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Booklet features a selection of more than two dozen anniversaries The launch of the Audi A2 25 years ago; the first new Audi in post-war times 60 years ago; and Hans Stuck’s record-breaking exploits in the “world’s fastest road-going car” near Lucca 90 years ago With the “Anniversary Dates 2025” booklet, Audi Tradition is showcasing the most important moments in the product and company history of Audi, which is as eventful as it is diverse. Audi historians have selected a total of 27 dates to commemorate in 2025. Twenty-five years ago, the Audi A2 hit the market. With its aluminum body, it made a name for itself as a progressive compact car: light, aerodynamic, and economical. The Audi A2 polarized opinion with its design and unusual proportions; the concept was ahead of its time. However, sales remained below expectations, and Audi ended production after roughly five years and 176,377 units built. Since then, the A2 became a fan favorite and is now a sought-after collector’s item. Sixty years ago, the first post–World War II Audi rolled off the production line. With the “Auto Union Audi” vehicle, Auto Union GmbH revived the tradition-steeped Audi brand name in 1965. The new name was meant to show that this car represented a fresh start for Auto Union in terms of technology. The Audi was the first car from the brand with four rings to feature a four-cylinder four-stroke engine, and it marked the beginning of a new era in Ingolstadt. Twenty years later, on January 1, 1985, Audi NSU Auto Union AG was renamed AUDI AG, and since that time, the company and its products have shared the same short, memorable name. Ninety years ago, in February 1935, a spectacular attempt to break speed records took place in Italy. After test drives in October 1934 with the Grand Prix racing car on the AVUS in Berlin, the Auto Union racing department started developing the vehicle that would later be known as the “Lucca” car.

There, Audi Tradition will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Audi A2 and will show a polished aluminum version of the model to mark the occasion. Audi Tradition will also be on hand to answer questions at the Volkswagen Group’s joint stand in Hall 5 for visitors interested in the range of spare parts. On the same weekend, two-time German rally champion Harald Demuth will pilot a 1984 Audi Sport quattro Rallye at the FAT ICE RACE in Zell am See, Austria (February 1).A desert car on ice: Jutta Kleinschmidt, who in 2001 became the first and to date only woman to win the Dakar Rally, will drive the Audi RS Q e-tron, the car that won the 2024 Dakar, in Zell.Action on the ice continues three weeks later in St. Moritz at The I.C.E. concours d’elegance (February 21-22) where Tom Kristensen will present the Audi quattro Group S, built in 1986, on the frozen Lake St. Moritz. Development work began as early as 1985 on this special rally car, featuring a tubular space frame, plastic bodywork, and four-valve turbocharged engine with a mid-engine layout. It was intended for use in the Group S category of rallying planned from 1987 onwards, but it was ultimately not used. The Festival of Speed in Goodwood (July 10–13) attracts motorsport fans from around the world. Audi Tradition will be there to celebrate the first Audi victory at Le Mans 25 years ago – together with Le Mans legends Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo “Dindo” Capello. At the Goodwood Hillclimb, the Auto Union Type 52 driven by Hans-Joachim Stuck, will also be on the starting line along with the Le Mans race cars. Two weeks after Goodwood, Audi Tradition will take part in another festival: the Eifel Rallye Festival (July 24–26) in Daun. Audi Tradition will also be polishing up vehicles from its historical collection in preparation for classic car rallies, for example the Heidelberg Historic (July 4–5), the Donau Classic (July 18–19), and the Sachsen Classic (August 14–16).

In 2008, the TTS sports model was launched with a 2-liter turbo engine and 272 PS, followed a year later by the TT RS with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine with 340 PS and 360 PS in the Audi TT RS plus. In 2008, Audi launched the TT 2.0 TDI quattro – the world’s first production sports car with a diesel engine. Audi virtual cockpit and OLED debut in the third generation The third generation of the Audi TT was launched in 2014. For the new TT and TT RS, the designers reinterpreted the unmistakable lines of the original 1998 TT for the modern age. They enriched them with numerous dynamic facets, while the round fuel tank cap with typical TT lettering remained true across the generations. While many profile details also deliberately recalled the first-generation design classic, the third-generation TT offered several technical innovations. For example, this model marked the debut of the Audi virtual cockpit, a fully digital instrument panel with highly detailed displays that replaced analog instruments and the MMI monitor. In 2016, a new era for automotive lighting technology began in the Audi TT RS, when Audi used organic LEDs, known as OLED technology, for the first time. The car also used a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine, one of the most exciting engines the Audi brand has to offer. With its 400 PS, this engine boasted a sporty sound and, on top of that, was named “International Engine of the Year” nine times in a row. With the special Audi TT RS Coupé iconic edition model, which came in Nardo Gray and was limited to 100 units, Audi combined the design and technology highlights from a quarter of a century of the Audi TT to celebrate the car’s 25th anniversary in 2023. The final Audi TT is a TTS in Chronos Gray Cloaked in Chronos Gray, the final Audi TT, a TTS, leaves the plunge pool at the paint shop at the Audi plant in Győr.

The Audi A2 represents another milestone in aerodynamics. At its debut at the IAA in 1999, its design, geared towards optimum streamlining and unusual proportions at the time, polarized public opinion. The basic model with an aluminum Audi Space Frame body achieved a drag coefficient of 0.28. The Audi engineers continued to tighten the aerodynamic screw with many individual measures and, in this way, reduced the drag coefficient of the Audi A2 1.2 TDI even further. The Audi A2 1.2 TDI is the world's first four-door, three-liter car and will be part of the special exhibition "Form vollendet"; it has a drag coefficient of 0.25 and an average fuel consumption of 2.99 liters per 100 kilometers. Curator Stefan Felber reveals his favorite inclusion in the upcoming exhibition: “The DKW F9 has a special meaning for me – it is the link between the two exhibitions, Windschnittig and Form vollendet. What’s more, this streamlined and seemingly plain car represents the new beginning of Auto Union in West Germany and IFA in East Germany.”

The interior layout strictly follows the ‘feel like a pilot’ design philosophy of Lamborghini, combined with the spaceship idea: it takes the idea of a 2+2 GT but moves that a step forward, creating a 2+2 lifestyle concept where the rear space of the cabin can also be used for carrying all sorts of sports equipment or luggage. A trunk is concealed under the short and steeply sloping front bonnet, while the large glass tailgate opens wide. Adjustable rear seats and a variable luggage compartment in the rear make the concept car adaptable to almost any everyday situation. The futuristic concept car’s detailing is sophisticated and reflecting its unique character: the slim headlights take inspiration from the Countach LPI 800-4, while the hexagonal-shaped taillights include the characterful light signature with three LED elements on each side. The typical stylistic elements such as the Y and the hexagon, which have characterized Lamborghini's design from the very beginning, can be found throughout the car including the rear lights and in the interior. “For me, the Lamborghini Lanzador is to date our most visionary and futuristic concept car, as well as delivering stunning looks and a new kind of beauty” says Mitja Borkert. “The proportions are new and unseen, with the potential to create an entirely new automotive segment. The Lanzador presents supers sports car volumes but with the pilot in a slightly higher position, echoing that of the Huracán Sterrato. It is designed for a new generation growing up in an era of high tech and digitalization, and demonstrates new and fresh ideas within Lamborghini in terms of our approach to authentically integrating sustainability, via an interior delivering more space and using innovative materials. The Lanzador is a brave and unexpected concept visualizing a potential future Lamborghini model, with an emotional design and Lamborghini-performance approach to creating a true Ultra GT,”emphasizes Borkert.

In 2008, the TTS sports model was launched with a 2-liter turbo engine and 272 PS, followed a year later by the TT RS with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine with 340 PS and 360 PS in the Audi TT RS plus. In 2008, the brand with the four rings launched the TT 2.0 TDI quattro – the world’s first production sports car to run on a diesel engine. The third generation of the Audi TT was launched in 2014 – and once again, Audi used the new generation to reduce its weight. The TT Coupé, with a 2.0 TFSI) engine and manual transmission, weighed only 1,230 kilograms, up to 50 kilograms lighter than before. For the new TT and TT RS, the designers reinterpreted the unmistakable lines of the original TT from 1998 for the modern age. They enriched them with numerous dynamic facets, while the round fuel tank cap with typical TT lettering remained true across the generations. Many profile details also deliberately recalled the first-generation design classic. In technical terms, the third-generation TT offered several innovations. For example, this model marked the debut of the Audi virtual cockpit, a fully digital instrument panel with highly detailed, versatile displays that replaced analog instruments and the MMI monitor.

The company is renamed AUDI AG and the headquarters are relocated to Ingolstadt. 1988 AUDI AG enters the full-size car class with production of the Audi V8. 1989 Introduction of the turbocharged diesel engine with direct fuel injection in a passenger vehicle, developed in Neckarsulm. 1994 Production starts on the Audi A8, the first series-production vehicle in the world with a completely aluminum body (ASF: Audi Space Frame). 2000 Production begins on the Audi A2, the first aluminum large-volume production car. 2001 Victory in Le Mans with FSI direct fuel injection, newly developed in Neckarsulm. 2005 The Audi Forum in Neckarsulm opens. 2006 Start of the production of the Audi R8 super sports car; first victory in the 24 hours of Le Mans with a diesel engine developed in Neckarsulm. 2007 The first production turntable is established between the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm plants with the start of production of the Audi A4 Sedan. 2008 The new Audi toolmaking shop is inaugurated. 2011 Audi acquires a 230,000-square-meter plot at the Böllinger Höfe industrial park in Heilbronn (more plots acquired in 2014 and 2018). 2012 The Technical Center for Fiber-Reinforced Polymers and the new Engine Test Center are inaugurated. 2013 Audi Neckarsulm receives the J.D.

Alongside the S1 Hoonitron, the Electrikhana film features brief guest appearances by other models from Audi Tradition, such as the Audi 90 IMSA GTO (1989), the Audi 200 Trans Am (1988), the Audi Sport quattro S1 Pikes Peak (1987), the Audi quattro Gruppe B A2 (1984) as well as the Audi R8 LMP and Audi R18 e-tron quattro from Le Mans. Apropos Le Mans: Tom Kristensen, the record winner of the iconic endurance race with nine triumphs under his belt, makes a brief guest appearance at a red traffic light as well. Link to the Electrikhana video Footage of testing the Audi S1 Hoonitron