Audi Cars

Audi has been in business for over a century, and it is known for making luxury SUVs and cars. The Audi car company was established in Germany, and it remains based in that country today. Audi started making cars in 1910, and it remained an independent company up until the stock market crash and Great Depression. The company was called Audi because its founder, August Horch, already had a company with his name attached.

Horch chose the Latin form of his name for the new company; Audi and three other car makers joined together in 1932 to form the Auto Union. Audi was the only maker to survive, and it was bought out by Volkswagen in 1964. During the 70s, Audi first got noticed in the United States with the Fox coupe/sedan and its 100LS sedan. By the end of the 70s, the 100LS had been replaced with the 5000 luxury model.

There are moments which define every car maker, and for Audi, a moment like that came in March of 1980 at Geneva's Motor Show. There, Audi unveiled the Quattro, which was a four-wheel-drive sporty coupe that met with great interest. The Quattro's all wheel drive went on to help Audi win many races, and the system was eventually included on all Audi models.

In 1980, the Fox was also replaced by the 4000; four years after that, the 5000 was revamped. Consequently, Audi's sales increased by almost 50%, but that success was short-lived. A 60 Minutes episode made allegations that the Audi 5000 would accelerate unintentionally, and a governmental investigation found the car maker innocent of any wrongdoing. However, the black mark on Audi's reputation nearly ruined its US business.

The end of the 80s saw a redesign of the 4000; they were renamed either the 80 or the 90 (the 90 was the more well-equipped of the two models). The 5000 was also renamed, to either the 100 or the 200. The 200 model had a five-cylinder with all wheel drive, and a new flagship coupe also debuted then, a V8 powered sedan that was appropriately enough called the "V8".

The next ten years saw the advent of the Cabriolet and A4 models, as well as the 100's renaming to the A6. The Audi A8 was also debuted as the company's flagship model; it had aluminum construction and a very powerful V8. Other high-performance versions of various Audi models debuted, such as the S4, S6, and S8.

At the beginning of the new millennium, the TT came to be; it came in sport coupe and roadster versions. There was also an all-terrain wagon introduced, based on the A6 platform, giving SUV aficionados another option. Other recent models include the Rally Sport versions of the A4 and A6, as well as the Q5 crossover utility vehicle and the very sporty R8. Today, Audi continues its long tradition of success in the luxury market, by continuing to produce vehicles that combine high performance and comfortable luxury.