Audi has built almost ten million C-series vehicles. The ninth generation is now on sale in Europe – the A6 Avant. A great opportunity for a family photo with Audi employees presenting their C models from across the generations.

The all-new Audi A6 Avant is more dynamic, efficient, and digital than ever before and stands for first-class travel like no other vehicle in the premium full-size class. It has been available in dealerships across Europe since May 16, and the A6 Sedan will be launched at the end of July. The two new A6 models are based on the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) and are powered by modern gasoline and diesel engines. The mild hybrid technology MHEV plus supports the combustion engine, enhances performance and driving comfort, and reduces CO2 emissions. Whether on long trips or in the city, the adaptive air suspension and all-wheel steering ensure a smooth ride and agile handling in equal measure. The all-new Audi A6 Avant unites elegant, dynamic design with exceptional aerodynamics. Audi is also offering both the Avant and Sedan as plug-in hybrids.

With the ninth generation built in Neckarsulm, Audi is continuing the success story of the C series. With the Audi 100, the brand with the four rings succeeded in moving up into the premium mid-size segment in 1968. The Audi 100 (C1 to C4) won the Golden Steering Wheel five times; it was also named Car of the Year twice and World Car of the Year once. A total of 3.2 million Audi 100s were sold, underscoring the success and popularity of the model series. The generations that followed the C1 demonstrated Vorsprung durch Technik with numerous innovations such as the fully galvanized body, optimized aerodynamics, and highly efficient engines. The Audi 100 has been called the Audi A6 since 1994. Audi has built almost ten million C-series vehicles since 1968 – 9,836,762 as of April 2025 to be exact.

Big numbers from a long history. However, the enthusiasm and passion for the C series go much deeper than that, in the Audi workforce too. To create a very special photo, eight employees – each with a C model from one of the generations C1 to C8 – gathered at the Audi Piazza in Ingolstadt in front of the museum mobile to welcome the new C9 Audi A6 Avant to the family.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Since production started in late 2023, the Audi Q6 e-tron series has been the first high-volume fully electric model series that Audi has produced at its headquarters in Ingolstadt. In keeping with the brand’s 360factory production strategy, Audi has integrated individual production steps into existing body shop and assembly structures and processes. Since January 1, 2024, Audi has also been manufacturing at its Ingolstadt site with net-zero emissions1. Moreover, the brand with the four rings’ headquarters is the first Audi location in Germany to have its own battery assembly facility.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner emphasizes the significance of the first model based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE): “The PPE, and with it the Q6 e-tron series, form the basis for subsequent electric Audi models. In this way, we are taking a decisive step towards offering an electric model in all core segments in the medium term.” Audi Board Member for Production and Logistics Gerd Walker considers the start of production in late 2023 as an important milestone for the 360factory production strategy: “By the end of the decade, we will have successively equipped all Audi locations for electric mobility. We are harnessing electrification to comprehensively transform our existing plants. With the production of the Q6 e-tron series, the Ingolstadt plant is taking the next step towards becoming a 360factory.” Audi has a clear vision for the production of the future.

As part of this holistic, sustainable approach, the company is modernizing, digitalizing, and transforming its existing plants. The Audi Q6 e-tron series, as well as all other vehicles built at the site, have been made with net zero emissions1 since 2024.

State-of-the-art production technology in the new battery assembly facility

One example of how Audi is modernizing and expanding its existing systems is the new battery assembly facility for PPE models. On an area of around 30,000 square meters (323,000 sq ft), 300 employees work in three shifts with an automation rate of almost 90 percent to assemble up to 1,000 high-voltage batteries per day for PPE-based models. “In this way, we are increasing our vertical range of manufacture while also bringing additional skills and technologies to the location,” explains Board Member for Production and Logistics Walker.

The new facility, which is located in a dedicated battery assembly hall at the Logistics and Goods Transport Center (GVZ) in Ingolstadt, is powered exclusively by green electricity. This also allows Audi to achieve even greater flexibility and efficiency in production without sealing additional areas for new buildings.

Electric motors for PPE from the world’s largest powertrain plant in Győr

Ingolstadt is sourcing the electric motors for the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) technology platform from the world’s largest powertrain plant in Győr, Hungary. Audi Hungaria manufactures electric motors for the PPE on three newly installed production lines. The motors are then transported to Ingolstadt by the transportation and logistics company DB Cargo with zero emissions. Audi has been producing at the Győr site with net zero emissions1 since 2020. “Sustainable production in existing plants is the core of our 360factory manufacturing strategy and an integral step on our path towards building a future-proof production network,” says Walker.

Retooling and a flexible equipment concept in the body shop

In order to make production of the Q6 e-tron series sustainable and efficient at the same time, Audi has integrated production domains such as the body shop for the PPE into existing structures. The bodies for the PPE models are assembled at the Ingolstadt plant on an area of around 148,000 square meters (1.6 million sq ft). There, 328 employees per shift and 1,150 robots build the body components for the Q6 e-tron series with an automation rate of 87 percent.

The highly flexible equipment will also enable the virtually seamless launch of future models. In order to make sustainable and synergistic use of resources, Audi is reusing more than 600 machines such as robots that were already used to produce other Audi models in the body shop for the production of PPE bodies. Audi is also putting a new fleet of more than 40 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) into operation for the Q6 e-tron series. The AGVs supply materials in the hall and also supply the body shop with the required parts in automated operation.

Assembly of PPE models with existing equipment

Audi consistently relies on existing systems and equipment for assembly. For example, the Audi Q6 e-tron series was seamlessly integrated into the assembly line previously used for the Audi A4 and A5 models. It took Audi eight stages of modification to integrate the PPE models into its assembly operations.

Higher automation in the paint shop

Production has also extended the paint shop for the new fully electric series. Among other changes, the dryer after the cathodic dip coating (CDC) process step was extended and a new integrated procedure for automatically sealing holes was introduced. After CDC, robots use adhesive pads to seal about 70 holes in the bodies, each of which is measured individually for this step. Previously, employees had to manually perform this part of the process. Audi upgraded the dryer to meet the higher energy requirements for curing the bodies after CDC. This modification ensures all parts of the body reach the target temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) required for curing the CDC. The Ingolstadt paint shop also uses automated production technology that helps detect, evaluate, and process surface irregularities. This makes it possible to objectively inspect finished surfaces, increasing process reliability and making quality monitoring more transparent. In the first step, robots scan the vehicle surfaces using an automated measuring system. This process is the basis for finishing, which is also an automated process. Each finishing robot is equipped with a grinding and polishing tool. In the subsequent step, employees inspect the processed areas on large screens.

Flexible equipment concept for hot forming

At the press shop in Münchsmünster, a team of experts has been working hard to upgrade the hot-forming process for the PPE. Hot forming is primarily used to produce safety-related components: This process gives extra stability and crash safety to sheet metal parts for the body structure of vehicles on the PPE, such as A- and B-pillars, as well as parts of the longitudinal members. After being heated to around 950 °C (1,742 °F) in a special furnace, sheets of metal are formed into the desired component in a forming press using the appropriate template. By locally cooling the heated metal using air vents, Audi can influence the strength of the components as needed to further optimize crash performance while reducing the weight of the body.

Due to the high hardness of the material, it is then necessary to use special lasers to cut the desired contours into the components.

In addition to components for models based on the PPE, the production equipment is also being used to produce components for combustion-engine models based on the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion). This new level of flexibility means the equipment can be used to manufacture a total of 44 components in Münchsmünster. Changing the setup of the laser cells and forming presses is fully automated and time-optimized, resulting in a plant output of around 20,000 individual parts per working day.

Much more information about the world premiere of the Audi Q6 e-tron model series can be found in the Audi MediaCenter.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

1 Audi understands net-zero CO2 emissions to mean a situation in which, after other possible reduction measures have been exhausted, the company offsets the carbon emitted by Audi’s products or activities and/or the carbon emissions that currently cannot be avoided in the supply chain, manufacturing, and recycling of Audi vehicles through voluntary offsetting projects carried out worldwide. In this context, carbon emissions generated during a vehicle’s utilization stage, i.e. from the moment it is delivered to the customer, are not taken into account.

Audi Hungaria has reached a special production milestone. Since the start of series production of the Audi Q3 in 2011, over two million vehicles have been sold worldwide – one million of which were manufactured at the Hungarian plant in Győr. The model’s success story continues with the new Audi Q3 making its debut in summer 2025.

Since its establishment in 1993, Audi Hungaria has produced more than 45 million engines and two million vehicles in Győr. Production of the second-generation Audi Q3 and Q3 Sportback began at the automobile factory in 2018.

“One million vehicles produced in Győr impressively demonstrates how popular the Audi Q3 is with our customers worldwide,” says Gerd Walker, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Audi Hungaria and Member of the Board of Management for Production and Logistics at AUDI AG. “The Győr plant has played a significant part in the success of the model and has stood for consistent production quality for more than 25 years. Audi Hungaria also has a unique portfolio of products and services that play an important role not only for the Hungarian industry, but also for the Audi brand. This success story will continue with the new generation of the Audi Q3, which will celebrate its world premiere in the summer.”

Michael Breme, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria: “We are thrilled to have now reached the magic number of one million Audi Q3s produced in Győr. Our thanks go to AUDI AG and to our customers for their trust, but above all to our outstanding employees who produce our cars in premium quality day after day.”

In 2024, the seventh year of production of the successful compact SUV, Audi Hungaria employees manufactured 99,288 units. A total of 63,759 units of the Sportback version rolled off the production line that year as well.

Audi will start a new chapter of the Q3 success story in summer 2025. 

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Audi is expanding its Gran Turismo family. The Audi e-tron GT quattro1 makes entering the battery-electric premium segment even more attractive. The new model is available now.

The Audi e-tron GT quattro1 rounds off the existing GT family with the S e-tron GT2, RS e-tron GT3, and the RS e-tron GT performance4. The vehicle has a system output of 370 kW (430 kW with Launch Control). Thanks to a gross battery capacity of 105 kWh (net 97 kWh) and a range of up to 622 kilometers (386.5 mi), the Audi e-tron GT quattro1 is ideally equipped for everyday use – whether driving on the highway or in city traffic.

The base model also features a remarkable charging performance of up to 320 kW. This means that only short charging stops are needed, as the vehicle can recharge roughly 285 kilometers (177 mi) in just ten minutes. The high-voltage battery’s full charging power is available in an expanded thermal range. The e-tron route planner automatically preconditions the energy storage system, thus ensuring the best possible charging performance.

Progressive – inside and out

The Audi Gran Turismo philosophy is embodied not only by the model’s long-distance capability but also by its striking design language. Large wheels, a sleek coupé-like silhouette, and an extended wheelbase contribute to the vehicle’s sporty proportions. The low drag coefficient of 0.24 and the controllable air intakes deliver impressive efficiency with little driving noise – ideal for relaxed driving.

At the front, a black mask accentuates the inverted Singleframe in the body color, while at the rear, an elegantly designed diffuser with vertical fins makes for a powerful finish.

Dynamics meet everyday usability

The sleek roofline gives the vehicle a dynamic contour. Located in the underbody, the high-voltage battery features strategically placed recesses in the battery pack that serve as footwells and provide generous seating comfort for all passengers. The driver and front passenger travel in luxury on eight-way adjustable sport seats with integrated headrests that prove particularly comfortable on long journeys. The rear seat backrest can be partially or completely folded down so that sporting equipment can be stowed in the 405-liter (14.3 cu ft) trunk. There is also a front luggage compartment with a volume of 77 liters (2.7 cu ft).

Less weight, optimum balance

The intelligent quattro system distributes the drive torque between the front and rear axles fully variably and at lightning speed, ensuring optimum traction in a wide range of driving conditions. To perform that task, the system analyzes the driving situation and adjusts the power distribution accordingly. Precise control of the drive is achieved in just a few milliseconds. The Audi e-tron GT quattro1 weighs about 30 kilograms (66.1 lbs) less than the S model, benefiting dynamics and efficiency in equal measure.

Launch and prices

Like the other GT models (S e-tron GT2, RS e-tron GT3, RS e-tron GT performance4), the new e-tron GT quattro1 is also being produced at the Audi Sport GmbH Böllinger Höfe plant in Neckarsulm. The entry-level model can be ordered now. Prices start at 108,900 euros.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

1. Audi e-tron GT quattro: Electric power consumption (combined): 19.3–17.8 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions (combined): 0 g/km; CO2 class: A

2. Audi S e-tron GT: Electric power consumption (combined): 19.7–18.0 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions (combined): 0 g/km; CO2 class: A

3. Audi RS e-tron GT: Electric power consumption (combined): 21.1–18.4 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions (combined): 0 g/km; CO2 class: A

4. Audi RS e-tron GT performance: Electric power consumption (combined): 20.8–18.7 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions (combined): 0 g/km; CO2 class: A