – quattro drive with crown gear centre differential and torque vectoring. The self-locking centre differential in the quattro driveline, positioned at the transmission output, distributes engine torque between the two axles in defined proportions.

For Australia, this extraordinary RS 5 sports coupe will be introduced in October 2010.

Audi is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of permanent all-wheel drive passenger vehicles.