How Audi Advances the State of the Art for the Entire VW Auto Group (photos)
There's no questioning that Audi's is the bright shiny cutting edge of technology, pioneering features and style for the massive VW Group. Here are some ideas that started at Audi and trickled down to the lower priced VW brands.
1. Aerodynamic Exterior Design
While the Ford Taurus popularized the big "aerodynamics revolution" in auto design for the mid-1980s, Audi's beautifully simple designs were actually the first to really get there. The Audi 5000 (known as the 100 everywhere but in the USA) was updated in 1983 with a sleek, smooth look that would dictate the design trends that followed. While Audi's recent models have more surface details that lessen the softer, rounded edges, we can't deny the effect their wind cheating style choices had on the auto fleet as a whole.
2. Premium Reputation
There's a definite charm to Volkswagen's own models, with many feeling they have a cache above their retail price, but they are certainly a budget friendly brand. In pop culture, Audi is either seen as a top-of-the-line luxury vehicle, as in "Fifty Shades of Grey", or a balls-out performance star, as in the blockbuster Fast and the Furious film series. There is no doubt that the premium style and reputation of the Audi brand pulls up people's idea of what a VW is worth.
3. Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging
There's no getting around it: Electric vehicle technology is the way of the future. There is a steep learning curve for EV technology, but Audi is climbing it faster than most. Among their innovations is an inventive wireless charging mechanism which requires no plug, and no contact at all. An electric vehicle can park over a special patch of ground where charging coils have been installed and charging happens through the air. Convenience is the engine that drives many a smart innovation, so we're sure that Audi will have itself a healthy payday with this idea once EV tech becomes more widespread.
4. Audi E-diesel Synthetic Fuel
Audi's advancements in synthetic e-diesel is the rare sort of gearhead achievement even your green environmentalist friends would get stoked to hear about. In 2015, Audi created a cleaner alternative to regular diesel fuel, created purely from water and carbon dioxide. The resulting e-diesel would work with any existing diesel-compatible engine too, with no modifications. Don't get excited too fast though; the Audi plant is only able to synthesize limited batches until they process is scaled up to large industrial size. With the current low price of crude oil, don't look for that to happen any time soon. If the tech is ever applied on a wider scale, the Volkswagen Group will be sure to reap in the advantages, even in their earliest diesel models.
5. Perfect Marriage of Function and Form
Audi are a consummate example of the Bauhaus design philosophy in action. To put it simply, the Bauhaus design school was the first to declare "Form follows function", and Audi has always made sure the look of its designs was influenced by the specs. Compared to the fanciful design of American and Japanese cars, a Bauhaus mentality has been a big help in creating Audi's legacy. While Volkswagen's cars after the air cooled era were all simple and boxy, they were boring when compared to the wind tunnel shaped Audi models.
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