This is 1969. In Germany, the newly agreed merger between Auto Union GmbH, based in Ingolstadt, and Neckarsulmer NSU Motorenwerke is announced. The merger results in Audi NSU Auto Union AG, based in Neckarsulm. The new company's model range includes everything from the air-cooled engines of the rear-wheel drive NSU Prinz and the water-cooled four-cylinder engines of the front-wheel drive Audi 60 and Audi 100, to the rotary engine of the futuristic NSU Ro 80. The company, it seems, is driven by technology and, possibly, ready to lead it.
A year later, a member of the marketing department of the new company, the Hans Bauer ,has that very thought. He has the idea to communicate this technological diversity as competitive advantage. Bauer would invent the slogan that would soon be easily recognized by the people around the world: "Vorsprung durch Technik". The slogan made the his first appearance in a two-page advertisement January 1971. Today, half a century later, remains as relevant and certainly more recognizable since then...
The anniversary
The corporate slogan Audi's "Vorsprung durch Technik" (free translation, "Driven by Technology") celebrates the 50 years anniversary his. Even half a century after its launch, the phrase that has inextricably linked to the brand has not lost the slightest of the glamour and new chapters are already being added to its history, as Audi is a technological leader in the new era of electromobility. A a wealth of innovations over five decades, demonstrates that Vorsprung durch Technik is not just a slogan for Audi - it is also a slogan for the company. an expression of the future-oriented approach of the brand.
From its first appearance, it was soon included in the leaflets of the Audi NSU, in the models Audi 100, Audi 100 Coupé S, Audi 80 and Audi 50. Over the years there have been ideas for the evolution of the slogan to express other values of the brand but in the end the Technology was the one that unquestionably prevailed. With the introduction of the Audi quattro το 1980, the slogan was used even more frequently in advertising. Soon, Vorsprung durch Technik became clear part of the Audi corporate identity. Today, fifty years later, it is now synonym with the company.
Ο Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Technical Development, comments on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vorsprung durch Technik: "The most important milestone for me is the quattro technology. It was not only the foundation for the rally successes, but it also represents the transfer of our racing experience to the production line. Since then, quattro and Audi have gone together. Equally important was the first Audi A8 with Audi Space Frame technology in 1994, which helped us to strengthen our position in the premium class."
In the age of the electric
Advanced propulsion system technologies, dynamic driving characteristics, lighting and hybrid systems but also the extensive use of aluminium as well as advanced production processes, they gave special glamour in Vorsprung durch Technik. The next quantum leap in modern times came the 2018, with the launch of the Audi e-tron, of first fully electric Audi model that entered into serial production, with autonomy +400 km and incredible quality for premium electromobility.
Three years later, he released the Audi e-tron GT, revolutionary in its design and proof that the future of electromobility will be just as Fascinating. The new campaign "Future is an Attitude", underlines the Audi's future-oriented approach, with reinvention of all views on mobility.
Η Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing, he comments: "Our vision is a future in which we offer sustainable premium mobility, with Audi as the technological leader in environmentally friendly automotive technology. We are redefining progress and focusing on sustainability, digitalisation and electrification. Audi has always not followed change, but rather defined it. In this context, Vorsprung durch Technik is also evolving in the new age of automotive engineering, perpetually expressing the brand's corporate identity."
