Welcome to Brand Breakdown, a series of comprehensive yet easy-to-digest guides to your favorite companies, with insights and information you won’t find on the average About page.
We’re huge fans of Audi’s current and past products — the company blends high technology with solid performance and styling that is handsome if a bit reserved. Most famously, the brand is known for its near-ubiquitous all-wheel-drive. Here’s everything you need to know to understand, decipher and shop Audi’s current model lineup.
Audi History
Audi is a German luxury car manufacturer based in Ingolstadt and owned by Volkswagen AG. The Audi name dates back to 1910, but VW consolidated multiple companies into the modern “Audi” in 1969. Audi made its name in motorsport with the four-wheel drive rally champion Audi Quattro in the early 1980s. Volkswagen has positioned Audi as its upmarket competitor for Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
How Audi Names its Cars
Audi follows a simple naming format, for the most part, employing letters and numbers. Base models have an “A” designation. Sportier luxury models get an “S.” The sportiest “RennSport” models get an “RS.” Audi uses “Q” for its SUV line. The now-extinct TT and R8 existed outside that nomenclature. Audi employs “E-Tron” for its electric cars.
