As part of the “From 0 to 100” special exhibition, Audi museum mobile is presenting one of the most exciting moments in the history of Audi AG. That is the moment of the company entering the upper executive class with the Audi 100. From March 28 to June 24, 2018, visitors can expect to see 15 variants of this historically important model which the company premiered 50 years ago.
The Audi 100 won the “Golden Steering Wheel” award five times, twice was “Car of the Year” and also became “World Car of the Year”. In all, 3.2 million units were sold which demonstrates the success which this model experienced. The premiere of the Audi 100 in 1968 was preceded by a turbulent history. And the reason was that its development actually started in secret.
In the mid-1960s, Volkswagen AG acquired Auto Union GmbH and prevented the company from developing any new models. Ludwig Kraus, then Technical Director at Auto Union, ignored the stipulation to only look after the existing models.
In 1965, Kraus wanted to expand the range of vehicles which the resuscitated Audi brand offered. He saw adding a model in the executive segment as the only way to keep an independent Auto Union afloat. It was a time when the production of the VW Beetle took place in the Ingolstadt plant. Without informing Volkswagen, Kraus developed and subsequently presented the concept before it eventually received approval from the team in Wolfsburg. Very quickly, the Ingolstadt plant reached the limits of its capacity. Thus Auto Union shifted the entire production of the Audi 100 to the Neckarsulm works in 1970. From the first series alone, the company sold 800,000 units.
A car from this model generation is also on show at the “From 0 to 100” exhibition, as are a further 14 variants from the different model series.
Among the vehicles exhibited are the Audi 100 Cabrio from 1969, the Audi 100 C1 electric passenger car from 1976 and the Audi research car from 1981
These shed some light on previously little-known facets of the model. They also demonstrate both a ground-breaking design and a number of technical innovations. Highlights of the Audi 100 include its world-best aerodynamics value, the first fully galvanized body on an executive sedan and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. The Audi Duo is in the exhibition as well. This car not only features a 136-hp five-cylinder engine, but also an electric motor. Thus it actually is the first hybrid vehicle of the Audi brand. The brand presented this concept study on the basis of an Audi 100 at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 1990. Since 1995, the Audi A6 has continued the success story of the Audi 100. An Audi A6 2.8 quattro from the first model series rounds out the new “From 0 to 100” special exhibition.
The Audi museum mobile at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt is open daily from Monday to Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
#RevealTheA6 – didn’t make it to the podium, but a great contribution all the same: see how Jonas Bongard staged the #Audi #A6 core competences #comfort and #sportiness in this video. pic.twitter.com/w9KHOc1jyr
— AUDI AG (@Audi_Press) March 19, 2018
