When one thinks of Audi, the quattro moniker is almost always associated with it. True enough, as Audi practically made the technology part of its cars and its heritage as a brand. And today, after nearly 40 years of building all-wheel drive equipped vehicles, the German luxury carmaker has sold around 8 million quattros around the world.
The 8 millionth quattro-equipped model, a garnet red Audi Q5 2.0 TFSI quattro, which rolled off the assembly line at the San Jose Chiapa factory in Mexico, marks a milestone for the brand. Not only is it a testament to the safety and driving pleasure that this piece of kit offers, it shows how people have come to appreciate what it can do for them—even if they don’t engage in motorsports, like what the original Audi Quattro of 1980 did when it was launched.
In 2015, for instance, some 44% of all Audi worldwide sales were fitted with quattro all-wheel drive. This was topped by the Q5, which sold some 262,000 copies, followed by Audi’s other models that come standard or have the system added as an extra-cost option. It’s useful not just for snow, ice, and slippery surfaces, but adds an extra ounce of safety—even when it is dry. This helps give drivers more confidence and heightens the entire driving experience.
Of course, Audi’s quattro system isn’t just a cut-and-paste, one-size-fits-all type of thing. Each model has a specific type of configuration that is tailor-made to bring out the best out of the system and the vehicle as a whole. Compact models with transverse engine layouts, for example, have a rear axle-mounted electronically-controlled hydraulic multi-plate clutch. Models with longitudinally-mounted motors have a mechanical planetary gear, while the R8 with its mid-engined configuration has its multi-plate clutch fitted on the front axle.
But whatever engine and quattro drive layout is placed, Audi assures that it is the same safe and pleasurable drive. And they have 8 million customers to attest to this.
