About Audi Cars
Four auto manufacturers joined forces in 1932 to create the luxury brand that became Audi. It is now owned by Volkswagen AG, the second-largest carmaker in the world. The acknowledged founder of the company is August Horch, who incorporated August Horch & Ce. Motorwagenweke AG in 1904 but left to form another company in 1909. His former partners in the first company sued him to retain his name on their vehicles, prompting him to come up with an alternative (Audi is a Latin version of Horch).
The merger of four auto manufacturers in 1932 (Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer) under the name Auto Union AG revolutionized German car making by producing a six-cylinder engine with front-wheel drive, called the Audi Front. After World War II the company moved its operations to Bavaria in West Germany but struggled to regain its place in the manufacturing world. In 1959 Daimler-Benz bought the Auto Union company, and in 1964 Volkswagen bought 50 percent of it, mostly to use its factories to produce more Beetles.
Auto Union engineers secretly developed the Audi 100, and when it was presented to Volkswagen’s director, Heinz Nordhoff, who approved of putting Audi vehicles like it into production. Audi was introduced in the U.S. in 1970, and many of its models shared components with Volkswagen’s more pedestrian vehicles.
Quick Facts
-
Audi A6
is the most-recalled Audi vehicle
-
Audi A6 Avant
is the least expensive car from Audi starting from
$ 16,495.00
-
Audi A3
has an MPG of
30 miles/gallon / 42 miles/gallon
which is the highest gas mileage in the city and on highways
-
Audi A6
has the most trims available with 315 variations released
Number of Audi Sales in the United States
Audi U.S. Sales Reports - By Month
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11,541 | 11,455 | 17,102 | 16,827 | 18,428 | 18,262 | 17,654 | 18,794 | 17,340 | 17,700 | 16,700 | 20,399 |
| 2016 | 11,850 | 11,718 | 18,392 | 17,801 | 18,728 | 18,445 | 18,364 | 19,264 | 17,617 | 17,721 | 17,118 | 23,195 |
| 2017 | 13,201 | 13,741 | 18,705 | 18,711 | 19,197 | 19,416 | 18,824 | 19,811 | 19,308 | 19,425 | 19,195 | 26,977 |
| 2018 | 14,511 | 15,451 | 20,090 | 19,104 | 19,315 | 19,471 | 19,221 | 20,907 | 19,350 | 16,056 | 17,082 | 22,765 |
| 2019 | 14,253 | 13,560 | 20,302 | 15,024 | 18,892 | 19,409 |
Audi Car Sales in The United States from 2015 to 2019
| Year | Car Sales |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 202,202 |
| 2016 | 210,213 |
| 2017 | 226,511 |
| 2018 | 223,323 |
| 2019 | 101,440 |
Average Pricing for Audi Popular models
| Popular Audi Models | Average Price |
|---|---|
| A4 | $ 32,430.21 |
| A8 | $ 80,006.69 |
| S5 | $ 54,800.96 |
| Allroad Quattro | $ 41,019.44 |
| Q3 | $ 35,979.59 |
| S6 | $ 71,394.36 |
| RS4 | $ 68,771.51 |
| S6 Avant | $ 58,700.00 |
| TTS | $ 51,552.53 |
| 200 Wagon | $ 43,206.76 |
| e-tron Sportback | $ 79,095.00 |
| Taycan | $ 150,900.00 |
Interesting Facts About Audi
In 2018 the company unveiled a new way of labeling its cars according to engine displacement. Rather than a single digit number following the model letter (generally A was the smallest and Q the largest in the fleet), they’re now using double digits as follows:
| 30 | 109-128 hp (81-96 kW) |
| 35 | 147-160 hp (110-120 kW) |
| 40 | 167-201 hp (125-150 kW) |
| 45 | 226-248 hp (169-185 kW) |
| 50 | 281-308 hp (210-230 kW) |
| 55 | 328-368 hp (245-275 kW) |
| 60 | 429-455 hp (320-340 kW) |
| 70 | 536+ hp (400+ kW) |
How to Identify and Decode Audi VINs
The first three digits of a VIN on an Audi will be the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). The WMI contains information such as the manufacturer, country of origin, and type of vehicle.
Audi vehicles will have one of the following WMI numbers as the first three numbers in the VIN.
| WMI Code | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| WAU | Audi |
| WA1 | Audi SUV |
| WUA | Audi Sport GmbH |
| 93U, 93V | Audi Brazil |
Position 4 through 8 are the vehicle descriptor series (VDS). These characters are used to identify the model, series, engine, trim, and safety features. The codes change regularly when new series of models or entirely new vehicles are added. There are no consolidated lists of all the possible codes for U.S. Audi vehicles.
Position 4 identifies the model of Audi. There are hundreds of Audi models represented.
Position 5 is the engine identifier. As with position four, engine codes change from year-to-year.
Position 6 identifies the safety equipment installed by the Audi factory. These numbers also change frequently. An archived approved VIN chart for MY 2014 by the NHTSA includes the following information.
Restraint systems:
Character-All (Active-Dr/Pass) (Airbag Dr/Pass) (Advanced Front Airbag)
| A | Side Airbags Front, Side Guard Air Curtain. |
| B | Side Airbags Front & Rear, Side Guard Air Curtain. |
Position 7 and eight identify the model number used by Audi. These numbers change frequently and are not stored in one place.
Position 9 is used as a check digit. The check digit is a code 0-9 or X that indicates the solution of an algorithm using the letters and numbers of the VIN. This digit allows for a VIN to be verified as a valid number.
Position 10 is the model year. One of the following codes will indicate the year.
| A | 1980, 2010 |
| B | 1981, 2011 |
| C | 1982, 2012 |
| D | 1983, 2013 |
| E | 1984, 2014 |
| F | 1985, 2015 |
| G | 1986, 2016 |
| H | 1987, 2017 |
| J | 1988, 2018 |
| K | 1989, 2019 |
| L | 1990, 2020 |
| M | 1991, 2021 |
| N | 1992, 2022 |
| P | 1993, 2023 |
| R | 1994, 2024 |
| S | 1995, 2025 |
| T | 1996, 2026 |
| U | 1997, 2027 |
| W | 1998, 2028 |
| X | 1999, 2029 |
| Y | 2000, 2030 |
| 1 | 2001, 2031 |
| 2 | 2002, 2032 |
| 3 | 2003, 2033 |
| 4 | 2004, 2034 |
| 5 | 2005, 2035 |
| 6 | 2006, 2036 |
| 7 | 2007, 2037 |
| 8 | 2008, 2038 |
| 9 | 2009, 2039 |
Position 11 is the factory at which the vehicle was manufactured. Audi vehicles are produced primarily in Ingolstadt, Germany, as indicated with the letter A in the VIN. Various other factories exist and use the same codes as other Volkswagen Group vehicles.
Position 12 through 17 is the serial number that identifies the specific vehicle, like a fingerprint. Serial numbers are not consecutive and do not indicate earlier or later production.
Safety and Recalls for Audi Cars
Defective airbag inflators have affected recalls for many vehicle manufacturers, and Audi was not immune. The following vehicles are involved:
- 2009 Audi A4 Cabriolet, S4 Cabriolet, A6 Avant, A6 Sedan and S6 Sedan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B".
- Certain 2005-2008 Audi A4 Avant, A4 Sedan, A6 Sedan, S4 Avant and S4 Sedan vehicles, 2007-2008 A4 Cabriolet, RS4 Sedan, S4 Cabriolet and S6 Sedan vehicles, and 2006-2008 A6 Avant and 2008 RS4 Cabriolet vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Mislabeled vehicles could lead to misunderstandings of future recalls for owners of 2015 Audi A3 1.8T FWD S Tronic and 2.0T Quattro S Tronic vehicles. A recall will replace the existing vehicle production date labels.
Owners of certain 2015-2017 Audi A7 autos face recall for head curtain airbags that may not deploy correctly in the event of a crash.
There is a recall on 2013-14 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles built between March 12 and July 15, 2013, because the glass in the standard sunroof may shatter.
A piece of the fuel pump assembly has been recalled in 2009-2012 Audi Q5, and 2007-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles equipped with gasoline engines because a crack may form allowing fuel to spill.
A recall affecting 2010-2013 Audi A8 vehicles manufactured May 15, 2010, to May 14, 2012, will fix a potential leak in the coolant system, preventing a leak that could affect the engine control module.
Audi Recalls
Audi had 1921 from 1980 to 2024 of which the most recalled model is 1998 Audi A4 and the least is 2005 Audi A8. Audi had the most recalled during 2021.
| Model | Number of Recalls |
|---|---|
| 1998 Audi A4 #1 with most recalls | 5 |
| 2019 Audi A8 #2 with most recalls | 4 |
| 2013 Audi A4 #3 with most recalls | 4 |
| 2004 Audi A6 #4 with most recalls | 4 |
| 2018 Audi S4 #5 with most recalls | 24 |
| 2020 Audi Q7 #6 with most recalls | 22 |
| 2019 Audi RS5 #7 with most recalls | 22 |
| 2014 Audi A7 #8 with most recalls | 2 |
| 2005 Audi A8 #9 with most recalls | 1 |
