Overview & Reviews

In business for more than 100 years, Audi is an automaker that builds luxury cars and SUVs. The company was started in Germany and has remained Deutschland-based to this day.

"Audi Automobile Works" entered the German car-manufacturing business in 1910 and remained independent until the Great Depression. Because Audi's founder, August Horch, had left a 10-year-old company bearing his own name, he chose a Latin form of his name -- Audi -- for his new company. Audi joined with three other auto manufacturers in 1932 to form Auto Union. Audi, the only surviving nameplate from that union, was purchased by Volkswagen in 1964.

During the 1970s, Audi started to get noticed in the U.S. with its 100LS luxury sedan and compact and sprightly Fox coupe and sedan. By the late '70s the brand had replaced the dated 100LS with its new 5000 luxury sedan.

Every manufacturer has its defining moments. For Audi, one such moment came in March 1980 at the Geneva Motor Show. The automaker unveiled the Audi Quattro, an all-wheel-drive sport coupe that was met with a wildly enthusiastic response on the show floor. The Quattro's all-wheel-drive system went on to help Audi win accolades in motorsports and it was eventually integrated into the entire model range.

That year also saw the Fox replaced by the 4000. Four years later, the range-topping 5000 was redesigned. Audi's sales shot up nearly 50 percent, thanks chiefly to that newly aerodynamic yet handsome flagship that featured what would become an Audi hallmark -- an elegantly stylish, high-quality cabin.

Sadly, Audi's fortunes turned for the worse when the carmaker's 5000 model was accused of unintended acceleration in a 60 Minutes television episode. A subsequent government investigation found Audi innocent of the charge, but the resulting drop in sales nearly put Audi out of business in the U.S.

The late '80s saw Audi redesign the 4000, renaming it the 80 and 90 (with the 90 having more equipment) and also rename the 5000, dubbing it the 100 or 200. The 200 featured a turbocharged five-cylinder with all-wheel drive as opposed to a non-turbo five and front-wheel drive, as on the 100. A Coupe also debuted, as did a new flagship, a V8-powered 200 sedan simply called the "V8".

The following decade saw the A4 and Cabriolet models, as well as the renaming of the 100 to A6. The stunning A8 was introduced as Audi's new flagship, boasting all-aluminum construction and a beefy V8. High-performance versions of the various models bowed, dubbed S4, S6 and S8.

The start of the new millennium brought the TT, Audi's low-slung sport coupe (and later roadster). It also introduced RS versions of the A4 and A6, providing even more performance than "S" variants. In addition to "S" and "RS" versions of the TT, Audi's more recent releases include the A3 hatchback, Q5 crossover SUV, slick A5 coupe, exotic R8 sports car and A7 luxury hatchback sedan.

Today, Audi continues its success in the prestige car marketplace by offering a wide range of vehicles that impressively combine luxury and sport.

User Reviews:

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  Dont Buy an Audi - 2004 Audi A4
  By kelbelle37 - April 14 - 10:27 am

  My Audi has serious electrical problems (every headlight, tail light, turn signal and now the regulator which controls my power window - $350 to replace - has been replaced at least once) and Audi USA and the dealer dont seem to care. I get "it happens to every car" - not any that I owned in the past (Japanese). Theyre great looking cars and fun to drive, but need too much up-keep for the price. Think of something else before purchasing unless you dont mind dishing out hundreds of $$$ every couple months on things that should never go wrong let alone within the first couple months of owning a brand new, showroom floor car.

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  Fun to drive - not fun to own - 1998 Audi A4
  By jimmyjoe - April 14 - 10:00 am

  I had purchased this car believing that Audi had a decent quality car in the A4. Wrong, bought in Feb 2002 and nothing but quality problems. Cruise control died, tires were not balanced (dealer), sunroof opened by itself, airbag sensor died, recall on tie rods had to be done, turbo died, center armrest kept dropping, and when I was getting rid of it the cruise was in the process of dying yet again. However, when it was running correctly it was one of the nicest, well mannered front wheel drives that I have driven (hence the purchase). The doors and the chassis are real solid. Dealer was good about it and put me in a BMW 323 reasonably.

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  The Truth, a REVIEW you need to READ - 2006 Audi A3
  By unsatisfied - April 13 - 7:21 pm

  Less than 1yr old. Ive ran into every problem imagineable. Let me list all the problems ive had: 1) Locking mechanism: rear locks stopped locking, dont know how or what I did to them (maybe nothing?). 2) Alarm engaging: days later, alarm stopped. Service guy told me to manually lock (you do not pay for a pseudo luxury car to manually lock your car). 3) Moon roof malfunction: the mesh screen would get stuck, I took it back 3 times. 3rd time due to me running over a curb cuz I was pulling so hard. 4)Sun visor & tail light: went out in 6 months. 5) foglight grill: flew off on freeway. $100 something to replace. 6) airbag malfunction. 7) speakers: front ones went out, they said it was my fault for loose wire.

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  Great Vehicle But expensive - 2017 Audi Q7
  By Srinivasan KR - April 13 - 11:50 am

  Great Vehicle But expensive. They could have added extra features for the cost. Value for money thumbs down. Vehicle quality and driving experience great

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  DSG Transmission Problems - 2006 Audi A3
  By Bill - April 13 - 8:45 am

  Car was great until around 7300 miles then I heard a noise that sounded like an aircraft turbine engine. Took it to the dealer, who determined it was the transmission, but said they would have to notify Audi to determine what work could be done. Took Audi 6 days to decide to replace the transmission, which had to be shipped from Germany. It appears that if the dealer hadnt contacted Audi to pressure them to make a decision, Audi would still be deciding what action, if any, they were going to take. So, 2 weeks after problem surfaced I finally got the car back. Now Im concerned about the reliability of the DSG transmission. Didnt get any help from Audi Customer Relations Advocate either!

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  2004 Audi Allroad - Super Car 2.7 V6 Biturbo - 2004 Audi Allroad Quattro
  By stevoid123 - April 13 - 7:16 am

  Bought this car used from a dealer in Rockland Ontario. Its a 2004 Allroad 2.7 V6 5-spd automatc. I was able to find the Audi dealer in Montreal who serviced the car and obtained all the service records from Audi. There was a 50$ service charge but well worth it. The previous owners name was blacked out but all details were there indicating full professional service and verifying the mileage. After a few weeks I had to replace 2 front upper control arms and fix a transmission oil leak. After 18 months I decided to upgrade the air suspension.

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  Love Hate relationship - 2006 Audi A3
  By A3Man - April 12 - 3:44 pm

  The car is absolutely amazing. For an all around do it all vehicle Audi hit the nail on the head. I love the design and the interior layout. I love the sportiness of the suspension and how the car handles every type of road thrown at it. I hate that I have taken the car in for two electrical problems already. First, was the coolant temperature sensor crapped out on me. Audi did order the part and had it in within a week though. Secondly my heated seats went out and come to find out it was just a plug issue. The 2.0T is capable, but needs more. A $600 chip increases to 250 HP and 300 lbs of torque. Cargo could be a little better, but any more and it would be an SUV. Overall it is a great car!

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  The best of two worlds - 2006 Audi A3
  By Tom - April 12 - 11:57 am

  I traded in a 2004 TT (3.2, quattro with DSG) for the A3 3.2 quattro in order to get a back seat. I thought Id miss the TT but I dont. The A3 combines the performance of the TT (same engine same DSG) with the comfort of a five (well, really four) passenger car. Its lightening fast and the DSG offers even smoother shifts than on the TT. The styling outside and in is great, with elements of the TT and the A4. The new grill looks great on this model. Equipped with the bi-xenon headlights, navigation system (an MMI interface that becomes the command center for radio, CDs, telephone, navigation, etc.), open sky system and Bluetooth, it has it all.

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  Nice step up from A4 - 2006 Audi A6
  By rmcrowe - April 11 - 12:19 am

  Having owned the A4 previously, I prefered the sportiness of a smaller car. But the need for more room was overpowering. This is a good trade-off. It is not as nimble as the A4, but it is responsive and for a car this size gets around quite well.

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  The best car ever in my opinion - 2005 Audi S4
  By Russ - April 10 - 11:03 pm

  I have owned Jensen Healey, x2 Jaquars, x3 BMW incl a 2003 M3 roadster, x3Mercedes, a Volvo and a couple domestics. This is the best of the bunch for fun, comfort, driving ease @ all speeds and slick in all respects. And a bargain price for all that. I was on the list for a BMW M5 and luckily took this out for a test drive!!