A quarter of a century after its birth, demand is unabated for the Audi A4, now in its fifth generation.
Twenty-five years ago the first Audi A4 drove off the assembly line in Germany. Since then, the premium car brand has produced more than 7.5 million units of the model. With 344,586 units sold in 2018, the A4 is the world’s most popular model for Audi. Approximately every fifth Audi delivered worldwide today comes from this series.
The Audi A4 set new standards when it went into production in 1994 as the successor to the Audi 80 series. With its elegance, sportiness and comfort, it quickly impressed customers all over the world. The model became a bestseller in its first full year of production in 1995 when more than 272,052 units drove off the production line. And today, the model continues to launch highlights in its class with numerous driver-assistance systems.
Albert Mayer, plant director at Audi’s site in Ingolstadt, says for a quarter of a century, the A4 has symbolised Audi like no other model.
"It stands for cutting-edge technology in the premium mid-range, as well as for innovative production technologies at the highest level,” he says. “The Audi A4 is a key pillar of the Ingolstadt plant in particular. Our employees’ tireless commitment and passion for our brand have been and continue to be the driving force behind the impressive success story of the A4.”
Since the launch of the fourth A4 generation in 2007, Audi’s two main plants in Germany have shared production of the A4 via the so-called production turntable system. Audi also manufactures the model in Asia, China, and India.