Vorsprung durch Technik

In March 1980, a four-wheel-drive sports coupe caused a genuine sensation on the Audi stand at the Geneva Motor Show. The Audi quattro was the first high-performance vehicle with four-wheel drive. This drive concept had previously only been used on trucks and off-road vehicles. The permanent four-wheel-drive system in the Audi quattro enjoyed worldwide success in motor sport and gradually found its way into the entire Audi model range.

At last, American motorists get a chance to experience an attainable German sports sedan, thanks to the Audi 4000 with quattro®.

Audi begins working with aluminum leader Alcoa on ways to incorporate more aluminum in the manufacturing process.

In autumn 1986, AUDI AG presented the third generation of the Audi 80, known internally as the B3. As with the Audi 100/200 model range the year before, the Audi 80 was now also given a fully galvanized body with a ten year warranty against rust penetration. With a drag coefficient of 0.29, the Audi 80 displayed excellent aerodynamics.

The 598 hp Audi Sport quattro S1 conquered the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in record-shattering time for the third year running.

Victory in the TransAm Series for driver Hurley Haywood and the Audi Team proves that quattro® conquers more than bad roads and less-than-ideal conditions.

Following more than 13 of years development, Audi engineers succeeded in refining diesel direct injection, which had previously only been used on trucks, for car diesel engines. In conjunction with a turbocharger, it was also possible to achieve an extremely low-loss combustion process which resulted in very economical fuel consumption. In the autumn of 1989, the Audi 100 was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder TDI engine.