The week of celebrations starts on Thursday, July 16, with an evening gala at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt. Marking the occasion, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of

AUDI AG, will greet an array of famous personalities from the worlds of politics, industry, sport, culture and science. One highlight will be the commemorative speech by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Other guests will include Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer; Christian Wulff and Günther Oettinger; Matthias Wissmann, President of the German Automotive Industry Association; basketball star Dirk Nowitzki; Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of FC Bayern Munich; and racing legends such as Jacky Ickx, Walter Röhrl and eight-time Le Mans champion Tom Kristensen.

“One look at the guest list tells you the kind of prestige Audi has acquired in its 100-year history,” Stadler said. “July 16 not only gives us a reason to celebrate – it also provides

motivation for all Audi employees to continue writing the company’s success story on into the future.”

Television presenter Thomas Gottschalk will host the evening gala, which will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.audi.tv, starting at 6:30 p.m. After a journey through time along the 100-year history of Audi, the first world premier is scheduled to begin: renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang will perform for the invited guests on the new Audi Design grand piano. This musical instrument, with its characteristically curvaceous rim, was designed by the Audi Design Studio in Munich and will be used as a concert grand piano for future prestigious musical events.

The evening’s other cultural highlights include the spectacular illumination of the Audi Forum by light artist Gerry Hofstetter, and the premier performance of a symphony composed especially

for the ceremony by music producer Leslie Mandoki. The classical work will be performed by the New Frankfurt Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Momberger.

Guests coming to congratulate AUDI AG on its anniversary will include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, along with Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer and Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. In her speech for the event, Merkel will discuss fundamental issues in current economic policy, and will specifically address the challenges confronting the automotive industry.

“No matter how greatly the car of the future may differ from today’s car, there will continue to be a desire for individual mobility all over the world,” Merkel said in her personal Internet

podcast on the occasion of Audi’s 100th anniversary. The German Chancellor meanwhile emphasized that one of the most essential tasks in the future will be to promote climate protection, energy efficiency and safety, including in the area of mobility. “Audi and its

100-year success story are therefore representative of other companies in the automotive industry,” Merkel emphasized.

Following Merkel’s speech, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of

AUDI AG, will join Merkel on the stage to unveil a new Audi car model being presented publicly to the world for the first time on July 16. “Audi is continuing its spectacular development of models, introducing the sixth new car to the German market already this year,” said Stadler, pointing out the company’s goal to expand its product portfolio to

42 models by 2015. “This step is of fundamental importance for us, since we will only be able hold our own in competition if we have strong prospects for the future and ambitious goals,” Stadler said.

Additional scheduled events for the Audi centenary

The evening gala is the opening event for a week of centennial celebrations for Audi employees, as well as for the people of the regions around Ingolstadt and Zwickau, where Audi was born. Die Fantastischen Vier, one of Germany’s most popular hip-hop bands, will perform on stage in Ingolstadt on Friday, July 17 at the “Audi Rocks 100” party. The four musicians from Stuttgart will sing live and “unplugged” during their appearance at the Audi Forum – accompanied by a 60-member international symphony orchestra.

Singer Oceana will warm up the crowd with her mixture of soul, reggae, funk and hip-hop,

starting at 7 p.m.

The next day is completely devoted to motor sports: on Saturday, July 18,

from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Audi Tradition will send nearly every racecar used in the course of the brand’s history for demonstration runs on the historic Donauring. Cars set to travel the roughly 1.7-kilometer circuit through the center of Ingolstadt include the Auto Union Type A and Type D double-compressor racecars as well as the legendary Pikes Peak and racers from Le Mans and the German Touring Car Masters (DTM). At the wheel will be racing legends such as world rally champions Walter Röhrl and Hannu Mikkola, and

Le Mans winners Allan McNish, Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr. It all starts at 9 a.m., when the gates to the paddocks will open at Ingolstadt’s Volksfestplatz.

On Sunday, July 19, Audi and the city of Ingolstadt invite the people of the region to a classical concert in Ingolstadt’s Klenzepark. The performance of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra of Brno will begin there at 7:30 p.m.; admission is free. The program includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and works by Johannes Brahms. The open-air concert will conclude with fireworks set to classical and modern music, starting at 10:30 p.m.

A special exhibit entitled “From Horch to Audi!” opens on Saturday, July 25, at the August Horch Museum Zwickau. Various cars from the company’s history will be presented there, at the site where the company’s founder created Audi 100 years ago. There will also be a birthday party for the whole family on the same day

from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Platz der Völkerfreundschaft in Zwickau. Along with driving demonstrations featuring racecars like the Auto Union Silver Arrow and various Audi quattro rally cars, plans include an autograph session with Olympic ski jump champion Jens Weissflog. At the open-air concert that evening, the bands My Excellence, SK 5, Alcazar and the Spider Murphy Gang will take the stage.

The sporting highlight of the centennial festivities will take place on July 29-30 in

Munich's Allianz Arena. At the invitation of AUDI AG, four top international soccer teams will compete for the Audi Cup. At the tournament’s opening on Wednesday, July 29, Manchester United will face Boca Juniors from Buenos Aires (kick-off at 6:30 p.m.), and Bayern Munich will play AC Milan (8:45 p.m.). The Audi Cup final begins on the following day at 8:45 p.m.; the game for third place starts at 6:30 p.m.

[Source: T.C.Y. Motors]