Search

Vorsprung durch Technik is not just a slogan, it is the core of the Audi brand. For decades, technical perfection has been the goal of vehicle development – which is a dynamic process. At present, technical fields of action are being re-evaluated and redefined. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner: “We are focusing on four core areas that we are working on intensively and that will define ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ in the future. These are design, the fields of user interface and user experience, the topic of 'quattro', i.e. traction and driving experience, and finally efficiency. With our latest generation of electric models, we are already clearly showing the way forward in efficiency.” In development, ‘software first’ applies. In the future, Audi will offer vehicles that have been developed around the software – also called software-defined vehicles (SDV). Images Videos

The generations that followed the C1 demonstrated Vorsprung durch Technik with numerous innovations such as the fully galvanized body, optimized aerodynamics, and highly efficient engines. The Audi 100 has been called the Audi A6 since 1994. Audi has built almost ten million C-series vehicles since 1968 – 9,836,762 as of April 2025 to be exact. Big numbers from a long history. However, the enthusiasm and passion for the C series go much deeper than that, in the Audi workforce too. To create a very special photo, eight employees – each with a C model from one of the generations C1 to C8 – gathered at the Audi Piazza in Ingolstadt in front of the museum mobile to welcome the new C9 Audi A6 Avant to the family.

Rooted in its core brand ethos of “Vorsprung durch Technik,” Audi has tailored its products to the unique needs of Chinese consumers ever since it became the first global premium car manufacturer to enter the market 37 years ago. Building on its outstanding pedigree in China and over a century of engineering excellence, the company is now breaking new ground together with SAIC, establishing a new collaboration model for the co-development of the Advanced Digitized Platform and a new generation of state-of-the-art connected vehicles. By leveraging both companies’ strengths across two time zones, a global team of Audi and SAIC engineers worked closely and simultaneously in Germany and China, managing to cut the development time of the brand’s first production model, the AUDI E5 Sportback, by 30 percent. AUDI E5 Sportback: unmistakable Audi DNA for China’s electric future The result of this thoughtful collaboration between engineering and design teams in Ingolstadt, Germany, and Shanghai, China, the AUDI E5 Sportback offers luxury tailored to Chinese lifestyles and tastes, merging Audi’s superior driving performance, iconic design, and premium quality with an AI-powered connectivity experience. Design: celebrating Chinese individuality The AUDI E5 Sportback offers a fresh interpretation of the Audi design language, reimagining iconic elements of the brand’s heritage – athletic proportions, bold wheel arches, and a striking front and rear – with fluid elegance and unexpected nods to Chinese preferences. They include circular wheel arches over traditional quattro fenders and the reinterpretation of the familiar Singleframe with the new AUDI Light Frame. The exterior balances minimalist elegance with dynamic emotion, achieved through assertive lighting graphics, rounded wheel arches, and a confident Sportback silhouette that commands the road. The front and rear design is radically new: minimalist in form, and maximalist in function.

Audi Sport has stood for “Vorsprung durch Technik” in international motorsports since 1981. Whether at the World Rally Championship, Pikes Peak, super touring car championships, DTM, GT racing, Le Mans prototypes, Formula E, or Rallye Dakar: In an impressive performance, Audi has triumphed in all motorsport projects with numerous victories and major championship titles. In customer racing, international customer teams driving Audi Sport GmbH models vie to come out on top in circuit races. Audi will enter Formula 1 for the time in 2026. The knowledge that Audi Sport GmbH has gained in motorsports is reflected in all its models. Formula 1 will spearhead the company’s related activities. Audi Sport GmbH has established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, to enter the premier class of motorsports. From 2026, the brand with the four rings will compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship with a specially developed power unit. The power unit will be built at Audi Sport’s state-of-the-art Competence Center Motorsport in Neuburg an der Donau, not far from AUDI AG headquarters in Ingolstadt. The center, which opened in 2014, is considered one of the most sophisticated of its kind and is currently undergoing extensive expansion for the F1 debut. The move entails the first Formula 1 power unit to be built in Germany since 2009. The decisive factor is the International Automobile Federation’s (FIA) new regulations, which, among other things, will provide for sustainable synthetic fuels from 2026 and raise the electric share of hybrid drive units to almost 50 percent. Audi wants to actively shape the transformation of what is by far the most significant motorsport series. Launched in 2009, the brand’s customer racing program has won more than 500 overall and class championship titles worldwide. Nineteen overall victories at 24-hour races and many other successes in endurance motorsports round off this impressive legacy.

Curiosity and openness are the personal drivers of Vorsprung durch Technik. For the transformation to be successful, the company must rethink its training activities. Audi’s goal is to make learning a normal and ongoing part of everyday life for everyone. For this reason, Audi launched the “Audi as a learning system” program in 2023 to develop the learning system of the future through a wide range of initiatives. The educational campus in Heilbronn affords employees at the Audi site in Neckarsulm numerous prospects to help advance the digital factory transformation and the transition to electric mobility. Careers AUDI AG is one of the largest employers in the region: 15,515 employees work at the Neckarsulm site (as of: December 31, 2024). As a future-oriented company, AUDI AG offers many trainee positions in the region: In September 2024, 251 young people began their vocational training at Audi. In early October 2024, 39 new recruits who will work at Audi during their practicum phase began a program at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University. On December 31, 2024, a total of 718 trainees and 89 dual students were employed at the Neckarsulm site.

Since it was founded by August Horch in 1909, the Ingolstadt-based company’s cars have combined sportiness, progressive design and “Vorsprung durch Technik”. Audi Sport and Italdesign also belong to Audi. Together, the four brands of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati form the “Progressive Brand Group” within Volkswagen AG. Production Sites Audi Group Audi models Board of Management Strategy Fully electric into the future: Alongside a clear strategy, Audi is currently transforming itself into a provider of sustainable electromobility. By 2027, the four rings will offer a fully electric premium vehicle in all core segments. Audi e-trons offer more than just long electric range. They’re fully connected, offer innovative digital features and are systematically developed from the passengers’ perspective. Climate-neutral production sites and sustainable, equitable supply chains form the foundation of the driving experience of a new automotive era. Audi history The eventful and multifaceted history of Audi and its predecessor brands of Horch, DKW and Wanderer dates back to the 19th century. Since then, the four rings have constantly reinvented themselves. Milestones such as the Audi 100 and the original Quattro continue to shape the company to this day. Audi Tradition has more information about outstanding inventions, the evolution of Audi models and the biggest milestones in motorsport.

“Audi stands for ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’. That’s why we now use the new, efficient and powerful MHEV plus in every unit of the Audi Q5. Thanks to a small component on the transmission, the so-called powertrain generator, we not only reduce consumption, but also enable partially electric driving.” We drive through picturesque landscapes. The Audi assistant makes it easy to access information about the towns and places of interest along the route. The learning voice assistant can also be used to control numerous vehicle functions, such as the temperature. The AI-supported digital assistant is integrated into the vehicle and is represented for the first time by an avatar in the central touch display of the MMI and in the head-up display. We make a stop off the paved road to hop on the mountain bike. On the way, Dominic adjusts the suspension to suit the characteristics of the route. He explains: “The adaptive air suspension provides a good balance between comfort and sportiness. I can easily set the appropriate modes using Audi drive select and, for example, raise the vehicle by around 30 millimeters in off-road mode, or even as much as 45 millimeters at low speeds.” Safe and stylish nighttime driving with cutting-edge lighting technology It is now early evening, and the sun is slowly sinking into the horizon. With the new Matrix LED headlights, the Audi Q5 makes its way safely through the onset of dusk and the impending night. We make a short stop at the hotel before heading into town for dinner. Now the interior lighting of the Audi Q5 really comes into its own. It showcases the clearly designed interior even in the dark, and the combination of contour and ambient lighting creates the right mood. The standard progressive steering helps as we maneuver through the narrow streets of Málaga. After dinner, Dominic parks the car back at the hotel. It has been a beautiful and eventful day.

Three further generations followed and proved Audi’s claim of Vorsprung durch Technik with numerous innovations such as the fully galvanized body, optimized aerodynamics, and highly efficient engines. Since 1994, the Audi A6 has continued the success story of the Audi 100. Nine variants of the Audi 100 and eight of the Audi A6 are on display in Neckarsulm, with the exhibition rounded off by an Audi RS 6 Avant GT) from 2024. According to curator Stefan Felber, each of the 17 vehicles is distinguished by a special characteristic. In addition to the “first one,” which founded the ancestry line, visitors will also get to know a “globetrotter,” “a feat of spaciousness,” a “long one,” a “sloping one,” a “connected one,” and the “supreme one” – the latter is the Audi RS 6 Avant GT, which concludes the almost 60-year model series history on display. But, as we know, the model series’ success story will soon be continued with its ninth generation – the new Audi A6 Avant will be revealed to the world on March 4 at 2 p.m. Audi Forum Neckarsulm Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission; guided tours of the exhibition available. The Audi Forum Neckarsulm is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. For further information, please see Guest Services | Audi Forum Neckarsulm.