"Vorsprung durch Technik", then and now: the magnificent radiator of the Audi 8/22 PS Type G in the Ingolstadt museum with the present main Audi building in Ingolstadt in the background, showing the famous Audi proverb.

Recently I made a very pleasant and interesting trip to visit the Audi museum and the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm factories. The weather gods were benign, and I was pampered and cosseted by the creature comfort of the Q5 with the 2 litre Diesel TDI engine throughout the trip. The voyage was made with colleagues, so I even could enjoy the sumptuous rear seat comfort offered by this very able SUV. Of course, I was also able to take the wheel, and enjoy the excellent cruising and high speed abilities of the car. Versatile it is indeed: it feels equally at home on fast German "Autobahnen" as on winding country roads or dense city traffic. Needless to say that it has also impressive off-road capabilities, but we fortunately did not have to test this on this trip…

Breathtakingly beautiful Horch automobiles were seen in the Ingolstadt Museum... 

We payed a visit to the magnificent Audi museum, standing eye to eye with the famous Audi “Alpensieger” and some unique Horch automobiles. More about this in a special report.

The visit to the Audi factories is amazing to say the least. One stands eye to eye with the state-of-the art technologies in car making. One gets also a good insight of the modern, robotized production techniques and the excellent level of ergonomics achieved in the assembly of the cars.

Miss Alexandra Woog guided us expertly through the Ingolstadt Museum and Factory...  

The visit to the Quattro factory in Neckarsulm where the R8 thoroughbreds are made, was the icing on the cake. The car is built with utmost care and crafmanship, and is nothing less than a gem on wheels. It was a unique and dramatic experience to see the birth of this car, and to hear the V12 bursting alive for the first time on the rolling test bed…  

...as did Mr. Peter Schilling in Neckarsulm...  

For our readers in Belgium(and all over the world, actually) it is nice to know that you can also book a factory tour of Audi Brussels. Just click on the website of the factory, and apply. You can enjoy the tour in not less than four languages, Dutch, French, German and English. You can experience the art of (modern) car making and see the latest production techniques, and see the Audi A1 in all its versions being built there.

After the Nissan Leaf, we tested also the excellent Nissan Yuke, in both the petrol and Diesel version.

We also had a superb driving experience with the very impressive Skoda Superb Combi GreenLine. See more soon on these pages…

Hans Knol ten Bensel