Here we have an Audi A6 sedan, seen on the road in the Chinese capital Beijing. The good Audi was incredibly dusty but otherwise in good shape. It was still being used, and the paint looked good. It had the original alloy wheels but the bub caps were missing.
The C5 Audi A6 was made in China by FAW-Volkswagen. Production started in 2003 and ended in 2006. It was the second generation Audi A6 that was produced in China after the C4 Audi A6, which was made in small numbers from 2000-2003. It was the first long-wheelbase Audi A6, but it wasn’t called A6L, yet. The L was added when the long-wheelbase version of the C6 Audi A6 arrived in 2004.
The wheelbase of the China-made Audi A6 was extended by 9 centimeters, all the extra space went to the passengers in the back. Size comparison:
C5 Audi A6: 4805/1810/1479, 2760.
C5 Audi A6 LWB: 4886/1810/1475, 2850.
The extension is easily spotted by looking at the side profile. From the B-pillar to the rear, the roof remains ‘flat’ for much longer, and the rear door is longer too.
Look at that! Loads of space for the legs and bags. The C5 Audi A6 became a success almost immediately. It was popular with the government, hotels, high-end taxi services, and private buyers. Audi sold every car it could build.
In 2003, there wasn’t much competition for the A6, it was one of the few locally-made luxury sedans. It has many luxuries on board, like leather seats, a proper audio system, and classy trim. The owner of this car doesn’t like the safety belt’s beep, so he just clicked the buckle into the receptacle.
The China-made C5 Audi A6 was available with various engines: 1.8, 1.8 turbo, 2.4 V6, and 2.8 V6. The most popular engine was the 1.8 turbo. It had an output of 150 hp and 210 Nm. The top speed was 206 km/h and 0-100 took 11.3 seconds. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, like in this car, or a 5-speed automatic.
I arrived in China in 2003, the same year that the C5 FAW-Volkswagen Audi A6 was launched. I have been in dozens of these, for my work, on holiday, and some of my friends owned A6 sedans. It was relatively affordable and cheap to run. Even today, many are still on the road. There are plenty of parts available and every repair shop can fix it. I hope the owner of this particular car cleans it up quickly, so it can drive around pretty again.