Since 1958 the Auto Union GmbH had belonged to Daimler Benz. Volkswa-gen took control in 1964. After World War II the time of the two-stroke engine ended in Ingolstadt with the introduction of the first car bearing the name Audi. The model, which was later called Audi 72, marked the beginning of a new era at the Auto Union. The time of the so called medium-pressure-engine models: Audi 80, Audi Super 90, Audi 60 and Audi 75 were available as two-door- and four-door-limousines and as a station-wagon-version called Variant. They ran quite respectably.
However, chief technician Dr. Ludwig Kraus, who had switched from Mercedes Benz to Auto Union, did not acknowledge these models as genuine Audis. Because the medium-pressure models merged a DKW body with a Mercedes Benz engine, he liked to call them “bastards”. Still, the VW Beetle remained the backbone of the production line in Ingolstadt and there was great danger that the four rings would soon be dismantled from the roof and the VW-Flag would be hissed. The ghost of becoming “Volkswagen-Plant 6” made the workers in Ingolstadt shiver. It was obvious and understandable that Volkswagen had no interest whatsoever in any new or independent developments by Auto Union. The official directive of Wolfsburg to Ingolstadt allowed nothing more than the support of current models.
It was clear to Dr. Ludwig Kraus, that the Audi brand could not survive under these restrictions. In order to guarantee the further existence of the brand it was necessary to create an essentially new model. But the engineers from Ingolstadt were not allowed to build it. The directive from Wolfsburg was unmistakable in this respect. Despite this and according to the motto “I can twiddle my thumbs somewhere else”, Kraus started to design an new model in the mid 60s, without knowledge of VW and also without knowledge of Auto Union Chief Rudolf Leiding. It was the first Audi being independently designed after the War. Kraus wanted a considerably larger car than before. It should have a strong but very efficient engine and it should be lighter than all of ist competitors. The new model was supposed to accelerate faster with the given engine performance and it should receive a aerodynamically efficient body. All this could only be designed in secret.
By pure chance and despite all caution, Leiding discovered the work on the middle-class car finding a 1:1 plasticine model hidden behind a veil in the so called “Stylehall” (“Stilhalle”). Overcoming first resentments and fears of potential concequences from Wolfsburg, he recognized the potential of this vehicle and was enthusiastic after all: “We will produce 300.000 pieces of this one!” However, the agreement of Volkswagen’s CEO, Dr. Heinrich Nordhoff, was absolutely necessary for next steps in design and development. So, Leiding obtained approval for the “body change” and invited the CEO to Ingolstadt for final approval. After some anxious minutes, the release came in short words, after Dr. Nordhoff had been surrounding and examining the new Audi: “Mr. Leiding, green lights for this car.”
So, the development of the Audi 100 continued, now under the official designation F104, until it was ready for series-production. The result was introduced in autumn 1968. Right from the start, the new Audi was a huge success. Its production replaced the VW Beetle production line securing the independence of the VW-subsidiary. At the end of production of the first generation in 1976, more than 880,000 Audi 100s had been built surpassing all forecasts by far.