Five Millionth Audi with Quattro Drive System
Quattro technology debuted in 1980 in the original Quattro car. Adding together all of the available body types, engines and drive systems amounts to more than 140 different models.
Audi offers the widest range of cars by far with all-wheel drive: the Audi Q7, R8, A4 allroad, A6 allroad as well as all S and RS models are available exclusively with Quattro drives; Audi offers it as an option in all other model lines.
Now Audi AG celebrates a very special event – the five millionth Audi with a Quattro drive system. The car is a white Audi A6 allroad 3.0 TDI; it rolled off the assembly line at the Neckarsulm plant.
[ Also Read: How to Drive Digital and Social Cars ]Meanwhile, Steve Cannon, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) said recently that the company plans to introduce 30 new models in the next seven years. He said this will constitute the biggest growth phase in MBUSA’s history here in the U.S. (Read: Mercedes-Benz to Add 30 Models in 7 Years)
And the Renault-Nissan Alliance has expanded its presence in Silicon Valley with the opening of a new advanced research center initially specializing in autonomous driving and connected cars. (Read: Renault-Nissan Alliance Enhances R&D in Silicon Valley)
Moreover, collision avoidance technology is already being tested by carmaker Volvo. The company hopes to start rolling out this technology in the next few years. (Read: Can We Hope to See Crash-Proof Cars by 2020?)
“Quattro is one of the key pillars of our brand and has been a critical factor in our successful history,” said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. “The Quattro permanent all-wheel drive makes it possible to directly experience our ‘Vorsprung durch Technik.’”
[ Also Read: Hyundai’s Premium Lineup for the 85th Oscars ]The company says in 2012 more than 43 percent of Audi customers selected a Quattro model. The Audi Q5 tops the list with about 205,600 units. But it’s not just SUV drivers who rely on the all-wheel drive from the carmaker with the four rings: nearly one in four customers for the other model lines selected a Quattro drive in 2012.
The Quattro models sell particularly well in the United States, Canada, Russia and in the markets of the Middle East. Statistics for 2012 show around 99,800 new registrations for all-wheel drive Audi models in Germany as well.
