Audi Produces Eight Millionth Model With quattro Drivetrain

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Audi Produces Eight Millionth Model With quattro Drivetrain

Audi recently achieved a new milestone with production of the eight millionth model equipped with its acclaimed all-wheel-drive system - quattro.

By car&bike Team

Published on January 21, 2017

Highlights

The quattro technology first debuted in 1980
The recepient of the 8 millionth example of the system is a Q5 SUV
In 2015, 44% of Audi customers worldwide chose models with quattro

Audi recently achieved a new milestone with production of the eight millionth model equipped with its acclaimed all-wheel-drive system - quattro. The beneficiary of this historic example of the system is a Q5 SUV in Garnet Red from a brand new plant in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico. The technology first debuted in 1980 in the Ur-quattro at the Geneva International Motor Show and is now available in over 100 model versions. The four-ringed carmaker and quattro have evidently come a long way since then. In fact, Audi's latest development is the quattro system featuring ultra technology for cars with a longitudinally-mounted engine. The concept uses an actively controlled multi-plate clutch at the end of the transmission which distributes the torque variably between the drive axles in all-wheel drive operation. A decoupler in the rear axle differential can additionally open the connection to the rear wheels. Both clutches are opened in driving situations where the all-wheel drive doesn't offer any advantage. This way, the parts of the rear drivetrain responsible for drag are not engaged. Audi R8 V10 quattro The system's control unit uses a multitude of data to produce a model of the vehicle's status projecting about half a second into the future. If the system detects, for instance, that the inside wheel is about to lose grip, it switches predictively to all-wheel drive. As a result, the all-wheel drive is always ready when it is needed. The new concept considerably boosts efficiency without diminishing traction or driving dynamics. As far as quattro's numbers go, it may be interesting to note that in 2015, 44 per cent of all Audi customers worldwide chose models equipped with quattro drive and the Audi Q5 topped the list with nearly 262,000 units. quattro models garnered notably robust sales in the United States, Canada, Russia and Middle East markets.