The new Audi A6 is up to 80 kilograms lighter than the predecessor model. Audi has thus broken the unwritten law that says that cars become heavier with each new model line.
It appeared to be a basic principle in the automotive industry: every new model was heavier than its predecessor. This was because each additional comfort or safety improvement resulted in an increase in vehicle weight. More weight makes it necessary to increase engine output in order to ensure the same driving characteristics. This in turn creates the need for a stronger gearbox and brakes as well as a larger fuel tank – thus increasing the car’s weight even more.
Audi’s response to this development was to take the first radical step in the other direction. Thanks to an Audi ultra-lightweight body that is significantly lighter in weight than the conventional structure, it was possible to completely reverse the weight gain. Just as each additional gram of weight is multiplied due to the measures that then have to be taken, each gram less has the opposite effect: smaller engines and tanks, brakes and gearboxes.
The result is lighter vehicles with the identical driving characteristics and a crucial advantage – lower fuel consumption.