Audi AG, also known as Audi, is a German luxury car manufacturer with headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Its German pronunciation is [adi ae](listen). In nine manufacturing plants across the world, Audi produces automobiles as a division of its parent business, the Volkswagen Group.
August Horch, an engineer, formed the first businesses in the early 20th century, including Horch and the Audiwerke, as well as two additional manufacturers, DKW and Wanderer, which eventually led to the founding of Auto Union in 1932. In the 1960s, Volkswagen purchased Auto Union from Daimler-Benz, ushering in the contemporary Audi era. [9] Volkswagen combined Auto Union and NSU Motorenwerke in 1969, reintroducing the Audi brand with the 1965 release of the Audi F103 series and giving the business its current structure.
The Latin translation of the founder’s last name, August Horch, served as the inspiration for the firm name. Horch, which in German means “listen,” becomes audi in Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each stand for one of the four automakers that joined together to establish Auto Union, the firm that preceded Audi. Vorsprung durch Technik, or “Being Ahead via Technology,” is Audi’s catchphrase. [10] One of the most popular luxury car brands worldwide is Audi, which is also sold by rival German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz. [11]
In This Article...
How is an Audi built?
German automaker AUDI AG makes vehicles under the Audi brand. The Volkswagen Group includes it. The Latinized version of founder August Horch’s last name, which is the German word for “listen,” served as the inspiration for the name Audi. Germany’s Ingolstadt serves as the home base for Audi.
August Horch, a pioneer in the automobile industry, established August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH in Germany on July 16, 1909. A short while later, he changed the company’s name to Audi Automobilwerke, the Latin version of his last name.
To become Auto Union AG in 1932, Audi merged with Horch, DKW, and Wanderer. The brands Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer are represented by the four rings of the Audi logo. The four interconnected rings were a unique feature of Auto Union AG’s racing cars prior to World War II. The names and logos of the member companies were used.
On September 3rd, 1949, Auto Union GmbH was founded in Ingolstadt after a series of adjustments as WWII drew to a close.
On April 24, 1958, Daimler-Benz AG purchased the bulk of Auto Union GmbH’s shares, followed by the remaining ones. Auto Union was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Stuttgart-based Daimler Group from this day until the end of 1965.
Of December 1964, Volkswagenwerk AG bought the bulk of the stock in Auto Union GmbH; towards the end of 1966, Audi became a fully owned VW subsidiary.
The newly acquired NSU Motorenwerke AG by VW and the Ingolstadt-based Auto Union GmbH amalgamated to establish Audi NSU Auto Union AG in March 1969.
A four-wheel-drive sports coup was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980. The first four-wheel-drive high-performance car was the Audi Quattro. Only trucks and off-road vehicles had previously utilised this drive concept. The Audi Quattro’s permanent all-wheel-drive technology was an international racing sensation that eventually made its way into the full lineup of Audi vehicles.
Audi NSU Auto Union AG changed its name to AUDI AG in January 1985. The business also relocated its headquarters from Ingolstadt at the same time. From that point on, both the firm and the cars shared the same name.
Where are Audi vehicles produced?
Despite being a German carmaker, Audi produces cars globally. Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Mexico, Slovakia, Spain, Russia, Brazil, India, and China are a few nations where Audi is produced.
Who makes Audi automobiles?
Who owns Audi, one of the top German automakers still today? The Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi has continued to make high-end automobiles that dazzle with their opulent features and superb performance while staying faithful to its German heritage.
What material makes up an Audi’s body?
At Audi, ultralightweight construction is more than just a required duty; it’s a mindset and way of thinking.
It has been a core competency of the brand for a long time. Using Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology, the first A8 was the first production sedan to have a full aluminum body, pioneering the use of aluminum as a body material as early as 1994. The A8 and R8 car bodies in today’s lineup are constructed entirely of aluminum in accordance with the ASF principle, with the large sedan’s steel B-pillars serving as the lone exception. About two-thirds of the body superstructures in the TT series are made of the lightweight metal, compared to about 20% in the A6 model series. Each new Audi vehicle in the future will weigh less than the one before it.
The Audi ultra-lightweight construction philosophy does not only apply to the body or to certain subassemblies and parts; developers always take into account the overall weight of the vehicle. They were able to reverse the upward weight spiral on a second model after reducing the weight of the A6 by being able to cut the curb weight of the new A3 by up to 80 kg (176.37 lb) compared to the previous model.
Due to the car’s small size and the fact that it comes with better vehicle features, this accomplishment is particularly notable. Compared to the previous model, the new A3 is sportier, safer, and even more well-equipped.
A clear synergy exists between the Audi ultra lightweight construction approach and the Group’s innovative modular transverse platform (MQB). The modular transverse platform has numerous brand-new, lightweight components, and standardization lowers development and production costs. This has allowed the company with the four rings to invest more than ever before in innovative lightweight construction technologies, materials, and components, increasing its competitive advantage.
Audi’s body body designers have extensive engineering knowledge in all pertinent materials. This knowledge is not at all restricted to a single type of material; rather, the guiding principle is: “The correct substance at the right spot for optimal function. This dictum is upheld by the Audi A3’s multimaterial body.
Form-hardened steels make up the structural core of the occupant cell. These steels have extraordinarily high strength because to a drastic temperature change during the forming process, and the pieces can be made with relatively thin walls to make them lightweight. 26 percent of body materials are formed-hardened steels. They are utilized in the A-pillars, B-pillars, roof arch, center tunnel, side sills, and floor panels to connect the front of the car to the occupant cell. They reduce the car’s weight by a total of 18 kg (39.68 lb). The occupant cell weighs 25 kg (55.12 lb) less overall than the previous design.
Many additional body parts, including the floor, use high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel grades. Some of these components are referred to as customized blanks, which are blanks whose thickness vary within their component shape. The engine hood and fenders, which were made 7 kg (15.43 lb) and 2.2 kg (4.85 lb) lower in weight, respectively, are two significant components of the vehicle’s front constructed of aluminum. As a crash absorber, an aluminum profile behind the front apron saves 1.5 kg (3.31 lb). A more evenly distributed distribution of axle loads is achieved by reducing weight in the front body portion. This is evident to A3 drivers in the car’s dynamic handling.
Processing aluminum parts for use in body construction and fusing them to steel parts are difficult undertakings. The same holds true for joining components that have been form-hardened and coated with an alloy of aluminum and silicon that prevents corrosion. Here, Audi takes advantage of its expertise in extremely lightweight building techniques. In models like the TT, such joining technologies have been used in real-world applications for years.
There are yet more positive qualities to the Audi A3’s body. It is rigid, incredibly crash-resistant, and acoustically comfy. Standard equipment includes a noise-insulating windshield that isn’t any heavier than the preceding windshield despite the addition of an intermediate film layer. The new A3 has many additional noise-cancelling features, such as wheel housing shells constructed of an acoustically insulating fleece material (whose weight impact is 0.5 kg) (1.10 lb).
chassis and engines The new A3’s engines have also lost a significant amount of weight. For instance, the 1.8 TFSI weighs only slightly more than 140 kg (308.65 lb), and the 1.4 TFSI weighs only 107 kg (235.89 lb), which is 21 kg (46.30 lb) lighter than the previous engine. The aluminum crankcase, weighing in at 15 kg (33.07 lb), is mostly responsible for weight reductions, but improvements have also been made in several small engine features, such as the aluminum pistons and hollow bored connecting rod pins.
The thin-wall crankcase technology in the 1.8 TFSI decreases weight by 2.4 kg (5.29 lb). The balancer shafts are located in the engine block of the 2.0 TDI, saving 3.0 kg (6.61 lb), while the exhaust system’s improved sound dampers save an extra 2.0 kg (4.41 lb). In all engine types, the exhaust system was made more efficient.
The new one-piece aluminum subframe and aluminum swivel hubs (depending on the engine) in the chassis region lightened the vehicle by around 6.0 kg (13.23 lb). The unique flow-forming technology used to create the optional 18-inch alloy wheels leaves them no heavier than the 17-inch wheels. In this procedure, a cylinder is covered with the rim well while being subjected to high pressure and heat. Each wheel is 0.8 kg (1.76 lb) lighter and yet stronger because to the production system’s single work step that shapes the wheel blank while strengthening the material.
Interior The engineers at Audi practice the ultra-lightweight construction approach, and they also worked to remove every extra gram from the new A3’s interior. The revised seats help reduce weight by 4.0 kg (8.82 lb); lightweight plastic inserts have taken the place of the steel wire that was previously utilized in the structure of the back bench seat.
Several wire harnesses were removed from electronic control modules in a redesigned architecture, resulting in a 1.5 kg weight reduction in the wiring (3.31 lb). Less coils were required for the blower motor, and the total air conditioning system weighs 4.0 kg (8.82 lb) less. The MMI monitor mount is made of magnesium, while the front passenger airbag housing is made of plastic. Together, they result in a 640 gram weight reduction (1.41 lb). The new A3 uses plastic expanding rivets instead of the previous model’s steel screws to secure interior trim panels, saving 4 grams (0.14 ounce) of weight per attachment point. Every gram matters when it comes to the Audi ultra lightweight construction philosophy.
The equipment, information, and prices mentioned apply to the German model line. Subject to modification without notification; omissions and errors exempted.
What does the word “Audi” mean?
Logo? Of course! When the Auto Union AG was established about 90 years ago, that was also their first thought. How four businesses eventually evolved into four rings and the world-renowned AUDI AG. And here’s why the process of sand painting is so crucial to the creation of logos:
“A good logo is one that your big toe can carve into the sand. Kurt Weidemann, a well-known type designer and graphic artist, said as much (19222011). Based on his statements, the designers’ directions could have been straightforward and basic yet nonetheless clever and memorable nearly 90 years ago. In 1932, the four businesses Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer merged to establish Auto Union AG, which later changed its name to AUDI AG. The business also need a new logo. The creation of the four interlocking rings.
Who designed BMW?
Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto are the founders of BMW. At the government’s request, the Flugmaschinenfabrik Gustav Otto firm amalgamated into Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke AG (BFW) in 1916. The Rapp Motorenwerke company changed its name to Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH in 1917, and that corporation was then transformed into an AG (public limited company) in 1918. In 1922, BMW AG handed its engine construction operations, together with the business and brand identities, to BFW. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG was established on March 7, 1916, which will forever be known as the founding day of BFW.
The BMW insignia, which integrates the colors of the Bavarian state, has been proudly featured on each of the company’s products since 1917. The company’s advertising at the end of the 1920s included the logo for the first time as a whirling propeller, which has subsequently seen numerous interpretations.
Following the ban on the production of aero-engines, railway brakes and inboard engines were produced after the war. The banker Camillo Castiglioni purchased engine production together with the personnel and production facilities, the firm name, and the blue and white emblem after the company was sold to Knorr Bremse AG in 1920. After that, he forwarded everything to “Bayerische Flugzeuge-Werke AG” (BFW). The business moved the same year to BFW’s production facilities at Munich’s Oberwiesenfeld airport. The BMW Group’s primary facility and corporate offices are still located here.
In 1923, the R 32, BMW’s first motorcycle, was introduced to considerable fanfare. Up until that point, the business had only provided engines, not entire automobiles. In the company’s bikes today, the basic design of the original BMW Motorrad modela boxer engine with longitudinally positioned cylinders and shaft drive is still used.
In 1928, BMW acquired the business formerly known as Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, becoming an automaker. All BMW automobiles were produced in this facility in Germany’s Thuringia region up until the outbreak of World War II. The Austin Motor Company granted BMW permission to manufacture the company’s first little car in 1929. However, in 1932, the company’s own designs took its place.
BMW underwent a transition throughout the National Socialist era, going from a mobility company to an arms manufacturer, and eventually becoming one of the most significant businesses involved in the German war economy. The manufacturing of cars and motorcycles was still going on, but the majority of the company’s sales came from the aero-engine business. To accommodate the need for armaments, new locations were created and manufacturing was dramatically increased.
Is BMW superior to Audi?
BMW’s vehicles, which are made to provide the “ultimate driving experience,” frequently outperform Audi in terms of handling. Because of their overall stronger suspension systems that promote a smooth, pleasant ride, Audi vehicles are significantly less agile than BMW vehicles. BMW is routinely ranked higher for reliability.