General Introduction
A midsized executive car or luxury car, the Audi A6 is manufactured by the well-known German automobile manufacturer Audi AG. The company that manufactures this car is a part of a group of automobile companies that include Porsche, Bugatti, and Lamborghini in its roster. These companies are owned and managed by the Volkswagen Group of Germany. The Audi A6 is built in both the station wagon and sedan body styles and spans three production generations.
First-generation Audi 6
The first-generation Audi 6 was built as a successor to the Audi100. Basically changing how the Audi100 looked and then re-marketing it as the A6, very little was changed in terms of the transmission, engine choices and chassis. The 1994 to 1997 A6 line had a sub classification called C4. The C4 line had numerous range of engines to choose from. These engines had diesel variants and also came in four and five cylinder as well as V6 and V8 types.
The typical Audi A6 layout consisted of the front engine, front-wheel drive layout, and of the Quattro system which is a permanent all-wheel drive system exclusive to the Audi vehicle line and was first used in 1980 in its namesake, the Audi Quattro.
Second-generation Audi 6
By 1997, the second-generation Audi A6 was ushered in. Composed of a new design, this version of the A6 was branded as the C5 design group. Still with a wide choice of configurations as well as engines, the new line of A6s set a trend for the company's lineup of vehicles with its modern, Italian redesigned look. This generation had a variety of engine choices geared towards specific parts of the globe, but the most common engines used for the A6-C5 were the 2.4 liter and the 2.8 liter V6 machines.
The vehicle's body was also remodeled as the company saw fit. For example, in the United States, the A6 had to be built with bumpers that extended a few inches outward a bit more than they did in their European brothers. In Canada, these cars were equipped with daytime running lights to comply with the regulations set by their country for automobiles.
2002 Makeover
For aesthetic purposes, in 2002, the A6 underwent some changes like the tail-light color changing from the standard red to deeper amber. The car's grille design was also modified along with changes in the headlights and some of the car's body moldings. A plethora of new engines were also offered along with these cosmetic changes, with choices starting from the 1.9 liter models to the 2.4 liter up to the 3.0 liter types. Cylinder configurations were between the 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder or V6 and 8 cylinder or V8 variations. All versions of the car can be bought in the four-wheel drive version, except for the 1.9 TDI and the 2.0 petrol ones.
Current Audi 6 Models
At the end of 2004, the A6-C5 gave way to the next wave of Audi A6s. Walter De Silva designed the new Audi A6 to be longer and to be technologically sophisticated. With a Multi Media Interface or MMI, the car can now boast of a system controlled climate control, in-car entertainment, satellite navigation and a whole lot more. As is the norm for this line, the new Audi A6 also comes with variations in engine types. Starting with the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder kind, it progresses up to the 3.2 liter V6 to the 4.2 liter V8 and finally, making its debut in this edition, the 5.2 liter V10. These engines use the new GDI or gasoline direct injection form of fuel injection, a system only used on race tracks, until recently. GDI enables the engine to improve fuel efficiency as well as minimize emission levels.
Features
As with previous generations of the Audi A6, the C6 line can be purchased with the same body option choices of its older counterparts with slight changes made in some countries again. One model of the vehicle, labeled as A6 L, is slightly longer than the original car and is marketed only in China. Another version, the sportier S6, was introduced in Germany and was scheduled for release early 2006. This is the version that carries a V10 engine which is derived from sister company, Lamborghini.
