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The Audi 100 was a mid-sized automobile from Audi that was made between 1968 and 1994. The C3 model of the 100 (sold in the United States as the Audi 5000 until 1988) was controversial in that it was targeted by CBS News as being unsafe, but it was eventually cleared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
[] C1, 1968–1976
The Audi 100 was shown to the press on November 26, 1968. Originally denoting a power output of 100 PS, the Audi 100 was the range's largest car after the Audi brand was revived by Volkswagen in 1965. The C1 platform spawned several variants: the Audi 100 two- and four-door sedans, and the Audi 100 Coupé S, a stylish fastback coupé.
[] C2, 1976–1984
The C2 Audi 100 was launched in 1976, with crisper styling and an unusual five-cylinder engine (the first gasoline 5 in the world - Mercedes-Benz had shown the way in 1974 with their three litre Diesel 5cyl in the Mercedes-Benz C111). It was initially a 100 bhp (74 kW) engine offering "5 cylinder power and 4 cylinder economy", and later upgraded to 136 bhp (100 kW).
The Coupé was discontinued, but a five-door hatchback model, the 100 Avant, was launched as part of this generation. Two- and four-door models continued.
The 100 was sold as the Audi 5000 in the United States, in order to rebrand the car and avoid association with the C1. It was a sales success, allowing Audi to spread development costs over a much wider base than Europe-only competitors.
In 1980, the Audi 200, a plusher variant that included a turbocharged model of 170 bhp, available in 200 5E or 200 5T spec for the UK. The 5T or turbocharged model in addition of the 5E model featured heated seats, opening front quarter windows, cruise control, ski bag, green heat insulated glass, electric sunroof and elec heated mirrors. Available standard in 3 speed auto. The only options listed in the brochure were 5 speed manual transmission at no extra cost, air con and leather seating. This car was marketed in the US as the 5000 Turbo. The Audi 100/200 was succeeded by the C3 platform model in 1983, and the 200 followed one year later.
[] C3, 1983–1992
Edging out the Ford Sierra as Car of the Year in Europe, the 1983 Audi 100 had a remarkable aerodynamic look, achieving a drag co-efficient of 0,30 for its smoothest base model. Aerodynamic cars use less gasoline, and consumers all over the world were waking up to this fact. This became a great marketing tool for Audi in the 1980s, and marked a huge leap forward from the boxy shape of the C2.
Audi was able to catch up to modern smooth look first seen in this sector on the 1975 Citroën CX. The Audi in turn influenced the Ford Taurus, an American made sedan from 1986. This rounded look became the norm by the 1990s. It also set a styling trend of flush wheel covers, a thick black side door molding and blacked out window frames eventually adopted by a range of cars from the 1984 Honda Accord to the K cars.
Audi innovated windows that close flush with the window frames on the C3, a key area for aerodynamic drag. This innovation has spread to many other vehicle brands.
The two-door models were no longer available, and the Audi 100 Avant was reintroduced as Audi's first attempt at a station wagon. The 200 continued as the upmarket variant.
In the United States, the 5000 name was abandoned after Audi received very negative publicity over its "unintended acceleration" incident, a problem exacerbated by news reports from CBS News's 60 Minutes program. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded that the majority of unintended acceleration cases, including all the ones that prompted the 60 Minutes report, were caused by driver error such as confusion of pedals. CBS issued a partial retraction. A legacy of this are the intricate patterns many shifters use, and brake interlock mechanisms to prevent inadvertent shifting into forward or reverse, where the standard was a straight front-back pattern.
However, with the damage to its US reputation done, the 5000 once again became the 100 for the 1989 model year. Audi sales in the US would not return to the same level for 15 years.
At the end of the decade, the Audi V8 was announced. This was essentially a 200 Quattro with an engine derived from two four-cylinder Volkswagen Golf GTI engines put together. The V8 was available with a 3.6 and a 4.2 liter engine. It was the first quattro model to have an automatic gearbox, featuring a ZF 4-speed unit with a viscous coupling centre differential, combined with a TORSEN rear differential. The manual gearbox quattro's across the range continued with a conventional rear diff, and the TORSEN centre diff.
The 5000 S/Turbo was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 1984 and 1985. The CS Turbo Quattro was on that list for 1986 through 1988.
The 100/200 used the Procon-ten safety system.
[] C4, 1991–1997
A heavily revised C3, the C4, was introduced in 1991. The C3-platform V8 continued to be sold as a separate line. The major change was the introduction of a 2.8l V6 engine. It was later joined by a 2.6l variant. They were essentially the same engines as the two V6 introduced for the 1992 Audi 80. The option of quattro all wheel drive was an option across the range, and the Audi 100 quattro was available with a ZF 4-speed automatic gearbox.
For the 1995 model year, Audi dropped the 100 nameplate, calling it the A6 instead. In addition, what had previously been sold as the S4 became the S6, however the two models became completely independent of one another after Audi's replacement of the 90 with the A4 model in 1996. The V8 was eventually replaced by the A8 in 1994.
[] Type numbers
In addition to the C platform codes, Audi had Type numbers for their models:
* C1: Audi 100 (1969–1976)
* C2 Type 43: Audi 100 (1976–1982); Audi 200 (1979–1982)
* C3 Type 44: Audi 100 (1983–1991); Audi 200 (1983–1992)
* C4 Type 4A: Audi 100 (1991–1994); Audi S4 (1992–1994); Audi A6 (1995–1997); Audi S6 (1995–1997)
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