Did the Audi 5000 Accelerate On Its Own?
Audi has become a company that is known for making luxury cars, but a few decades ago the company faced a scandal that nearly ruined them. In 1982, the Audi 5000 was a sharp looking, sporty sedan that was set to cement Audi’s position as a luxury car brand. All hopes for the Audi 5000 were dashed in 1986 when CBS’s 60 Minutes ran an episode that showcased the car.
60 Minutes interviewed several owners who said that their car would suddenly accelerate when they did not want it to. Then they even showed an unoccupied Audi 5000 appearing to jerk forward. But Audi never faced a single lawsuit or any penalty for continuing to manufacture and sell the car. Why? Because 60 Minutes lied. The show modified the car and used an air compressor to make it look like an unoccupied car would move on its own. And the interviews? Audi investigated and tests were performed in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. What they found was that the people did believe that the car accelerated on its own, but it was because they were unable to tell the gas from the brake.
The Audi 5000 had narrow pedals that were closer together than most cars. So some drivers would press the gas when they meant to press the brake. In order to combat what they saw as the stupidity of the consumer, Audi released a series of ads that contained car quizzes.
If a person passed the “quiz” then they were smart enough to drive an Audi. No matter what Audi tried, they could not bounce back. In 1985 the company had sold more than 75,000 cars, by 1991 their sales were at 12,000. It would be 20 years before Audi would get back to its 1985 car sales level.