Looking back on 40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with Audi’s head of design Performance, aesthetics and functionality to shape the RS models of the future Radically changed interiors to be featured also by upcoming high-performance cars
AudiRS models thrill fans of the four rings thanks to their advantage in technology and styling. On the occasion of Audi Sport GmbH’s 40th anniversary, Head of Audi Design Marc Lichte recalls innovations that have turned into traditions – and that continue to be sources of inspiration.
Marc, Audi Sport GmbH has now been in existence for 40 years, thrilling fans with RS models. Which of its models particularly fascinate you? Marc Lichte: As a designer and as a performance enthusiast I’m a huge fan of our RS models. The TT RS always used to be one of my highlights because, like the production TT base model, it was the first to put the ideas of the Bauhaus art school on the road. Although “less is more” applies to its design language, it does not when it comes to the sheer emotions and joy of driving the car evokes – ensured, not least, by its five-cylinder engine with its special sound. Work on the current AudiRS 6 Avant with my team was an unforgettable experience as well. At the time, we uncompromisingly carved the quattro origins into every detail and into every line. Anytime I spot an RS6 on the road today I’m happy to see how consistently we pursued our concept back then. Something that all RS models share?
This milestone confirms the performance of the Audi Hungaria team Car production at Audi Hungaria started in 1998 – the jubilee car is an AudiRS Q3 Sportback Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria: “Building on our experience gained in the past decades, we are ready for a new era in the automotive industry”
30-year-old Audi Hungaria has reached another significant milestone: today the two millionth car rolled off its production line. The jubilee car, a Karat beige AudiRS Q3 Sportback, will soon set out to its first owner in Germany. The 400 hp car’s 2.5-litre TFSI engine, which has won the prestigious “International Engine of the Year” award nine times in a row, was also built at Audi Hungaria.
“This year, in addition to our 30th anniversary, our company is also celebrating 25 years of vehicle production, so we are particularly pleased to have reached this important milestone this year. Building on the experience we have gained over the past decades, we are preparing for a new chapter in our vehicle production, in which our new brand CUPRA and electromobility will play a key role,” said Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria. Production at Audi Hungaria started in 1998 with the series production of the Audi TTCoupé models, followed a year later by the Audi TT Roadster.
Inspired by Bauhaus: Coupé study from 1995 began series production in 1998 178,765 first-generation Audi TTCoupés had rolled off the production line by 2006 Audi designer Torsten Wenzel introduced the study to series production: “The Audi TT is a driving sculpture”
Twenty-five years, three generations: The brand with the four rings wrote design history with the Audi TT. Since its debut in 1998, the sports car has struck a chord with people worldwide thanks to the fun it promises drivers and its clear design language. „Auto Europe“ voted it the best new car of the year in 1999.
In the mid-1990s, the Audi A8 luxury model elevated the Audi brand to a higher position and gradually led to the renaming of the model series: The Audi 80 became the Audi A4, and the Audi 100 was dubbed the Audi A6. Introduced in 1994, the Audi A4 was the first model to embody Audi’s new design language. Next was the Audi A3 premium compact car, launched in 1996, and the second generation of the Audi A6, introduced in 1997. In the course of emotionalizing the brand through a fresh, progressive design, American designer Freeman Thomas, under the then Head of Design Peter Schreyer, created a puristic sports car in the Audi TTCoupé. Audi presented the study to an enthusiastic trade show audience at the IAA in Frankfurt in September 1995. The model name “TT” is reminiscent of the legendary Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man, one of the oldest motorsports events in the world and one where NSU and DKW celebrated great successes with their motorcycles. The name “TT” also recalls the sporty NSU TT of the 1960s. The Audi TTCoupé’s deliberate departure from the usual Audi nomenclature underscored the complete novelty of the model. Designer Wenzel: “In the Audi TT, every shape has a clear function” In December 1995, the decision was made to mass-produce the Audi TTCoupé.
Audi Sport GmbH offers a wide range of high-performance models that trigger pure emotion, from compact cars to super sports cars.
With the Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition, the AudiRS 3 performance edition, the AudiRS Q3 edition 10 years, and the Audi R8 Coupé V10 GT RWD, Audi Sport GmbH is continuing its model offensive. These four special models represent the highest dimension of exclusivity and driving enjoyment, marking the pinnacle of their respective model ranges.
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Special edition limited to 100 vehicles in Europe Elegant exterior design, sporty Aerokit, and exclusive interior Performance and passion become palpable and visible to fans
Exclusive and high-performance: the market launch of the Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition, limited to 100 units in Europe, will celebrate the success story of a quarter-century for the Audi TTCoupé. With its clean lines, this sports car has been an inspiration the world over since its premiere in 1998 due to its pure driving pleasure and puristic design language. The RS version impresses with its special five-cylinder performance and a sound that gets under your skin. The limited-edition Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition combines these emotional characteristics and accentuates them with sporty design elements, both in the exterior and interior.
Timeless through time: the TT has been Audi’s design icon for almost a quarter of a century. Now the Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition is continuing the trend into the future – a fast sports car with new innovations whilst retaining the typical TT RS properties: design and dynamics.
Headlight digitization is blazing new trails in safety, design, and communication Three new functions in Digital Matrix LED headlights that enhance safety and improve the customer experience Digitizing light technology opens up new possibilities and individualization
Audi TechFocus Newsletter #03
Safety and customer satisfaction come first at Audi. They are part and parcel of the success of the company with the four rings. In that context, light technology is steadily growing more important and creating a wider range of possibilities and perspectives, from added safety for the driver, to external communication and individualization. Systematic light digitization is making all of this possible. It is particularly visible in the new Audi A8: the forward-looking Digital Matrix LED headlights and digital OLED rear lights raise the customer experience to a whole new level: for the first time in any Audi model, light is completely digitized. The car can be individualized even further through its digital OLED rear lights. The Digital Matrix LED headlights also include three new functions: advanced traffic information, a lane light with direction indicator lights on highways, and an orientation light on country roads. These features not only demonstrate Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik,” they also add value.
“Lighting technology and lighting design have been success factors for our brand for decades, becoming a key area for Audi. This has allowed us to continue setting new benchmarks in the automotive industry,” explains Oliver Hoffmann, board member for Technical Development. “The digitization of lighting enables us to offer completely new functions that we can use to increase safety again significantly. For example, in combining the digital OLED taillights with proximity indication, we can communicate with the outside world depending on the situation.
A matte finish lends top models RS Q3 and TT RS a distinctive look Both matte and glossy lacquer make their debut on the same production line in Győr, Hungary From Python Yellow to Dew Silver – this is how color names are created at Audi
In addition to Python Yellow for the TT RS
With the first five-cylinder Otto engine, which drove the Audi 100 (C2) in 1976, the company with the four rings wanted to catch up with the competition and reach a higher position. The four-cylinder was supplemented with an additional cylinder in order to increase engine displacement and power. The resulting 2.1 liter straight five-cylinder engine had 100 kW (136 PS). A modern fuel injection system increased efficiency and power delivery. Together with the all-wheel drive quattro and turbocharger, the five-cylinder ensured a change in Audi’s image and success in motorsport. With the introduction of the Audi A4 (B5) in 1994, the five-cylinder said farewell to the B-segment, however a major comeback followed in 2009 – turbocharged with gasoline direct injection for higher efficiency, low emissions, and 2.5 liter engine displacement in the Audi TT RS. The first five-cylinder engine of the new age is actually a commission project for the VW Jetta, produced by VW Mexico. For the US market, we want to develop a robust aspirated engine with high displacement and starting torque. “For us, that was the basis for reviving the turbocharged five-cylinder tradition,” says Pelzer. Pelzer, who had just taken over as head of engine construction back then, remembers that time well.