Audi 2022 Sales Down, Dakar Disaster, Driving an S1 Rally Car & More! | AudiWorld Driven

Audi e-tronAudiWorld Driven series. Just in case you missed it last week this is our new feature where we round up the hottest Audi news, reviews, videos, and AudiWorld forum discussions from the past week just for you. Last week we featured a story about what it is like to take an e-tron on a long road trip. This week we have a similar road trip story but this time it is in an old-fashioned gasoline powered A8. There is some rather unfortunate news coming from the Audi Dakar rally team. A test of the most iconic five-cylinder Audis in history. And virtual reality will become your new in-car entertainment. A lot happened this week so let’s get into it.

Audi BEV Sales Soar by 47 Percent in 2022

Audi SalesHERE.

Must Watch Video: Audi Quattro MEGA Test, Flat Out in S1 Group B Monster

If you watch just one video this week, make it this one. One of the most iconic Audi cars in history is the Walter Rohl Group B rally car. And any chance to see it rip around a racetrack is a treat. That is exactly what we get with this video posted recently on the Auto Express YouTube channel. And as amazing as that is, there is much more to this video as it walks through the history of the five-cylinder Audi’s. Turn the volume up and enjoy.

Forum Thread of the Week: 2,200 Mile A8 Road Trip

Audi A8HERE.

Carlos Sainz Receives Medical Treatment After Crashing Out of Dakar Rally

Dakar CrashHERE for the story as reported by Autosport.

Must Watch Video: Audi RS 3 Owns BMW M240i in Drag Race

In our first video above, you got to see a glimpse of the mighty RS 3. In this video the RS 3 is the star of the show as it goes up against the BMW M240i xDrive in a drag race. The Audi runs the quarter mile in 12 seconds flat. The BMW is .4 seconds behind. Although to be fair it was less than a stellar start by the BMW driver. However, the BMW driver had no impact on the RS 3 time and 12 seconds flat is a solid performance. For some perspective a first generation R8 took about a half second longer.

Holoride Brings Virtual Reality to your Audi

VR AudiHERE.

Images: Audi; CoinDesk; Autosport; AudiWorld forum

Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!

Audi Tradition App Opens Doors of Ingolstadt Museum

Audi Tradition App

The first exhibit featured in the Audi Tradition app will be will be “Der fünfte Ring,” and it will focus on NSU.

As any Audi aficionado knows, the famous Four Rings logo represents the quartet of German auto brands which became Auto Union AG. So long before we were watching the quattro S1 dominate rally stages, or lusting after ferocious machines like the R8 V10 and the RS6 Avant, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer were producing some of the most interesting vehicles of their day. If you’ve ever been to the museum in Ingolstadt, you know the facility has loads of treasures from Audi’s past on display. And if you’ve never been? Well, you’re in luck, because Audi Tradition has just launched a new app which allows enthusiasts to explore it like never before.

The first exhibit which will offer immersive experience offered by the app will be “Der fünfte Ring,” and it will focus on NSU, an established German brand which was merged into the company in 1969. Those unfamiliar with the marque — which includes yours truly — will be surprised to learn that cars actually make up less than half of the hardware featured in the exhibition. Most of the vehicles are actually of the two-wheeled variety, as there are 23 motorcycles and 11 cars.

Of the motorcycles, the highlight is a 1914 twin-cylinder machine that made eight horsepower, and cost more than the average German made in a year. On the surface, this machine looks similar to the bikes Harley-Davidson was putting together an ocean away, though features like the innovative double-spring rear suspension made them more advanced than NSU’s American competitors. Along with that brass-age ride, there’s also a supercharged 500 cc racer, and a fully fared Delphin III, which owned the motorcycle speed top-speed record in the 1950s.

That said, the cars are pretty cool too. If you didn’t know better, you might actually mistake the 1963 NSU Wankel Spider on display for something from Alfa Romero, which given that it was designed by Giuseppe Bertone, wouldn’t be too far off the mark. This gorgeous machine was actually the first car equipped with a Wankel engine, and while those mills are somewhat of a failed experiment, it remains a fantastic curiosity from a supremely interesting era. Head to the Apple or Android store to download the Audi Tradition app, and start exploring the museum today!

Photos: Audi

Click HERE to join the AudiWorld forums!