Audi is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first city car by a German manufacturer, the Audi 50, which was released in 1974, shortly after the start of the 1973 oil crisis.
Economical, low fuel consumption, and pioneering design: front-wheel drive with a transverse engine, two-door hatchback body with a large trunk and fold-down rear seat, compact exterior dimensions, and attractive driving characteristics.
The Audi 50 was born to be modern and versatile and complement the range of models of the Audi 80 and Audi 100. Already in 1970, engineers from Audi NSU Auto Union AG started working on the project, led by Technical Director Ludwig Kraus, looking for a successor to the small and robust NSU, whose production was about to end.
The key to success was the transverse engine placement. This allowed Ingolstadt engineers to create a car with a relatively large interior, despite its total length of 3.49 meters.
Two versions of the “mini Audi” were launched, weighing only 685 kilograms: the Audi 50 LS with 50 hp and the Audi 50 GL with 60 hp, both with 1.1-liter engines. The Audi 50 LS had a top speed of 142 km/h, while the Audi 50 GL reached 152 km/h. The 50 hp version used regular gasoline, but the more powerful 60 hp version required premium gasoline.
In 1977, this latter variant was replaced by a newly developed 1300 cc engine, which ran on regular gasoline. The design responsibility of the Audi 50 was entrusted to Hartmut Warkuß, who had already designed the Audi 80: Warkuß created a delicate and timeless shape around the structure built by Ludwig Kraus.
The Ingolstadt team presented the Audi 50 to the international press in Sardinia in the summer of 1974. It first arrived at dealerships on October 26. The “mini Audi” was initially planned and developed in Neckarsulm and later in the technical development of Ingolstadt, and was built at the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg.
Until March 31, 1975, 43,002 units of the Audi 50 had rolled off the assembly lines in Wolfsburg, when production of the VW Polo, structurally similar, also began. Production of the Audi 50 ceased in the summer of 1978, with a total of 180,828 units being manufactured.
From then on, Audi focused on medium and high-end cars. Although the Audi 50 was only marketed for a few years, it established the small car segment in the Volkswagen Group; subsequently, millions of VW Polo cars were produced throughout its various generations.
