Audi Tradition showcases Audi 100 and A6 history
- Exhibition on the successful model series at Audi Forum Neckarsulm runs until April 30
- Audi 100 enabled the brand’s rise to the upper mid-range in 1968
Audi Tradition is presenting a special chapter in Audi history with a new exhibition at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm: the company’s rise to the upper mid-size range with the Audi 100. Running until April 30, a total of 17 exhibits from eight generations of the C model series, starting with the Audi 100 from 1968, await visitors on the second floor of the Audi Forum.
Over the course of its four model generations, the Audi 100 won the Golden Steering Wheel five times, the title “Car of the Year” twice, and was named “World Car of the Year” by automotive journalists once. The model series’ success is underscored by the 3.2 million Audi 100s that were sold in total. The premiere of the first Audi 100 in 1968 was preceded by an exciting story, as its development began in secret. Volkswagenwerk AG took over Auto Union GmbH in the mid-1960s and prohibited the Ingolstadt-based company from developing new models. Ludwig Kraus, Technical Director of Auto Union at the time, ignored the order to only work on existing models. He wanted to add a mid-range model to the Audi brand, which had only been reintroduced in 1965 with the first Audi produced after the Second World War. At a time when VW Beetles were rolling off the production line at the Ingolstadt plant, Kraus saw this as the only chance of survival for an independent Auto Union. His courage was rewarded, and he received the green light from Wolfsburg for his Audi 100 study. Production started in 1968, and capacity limits were very quickly reached in Ingolstadt. The Audi 100 production therefore moved to the Neckarsulm plant in 1970. The company sold 800,000 cars with the very first series. Three further generations followed and proved Audi’s claim of Vorsprung durch Technik with numerous innovations such as the fully galvanized body, optimized aerodynamics, and highly efficient engines.
Since 1994, the Audi A6 has continued the success story of the Audi 100. Nine variants of the Audi 100 and eight of the Audi A6 are on display in Neckarsulm, with the exhibition rounded off by an Audi RS 6 Avant GT) from 2024. According to curator Stefan Felber, each of the 17 vehicles is distinguished by a special characteristic. In addition to the “first one,” which founded the ancestry line, visitors will also get to know a “globetrotter,” “a feat of spaciousness,” a “long one,” a “sloping one,” a “connected one,” and the “supreme one” – the latter is the Audi RS 6 Avant GT, which concludes the almost 60-year model series history on display. But, as we know, the model series’ success story will soon be continued with its ninth generation – the new Audi A6 Avant will be revealed to the world on March 4 at 2 p.m.
Audi Forum Neckarsulm
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission; guided tours of the exhibition available. The Audi Forum Neckarsulm is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. For further information, please see Guest Services | Audi Forum Neckarsulm.
