1.5 Million Audi A3 Cars Built

Audi has sold 1.5 million units of its successful A3 model since market launch in 1996. The jubilee car of the compact model built in Ingolstadt is destined for the US market. It is an A3 3.2 quattro in Misano Red, with a 3.2-litre V6 engine generating an output of 250 hp and 236 ft.-lbs. of torque."

The Audi A3 can boast outstanding quality in its class and has hallmarked the market by being the first real premium car in the compact class", says Frank Dreves, Audi Plant Manager in Ingolstadt. Along with the A3, Audi also builds the A4, the A4 Avant and the body of the new Audi TT at its Ingolstadt plant. Further future-oriented models, in the guise of the A5 midsize coup� and the Audi Q5 SUV, are designated to be built at the Ingolstadt plant.

Production of the Audi A3 began at the Ingolstadt plant in 1996. The second generation of the A3 followed in 2003, and June 2004 saw the launch of the five-door A3. At the moment, more than 800 units of the A3 leave the production halls each day and are sent out to customers all over the world. Almost 127,000 units of the Audi A3 were sold worldwide in the first half of 2006 alone. This represents a growth rate of 16.3 percent compared with the same period of last year.

The Audi A3 has made a very significant contribution to the overall success of the brand. "The outstanding way in which the A3 has progressed is thanks to its highly motivated and well-qualified team of workers", Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council at AUDI AG points out. With just under 463,500 vehicles sold in the first half of 2006, Audi has achieved a growth rate up 9.8 percent compared with the same period of last year.