(February 25, 2013) NECKARSULM, Germany — Audi is celebrating a special event today — the five millionth Audi with a quattro drive system. The car, a white Audi A6 allroad 3.0 TDI, rolled off the assembly line at the Neckarsulm plant.

Audi says that "the record is a testament to the leading role played by the pioneering all-wheel drive system — no other premium brand in the world can claim such high sales figures for a four-wheel drive or a comparable range of models boasting more than 140 quattro variants."

Quattro technology debuted in 1980 in the legendary, original quattro car. Adding together all of the available body types, engines and drive systems amounts to more than 140 different models. Audi offers the widest range of cars by far with all-wheel drive:  the Audi Q7, R8, A4 allroad, A6 allroad as well as all S and RS models are available exclusively with quattro drives; Audi offers it as an option in all other model lines.

"Quattro is one of the key pillars of our brand and has been a critical factor in our successful history," said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. "The quattro permanent all-wheel drive makes it possible to directly experience our 'Vorsprung durch Technik.' We are committed to our pioneering role and will continue to develop this advantage with new technologies."



The quattro name represents driving safety and sportiness, technical competence and a dynamic attitude that doesn't let even adverse road conditions hold it back. The success of the quattro models on the road and in motorsport have contributed, as did a legendary series of TV commercials beginning with the ski jump in Kaipola, Finnland, which the Audi 100 CS quattro climbed in 1986 on its own power.

In 2012 more than 43 percent of Audi customers selected a quattro model — a new record. The Audi Q5 tops the list with about 205,600 units.  But it's not just SUV drivers who rely on the all-wheel drive from the carmaker with the four rings: nearly one in four customers for the other model lines selected a quattro drive in 2012.

The quattro models sell particularly well in the United States, Canada, Russia and in the markets of the Middle East. Statistics for 2012 show around 99,800 new registrations for all-wheel drive Audi models in Germany as well — considerably more than the company's competitors.

The quattro is especially important for the Neckarsulm site, where the record-setting car rolled off of the assembly line: more than one of every two cars Audi produces there features all-wheel drive.

The special Audi character takes on an exclusive form in the models offered by quattro GmbH, a subsidiary of AUDI AG responsible for developing and building Audi's high-performance RS and R8 models. The customer can have his car customized by the company and order special accessories. Demand for this is increasing: the 800 employees of quattro GmbH represent dynamic growth over the company's 30 years of existence.