The Audi A4 is a line of luxury compact executive cars produced from 1994 to 2025 by the German car manufacturer Audi, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. The A4 has been built in five generations and is based on the Volkswagen Group B platform. The first generation A4 succeeded the Audi 80. The automaker's internal numbering treats the A4 as a continuation of the Audi 80 lineage, with the initial A4 designated as the B5-series, followed by the B6, B7, B8, and the B9.
The B8 and B9 versions of the A4 are built on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform shared with several models and brands across the Volkswagen Group. The Audi A4 automobile layout consists of a front-engine design, with transaxle-type transmissions mounted at the rear of the engine. The cars are front-wheel drive, or on some models, "quattro" all-wheel drive. The A4 is available as a sedan and station wagon. Historically, the second (B6) and third generations (B7) of the A4 also included a convertible version. For the B8 and B9 versions, the convertible, along with a new coupé and 5-door liftback variant, was spun-off by Audi into a new nameplate called the Audi A5.
It has been manufactured in Ingolstadt since its beginning, in Changchun China by FAW-VW since 2003 and in Aurangabad India by Audi India since 2007.
The B9 generation A4 and A5 will be replaced by B10 version of A5, as part of Audi's new naming convention.
B5 (Typ 8D; 1994)
The first generation Audi A4 (known internally as the Typ 8D) debuted in October 1994, with production starting November 1994 and European sales commencing in January 1995 for the 1995 model year. North American sales later began in September 1995 for the 1996 model year. It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 (PL45) platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat (B5, Typ 3B). It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive. Many variations of the A4 were also available with Audi's quattro four-wheel drive system. The A4 was initially introduced as a four-door saloon/sedan; the Avant (estate/wagon) was introduced in November 1995 and went on sale in February 1996.
Development began in 1988, with the first design sketches being created later that year. By 1991, an exterior design by Imre Hasanic was chosen and frozen for November 1994 production by 1992. The interior design was later finalized in 1992, with pilot production commencing in the first half of 1994. Development concluded in the third quarter of 1994, preceding November 1994 start of production.
A wide range of engines were available in European markets, between 1.6 and 2.8 litres for petrol engines; and a 1.9-litre diesel engine available with Volkswagen Group's VE technology, capable of achieving a or . The 2.6 and 2.8-litre V6 engines which had been carried over from the old 80/90 proved popular, although in North America, the 2.8-litre engine was the only V6 that was available there until 1997. A 2.4-liter version was developed especially for the Thai market, where import duty jumped from 60 to 100 percent on cars of over 2,400 cc displacement.
The Audi A4 was the first model in the Volkswagen Group to feature the new 1.8-litre 20v engine with five valves per cylinder, based on the unit Audi Sport had developed. A turbocharged 1.8T version produced and torque. Moreover, a quattro GmbH special edition of the B5 1.8T was later available in Germany and Europe, for which the engine's power output was raised to and . Five-valve technology was also added to a reengineered V6 family of engines in 1997, starting with the 2.8-litre V6 30v, which now produced , followed by a 2.4-litre V6 which was a downsize from the previous 2.6 litre, engine, but with a power increase to .
Audi also debuted their new tiptronic automatic transmission on the B5 platform, based on the unit Porsche developed for their 964-generation 911. The transmission is a conventional automatic gearbox with a torque converter offering the driver a fully-automatic operation or manual selection of the gear ratios.
The B5 marked Audi's continued move into the midsize luxury car segment, having started this trajectory notably with later model years of the preceding Audi 80/90 B4. Despite initial mechanical problems, overall build and assembly quality were lauded both by the automotive press and within Audi and Volkswagen, and at the time, parent company Volkswagen declared the B5 the company-wide build quality benchmark for all its other models.
Facelift (1999–2001)
The Audi A4 B5 saw nearly constant minor changes and alterations throughout its seven-year run. Moreover, a significant facelift was introduced for the 1998 B5 model year at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, with sales beginning in Europe in early 1998. The 2.8-litre 30-valve V6 engine replaced the 2.8-litre 12-valve. A 2.5-litre V6 Turbocharged Direct Injection diesel engine with was standard on the Quattro. A six-speed manual gearbox was available, as well as the new high-performance Audi S4, now part of the A4 lineup (the previous S4 had been an Audi 100). Cosmetic updates included new rear lights, headlights, door handles, and another minor exterior/interior changes.
In mid-1998, the 1.8 20vT engine available outside Europe had its power output raised to . The previous KKK K03 turbocharger, although fundamentally unchanged, received revisions on the turbine side to prevent cracking due to heat. The 12-valve V6 was replaced by the 30-valve unit which had been available in Europe for two years.
A further facelift took place across the A4 and S4 platform in February 1999 as a 1999.5 model; changes were largely cosmetic but affected many components, such as both front and rear bumpers, the front and rear lights, the center console, and door handles.Audi Sport FAQ, retrieved 2012-04-01 While outer body shell changes from the pre-facelift model were superficially subtle, it meant that no two body panels were directly interchangeable between each other. This facelift was known at Audi as a Grosse Produktaufwertung (Major Product Upgrade), as was also signified by facelift cars now carrying the denomination "8D2".
In 1999 Audi also debuted an even higher performance RennSport model (rennsport translates as racing sport), the RS4 Avant, like its predecessor RS2, available only in the Avant bodystyle.
Engines The following engines were available:
engine typemax. powermax. torquetop speed(saloon)0–(saloon) (manual)yearsCO2 emissionspetrol enginesall fuel injected 1.6 I4 8v SOHC 11.9 s 1994–2001 174 g/km 2000–2001 192 g/km 1.8 I4 20v DOHC 10.5 s 1994–2001 182 g/km 1.8T I4 20v DOHC Turbo 8.3 s 1.8T I4 20v DOHC Turbo 7.9 s 1997–2001 194 g/km 2.4 V6 12v SOHC 9.1 s 1996–1997 (Only in Thailand, for tax reasons) 2.4 V6 30v DOHC BDV Engine 8.4 s 1997–2001 226 g/kmquattro: 247 g/km 2.6 V6 12v SOHC 9.1 s 1994–1997, 1997–2000 (Indonesia) S4, 2.7 V6 30v Biturbo 5.7 s 1997–2001 RS4, 2.7 V6 30v Biturbo 4.9 s 1999–2001 288 g/km 2.8 V6 12v SOHC 8.2 s 1994–1997 2.8 V6 30v DOHC 7.4 s 1997–2001 226 g/kmquattro: 250 g/kmdiesel enginesall Direct Injection (DI) 1.9 TDI I4 8v SOHC 1996–2001 1.9 TDI I4 8v SOHC 13.3 s 1994–1997 125 g/km 1997–2001 143 g/km 11.3 s 1994–1997 114 g/km 1997–2000 114 g/km 1.9 TDI I4 8v SOHC PD 10.5 s 2000–2001 123 g/km 2.5 V6 TDI 24v DOHC 9.0 s 1997–2001 184 g/km
Safety In the Euro NCAP safety and crash tests, the Audi B5 A4 received 3 stars for front- and side-impact protection, but the last star is flagged to indicate that the driver may be subjected to a high risk of chest injury in the side impact. Adult occupant = Pedestrian = (pre 2002 rating)
Derived hybrid version In 1997, Audi was the first European car manufacturer to put a hybrid vehicle into mass production, the third generation Audi duo, then based on the A4 Avant.Audi.com Audi Q7 hybrid – making a clean start Audi.com Audi Q7 hybrid concept – 15 years of pioneering work
B6 (Typ 8E/8H; 2000)
The next A4, internally designated Typ 8E, debuted on 10 October 2000, now riding on the Volkswagen Group B6 (PL46) platform. The car's new styling was developed under Peter Schreyer between 1996 and 1998, inspired by the Bauhaus design language of the C5 (second-generation) Audi A6 introduced in 1997. The 1.6-litre base model powerplant remained unchanged, but most other petrol/gasoline engines received either displacement increases, or power upgrades. The 1.8-litre 20-valve Turbo was now available in two additional versions, with or , this one with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, while the naturally aspirated 1.6-litre straight-four engine and 2.8-litre V6 were replaced by 2.0-litre, and all-aluminium alloy 3.0-litre units, still with five valves per cylinder, the most powerful of which was capable of and of torque. The 1.9 Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) engine was upgraded to , with Pumpe Düse (Unit Injector) (PD) technology, and was now available with quattro permanent four-wheel drive, while the 2.5 V6 TDI high-end model was introduced with and standard quattro. This generation of quattro consisted of default of 50:50 front to rear dynamic torque distribution. A Bosch ESP 5.7 Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) system, with anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist, and electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) were standard across the range.
For 2002, Audi increased power in the 1.8 Turbo engines to and – the 190 PS variant designated by a red 'T' on the boot lid. Available with four wheel drive and in the 2.5 TDI intermediate version to . A 2.0 engine with Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) was also available. A year later, Audi reintroduced the S4, now powered by a 4.2 L V8 engine, as well as an A4 Cabriolet convertible variant (Typ 8H), finally replacing the 80-based Audi Cabriolet which had been discontinued in 2000. It included an electro-hydraulic operated roof, which lowered in under 30 seconds and incorporated some styling changes, such as body-coloured lower bumper and sill panels, which later found their way to the saloon version. The Audi A4 Cabriolet version was co-developed and manufactured by Karmann.
Audi introduced a continuously variable transmission developed by LuK, named multitronic, which replaced the dated conventional automatic transmission on front-wheel drive models. There have been widespread complaints from consumers around the world that the transmission box is prone to electronic glitches as well as mechanical problems.
Borrowing from the Audi A6, the boot was redesigned to remove the extension of the top edge with a smoother fold line. The rear light assemblies now formed part of the top line, these styling cues were eventually borrowed by other European as well as Asian manufacturers.
A sport package named 'Ultra Sport' was introduced in the North American market shortly before the B6 was replaced by the B7. It included aluminium interior trim and door sills, "S line" steering wheel, front and rear spoilers, side skirts, and quattro GmbH designed 18-inch RS4 alloy wheels.
Engines The following engines were available: engine type cyl. max. powerpetrol enginesall fuel injected 1.6 I4 1.8 Turbo 20v I4 1.8 Turbo 20v I4 1.8 Turbo 20v 'S line' I4 1.8 Turbo 20v 'S line' I4 2.0 20v ALT I4 2.0 FSI I4 2.4 30v BDV V6 3.0 30v V6 S4 4.2 40v V8 diesel enginesall Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI)1.9 TDI I4 1.9 TDI I4 1.9 TDI I4 2.5 V6 TDI 24v V6 2.5 V6 TDI 24v V6 2.5 V6 TDI 24v V6
Safety The Audi A4 (B6 & B7) passed the Euro NCAP safety and crash tests, and was awarded the following car safety ratings: Adult occupant = Pedestrian = (pre 2002 rating) The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded both the B6 & B7 a "Good" rating in the frontal crash test; the B7 was not retested since the front portion is structurally the same.
B7 (Typ 8E/8H; 2004)