The Audi brand claim “Vorsprung durch Technik” turns 50 this year. But even half a century after its creation, the world-famous claim of the four rings has not lost its appeal. But every year there is a bit more history in it. For the milestone anniversary, the company looks back on a multitude of innovations in five decades and shows why “Vorsprung durch Technik” is not just a brand claim at Audi, but also an expression of a forward-looking attitude.
The origin of the claim
In 1969 Auto Union GmbH, based in Ingolstadt, and Neckarsulm NSU Motorenwerke merged to form Audi NSU Auto Union AG at the Neckarsulm site. The new company’s model range ranged from the air-cooled engines of the NSU Prinz series with rear-wheel drive to the water-cooled four-cylinder engines of the front-wheel drive Audi 60 and Audi 100 to the rotary engine of the futuristically designed NSU Ro 80 communicate, came in 1970 Hans Bauer. The employee of the Audi NSU advertising department invented the brand claim that people around the world should remember: “Vorsprung durch Technik”.
In January 1971 the new claim appeared for the first time in a large-format advertisement. A little later, customers saw it on the Audi NSU brochures: Whether the Audi 100, Audi 100 Coupé S, Audi 80 or Audi 50 – they all now stood for “Vorsprung durch Technik”. Variations of the slogan such as “Audi. A nice piece of technology ”or“ Audi. Drive calmly with perfect technology ”, but the company soon returned to the memorable original. With the introduction of the Audi quattro in 1980, the slogan appeared more and more frequently in advertising. On the A9 at the Ingolstadt-Nord motorway exit, Europe’s largest neon sign at the time was mounted on a high-rise: the red-brown Audi oval with the addition “Vorsprung durch Technik”. Since October 1986 at the latest, When this was also manifested in the sales brochures of the Audi 80, “Vorsprung durch Technik” was an integral part of the Audi corporate identity. And today, fifty years later, he is indispensable.
Technology in transition
In a new special exhibition entitled “50 Years of Vorsprung durch Technik”, Audi is showing visitors to the Audi Forum Neckarsulm this passion for technology through the ages.
But which milestones laid the foundation for “Vorsprung durch Technik” still standing for Audi’s drive for innovation and the claim still making it into every Audi advertisement today? Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development: “For me, the most important milestone is quattro technology. It not only established our rally successes, but also represents the transfer of experience from racing to series production. Since then, quattro and Audi can no longer be separated. Just as important was the first Audi A8 with Audi space frame technology in 1994, with which we were finally able to establish ourselves as a brand in the premium segment. “
The “Audi decade” began at Le Mans in the early 2000s. With new technologies such as FSI, Turbo-FSI, laser light, ultra-technology and hybrids, the four rings dominated the famous long-distance race in an incomparable manner as a series winner. In addition, the aluminum compact Audi A2 1.2 TDI celebrated its premiere: It was the first and is still the only four-door three-liter car.
The company made the next quantum leap in 2018 with the presentation of the Audi e-tron , which, with a range of 400 kilometers, went into series production as the first fully electric car at Audi and paved the way for premium electric mobility. The market launch of the Audi e-tron GT 2 , which was also revolutionary in terms of its design, followed three years later and proves that e-mobility is becoming highly emotional. The new brand campaign “Future is an Attitude” underscores Audi’s future-oriented approach of constantly questioning familiar perspectives on mobility.
At the end of the 2010s, sustainability becomes a key corporate goal. “That is why Audi is consistently committed to the environment and has brought together numerous measures for resource efficiency and the reduction of the ecological footprint in the cross-location” Mission: Zero “environmental program,” says Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing. The goal: by 2050, Audi should have CO 2 on the balance sheetbecome neutral. “We are developing into a provider of sustainable premium mobility and want to be a pioneer here. That is why we are aligning our claim of technological leadership to environmentally-friendly driving. It is therefore logical that Audi will no longer bring any new models with combustion engines onto the market from 2026, ”explains Wortmann. And the electric offensive is making progress: “We are redefining our lead and are focusing on sustainability, digitization, and electrification. It’s about using meaningful technology to make a contribution to a future worth living in. “
When asked whether the social urge for new technologies makes it easier for Audi to continue to lead the way, Chief Technology Officer Hoffmann answers as follows: “Our aim has always been not to be driven by change, but to be the driver of change. In the age of new mobility, we interpret Vorsprung not only as the highest level of engineering, state-of-the-art design, and digital experience. We also think beyond the vehicle. In the future, holistic mobility solutions will be more important, including the topic of infrastructure. With the pilot of the Audi charging hub, we have developed a flexible fast-charging concept that can be used at various locations for future peak requirements. “And Sales Director Wortmann adds:” Audi will not rest on the technical lead of recent years. Audi is the most progressive premium brand because we always view the future as an opportunity and actively shape it. A head start is an attitude. ”