8 Of The Most Unsuccessful Audi Vehicles Ever Sold

Audi is one of the biggest success stories in Germany's automotive history. Its founder, August Horch, established A. Horch & Cie. in Cologne in 1899, an early version of the company he would leave 10 years later. After leaving, he started over with Audi — the Latin translation of his name "Horch," which also means "to hear" or "listen."

During the 1930s, Audi and Horch recombined with two other companies to create the formidable Auto Union AG. However, after WWII, now based in Ingolstadt, Audi had a hard time competing with more established brands, like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Still, through sheer engineering brilliance and pioneering technologies, Audi overcame adversity, becoming one of the most desirable premium auto brands in the world. With model after model, Audi gained market share, winning over buyers with unique tech solutions, like Quattro and five-cylinder turbocharged engines.

However, it wasn't always smooth sailing. Sure, Audi was on an upward trajectory after WWII, but it had a few hiccups here and there. We're taking a closer look at those hiccups, delving into the reasons why some Audi vehicles ultimately failed. The story of the most unsuccessful Audi vehicles ever sold includes a front-wheel drive muscle car and fabricated news stories, along with many more ups and downs. 

The Audi A8 is a formidable competitor to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series. However, Audi's first effort in the luxury class was the innovative V8. Introduced in 1988, this luxury sedan was the first Audi with a V8 engine, hence the name. The 3.6-liter 32-valve unit was made by joining two 1.8-liter four-cylinder engines from the Volkswagen Golf GTI, producing 247 horsepower (hp) and 251 pound-feet of torque. In 1991, Audi introduced a larger 4.2-liter V8 unit that produced 276 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque, which propelled the large sedan from 0 to 62 mph in just 6.8 seconds.

One of the distinguishing features of the V8 was its standard Quattro all-wheel drive. The car was based on the front-wheel drive C3 platform, but front-wheel drive won't cut it in a luxury car, so Audi went with its rally-bred Quattro. This gave Audi a way into the first version of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship, where the V8 won in 1990 and 1991. Can you imagine a large luxury sedan winning a race today? But the V8 was also designed to be driven enthusiastically on the road, with manual as the standard transmission option.

Of course, extravagance was also part of the deal. The V8 came equipped with luxurious features like automatic climate control, an eight-speaker Bose audio system, and more. Still, that wasn't enough to win buyers, with Audi selling only 4,000 units in V8's short four-year lifespan. Put simply, people were just not prepared for a high-end Audi vehicle.

The Audi 5000 is another car that was a sales disaster because of external forces. During the 1980s, Audi started conquering the U.S. market, led by the 5000 (aka, the 100/200 in Europe), a premium sedan to compete with the Mercedes-Benz 190. A front-wheel drive car, the Audi 5000 shared the C3 platform with the more luxurious V8. It also had a modern, aerodynamic styling, giving it a drag coefficient of 0.3. Meanwhile, a large glass area made the cabin brighter. Oh, and it was also the first sedan with all-wheel drive available, courtesy of its Quattro system.

As is customary with German cars, the 5000 was all about choice: Buyers could opt for a 2.3-liter five-cylinder producing 130 hp, or a turbocharged 2.2-liter five-cylinder with 162 hp. The latter was good for a 0-60 time of just 7.7 seconds and a top speed of 135 mph. Later, a 217-hp tune of the engine with 20 valves appeared, giving the 5000 a 0-60 time of around 6.5 seconds!

Despite all its great features, sales sharply declined over the years. One big reason for that was a false accusation that the car would suddenly and unintentionally accelerate, made on CBS's 60 Minutes in 1986. In the end, it was revealed as a false story, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration clearing Audi of any wrongdoing. Still, it was too late to undo, and sales fell from about 74,000 units in 1984 to just over 12,000 in 1991.

Although Volkswagen is often considered the German brand that brought the front-wheel drive city car to the masses, its sister brand, Audi, is equally deserving of praise. In autumn 1974, the Ingolstadt-based automaker introduced the 50, a small city car designed to motorize Germany's emerging economy. 

The Audi 50 came at the same time as the MK1 Golf, but it was a smaller car, available only as a three-door hatchback. It had an elegant design, with short overhangs giving it a sporty edge. This also maximized interior space, which was important as the Audi 50 measured only 137.4 inches long. The task of moving this tiny Audi was entrusted to a 1.1-liter four-cylinder, available in two tunes — 50 hp and 60 hp. This surely sounds underpowered, but the Audi 50 weighed only 1,510 pounds. As a result, the more powerful engine propelled the car to 94 mph, making it an Autobahn-ready vehicle. Later, Audi introduced a 1.3-liter engine that also produced 60 hp, capable of a 0-62 mph time of 12.9 seconds.

The Audi 50 seemed like a winner, so much so that Volkswagen started producing a nearly identical car, the Polo. However, while the VW Polo is one of the biggest automotive success stories, the Audi 50 faded into obscurity. Audi produced 180,828 units, which wasn't too bad. Still, sales plummeted when the Polo arrived, forcing Audi to kill the model and focus on bigger premium cars instead.

The 50 wasn't Audi's only unsuccessful effort to create a pioneering city car. Much like its predecessor, the A2(introduced in 1999) was also forward-thinking. Notably, it had a body with a high roof, short hood and stretched wheelbase, which gave it a very spacious cabin. Still, measuring only 150.6 inches long, the A2 was easy to park and maneuver in Europe's tight city streets. The interior, although minimalistic, was made up to Audi's quality standards. You also have to appreciate its space-age design, which gave the A2 a crazy-low drag coefficient of 0.28.

However, the Audi A2's showstopper feature was its aluminum spaceframe construction. Yup, the car's whole body was made from the lightweight metal, which was more resistant to corrosion than steel and readily recyclable. The aluminum frame also helped Audi achieve a low curb weight of 1,830 pounds in the special 1.2-liter turbodiesel version, which also had a lower drag coefficient of 0.25. The result was a mind-blowing fuel efficiency of 84 mpg on the highway and 61.9 mpg in the city. 

The Audi A2 was impressive, but it was unfortunately a huge flop for the company. The high price chased buyers away, with drivers instead opting for non-premium alternatives, like the Ford Fiesta and VW Polo. The aluminum body was also challenging to repair, putting insurance costs through the roof. In the end, Audi sold only 176,000 units and axed the A2 after less than five years.

Looking at this blue Audi pony car, it's easy to think it flew off the shelves. Yes, the Audi 100 Coupé S is one of the best-looking Audis, with a fastback design and excellent proportions. Its front end is also very cohesive, with the circular headlights that look like an extension to Audi's logo.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to win over buyers. Audi sold only about 30,600 units during six years on the market, a far cry from the sales figures of one of its main competitors, the Ford Mustang. Although it looks fast, the 100 Coupé S wasn't the performance car you'd expect it to be. Under the front bonnet, it hid a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine, good for up to 112 hp, paired to four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. With the manual, the 100 Coupé S reached 0 to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds.

Those figures would've been fine if the Audi 100 Coupé S wasn't also as expensive as Merc's high-end cars at the time. And the comparison is fitting, as the engine was designed by Mercedes-Benz, which owned Auto Union from 1958 to 1965. However, the biggest nail in the coffin of this beautiful coupe was its front-wheel drive configuration. Yup, in a time when front-wheel drive cars were still very rare, Audi's sports car followed an economy-car formula. Audi tried to hide that fact by placing the radiator sideways to shorten the front overhang, but buyers weren't fooled.

Launching a high-performing, all-electric supercar these days seems like a recipe for success. Croatian car company Rimac even bought Bugatti after successfully conquering the hypercar market with the Concept_One and Nevera. Only Audi beat it to the punch with the R8 e-tron, launched in 2015. This was when Tesla was only starting to gain steam, yet Audi was brave enough to sell an electric supercar.

Based on the traditional R8, the e-tron had one electric motor on the rear axle, meaning no Quattro all-wheel drive. With 456 hp and Earth-spinning 679 pound-feet of torque, the single electric motor propelled the R8 e-tron to 62 mph in respectable 3.9 seconds, and to a top speed of 130 mph when fitted with eco-friendly low-rolling-resistance tires. Still, these days you can go faster in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which also costs about 15 times less than the R8 e-tron. Audi's first electric supercar started at $1.1 million, way more than the gas model. On a more positive note, the R8 e-tron had a good 280-mile range for the time.

Predictably, the Audi R8 e-tron production ended with less than 100 made. In Audi's defense, the R8 e-tron served as a prototype to develop an electric powertrain for its future EVs. Still, a fast Audi without Quattro is blasphemous, especially since electric motors are small and easy to install. If Audi tried harder, it perhaps would've created a future classic, but instead, the R8 e-tron sank into anonymity.

Ferdinand Piëch was one of the greatest automotive CEOs, giving us some of the greatest cars ever made. During his tenure at Audi and Volkswagen, we've seen the release of extraordinary machines like the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 and Audi Quattro. But those are only the ones you already know about: Piëch also gave us some of the most obscure diesel engines, like the VW-bound V10 TDI and Audi-bound V12 TDI. Overengineered and frankly ridiculous, these engines showed what's possible with compression ignition.

The larger 6-liter V12 TDI unit ended up in the Q7, but Audi also put it in the first-gen R8. Unfortunately, the diesel-powered supercar never came to fruition, and we were left with the Q7. The V12 TDI unit gave it 738 pound-feet of torque at just 1,750 rpm, which was restricted because it would've broken the six-speed automatic. The 493 hp figure is also nothing to scoff at. The Q7 V12 TDI took only 5.5 seconds to reach 62 mph, despite weighing almost 6,000 pounds. Because it was a V12, this diesel engine was very refined, too.

You might assume that wealthy customers raced to Audi's dealerships, especially since ultra-expensive SUVs are selling like hotcakes today. Still, Audi sold only 50 units over four years, although it expected to sell 40 models annually. The starting price of $132,000 definitely hurt Q7 V12 TDI's fortunes, but the 2008 global financial crisis was probably the bigger culprit.

Audi launched the Q2 to catch the crossover craze in Europe. It could've been an easy sell, with its raised ride height and reasonable prices luring younger buyers into the brand. The Q2 looks fresh, too, especially when you compare it to other Audi models, and brings the usual Audi quality inside the cabin. Engine choices are also plentiful, with gas and diesel options available. Heck, there is even a hardcore 296-hp SQ2 model with Quattro!

Still, that wasn't enough for success. The sales weren't bad, but still low considering the slim profit margins in the small crossover category. Competition between VW Group models also didn't help matters. The Q2 shares the MQB A1 platform with many VW Group models, like the Audi A3 and VW Golf, which seem like better vehicles overall. Consequently, Audi has announced there will be no successor to the Q2, although the current model will be available to buy for a few more years.