Audi 'Quattro' Celebrates 40th Anniversary... Evolving with Electric All-Wheel Drive Technology

10.95 Million Units Produced... A Symbol of 'Progress Through Technology'

Successful ascent of the Kaipola ski jump by the Audi 100 CS Quattro.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Audi's unique all-wheel-drive system 'quattro' celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Quattro is the foundation of the Audi brand and synonymous with all-wheel-drive systems. It is also regarded as a symbol of Audi's philosophy of 'progress through technology.'

According to Audi on the 30th, as of the end of September, a total of 10,947,790 vehicles equipped with quattro have been produced. This year alone, quattro was applied to 499,379 units. This means that more than 44% of all Audi models produced this year feature the quattro system. Quattro is installed on all models except the compact A1.

Audi's First Quattro Model Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show

In 1980, Audi introduced the original quattro technology with the 'Ur-quattro' at the Geneva Motor Show. This was a completely new drivetrain system in the passenger car market at the time. Quattro is a compact all-wheel-drive system suitable for fast and sporty cars.

Audi officially began the quattro era in 1991 with the Audi 100, the predecessor of the A6. In 1995, it launched the first diesel engine A6 2.5 TDI equipped with permanent all-wheel drive. In 1999, quattro was introduced for the first time in the premium compact segment.

The development of quattro has evolved over time. In 2018, Audi entered the electronic all-wheel-drive era by launching the e-tron and e-tron Sportback, marking the beginning of a sustainable e-mobility era. Both electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) models drive the front and rear axles with electric motors, and the suspension and drive control systems work closely together to continuously distribute ideal driving torque to the front and rear axles in a fully variable manner within milliseconds.

Earlier this year, Audi took the first step in expanding its electric all-wheel-drive system by equipping the e-tron S and e-tron S Sportback with electric torque vectoring. Each wheel is driven by a separate motor, enabling power transfer between the rear wheels.

An Audi official explained, "The quattro system can be used in various ways and customized to fit the concept of specific models," adding, "It has been one of the biggest cornerstones of the Audi brand for the past 40 years and will continue as an icon of Audi."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.