Audi's motto, known all over the world, “Vorsprung durch Technik - One step ahead with technology” is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Even half a century after its inception, Audi's world-famous slogan has not lost any of its striking character. And each year it has survived with a little more history behind it.
Due to the 50th anniversary of the slogan, Audi shows that the rhetoric of “Vorsprung durch Technik”, which has continued for more than fifty years, means much more than a slogan, it is an expression of the company's approach to the future.
The birth of the slogan
In 1969, Audi NSU Auto Union AG was created by the merger of Ingolstadt-based Auto Union GmbH and Neckarsulmer-based NSU Motorenwerke. In the model range of the new company, the rear-wheel drive NSU Prinz series with an air-cooled engine, the front-wheel drive Audi 60 and Audi 100 with water-cooled four-cylinder engines, and the NSU Ro 80 with a rotary-rotary engine stood out with its futuristic design.
In 1970 Hans Bauer of Audi NSU's advertising department came up with the idea to convey this with a corporate message, thinking that the highly technologically diverse range of the new company's model range would be a competitive advantage. And he devised the slogan that the world recognizes today: “Vorsprung durch Technik.”
The new slogan, which was used for the first time in a large-size advertisement in January 1971, soon began to appear in Audi NSU brochures. Audi 100, Audi 100 Coupé S, Audi 80, Audi 50; now they all represented “Vorsprung durch Technik”.
The motto over the years has been “Audi. Nice technology”, “Audi. Although it was used in different versions such as “Comfortable driving with excellent technology”, the company soon returned to its catchy original.
The slogan, which started to be used more frequently in advertisements with the introduction of the Audi quattro in 1980, was featured on the largest illuminated billboard in Europe at that time, installed on a tall building on the A9 Highway at the exit of Ingolstadt-Nord.
In October 1986, “Vorsprung durch Technik” became part of the Audi Corporate Identity.
Changing technology, permanent slogan
Audi, which will carry out various works within the framework of the 50th Anniversary activities of the slogan, will open a new special exhibition titled “Living Progress–Vorsprung durch Technik 50th Anniversary” in December. At the exhibition at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm, visitors will be able to see the brand's passion for technology over the years.
The most important achievement of “Vorsprung durch Technik” is the continuity of the use of all the innovations and developments of the brand in this process, in short, in all Audi advertisements, although it came to life 50 years ago. The slogan was able to take part in all the developments of the brand that can be called a milestone:
For Oliver Hoffmann, AUDI AG Board Member for Technical Development, quattro technology comes first. “The quattro has not only been the foundation of our rally success, but also zamIt also represents the transfer of our experience from racing to mass production. Since the 1980s quattro and Audi have been going hand in hand. Another important milestone was the first Audi A1994 with Audi Space Fram technology in 8. This model has helped us solidify our position in the premium segment.” said.
Another milestone is the aluminum compact A1999 2 TDI, the first and the only four-door three-litre car launched in 1.2.
New technologies such as the FSI, Turbo-FSI, laser lighting, Ultra technology and hybrids, known for Le Mans in the early 2000s, and the serial victories in this famous endurance challenge are further proof of the motto's continuity.
In 2018, when the brand took its next leap forward, it was the Audi e-tron, the first all-electric Audi model to enter series production, with a range of 400 kilometers and ushering in a new era for premium electromobility. Three years later, the Audi e-tron GT was launched, revolutionizing its design and proof that the future of e-mobility will be exciting.
While constantly questioning old views on mobility with its new communication strategy “Future is a Attitude”, underlining its approach to the future, Audi made sustainability a target of its parent company at the end of the 2010s.
'Vorsprung' is a mood
Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of AUDI AG, said that Audi combines numerous measures for resource efficiency with the independent environmental program 'Mission Zero' and that it is constantly committed to the environment by reducing its ecological footprint. to be. We are becoming a sustainable premium mobility provider and we want to be the leader here. That's why we're intensifying our efforts to become a technological leader in eco-friendly driving.”
Saying that they are redefining progress and focusing on sustainability, digitalization and electrification, Wortmann said, “Being the drivers of change, not being driven by change zamThe moment became our privilege. In the new age of mobility, we don't just see progress as the highest art of engineering, cutting-edge design and digital experience. Audi will not rely on the technological developments of the past years. Audi is the most progressive premium brand because we zamWe see the future as an opportunity and actively shape it. 'Vorsprung' is a mood." provided information.
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