The first generation Audi A4 (known internally as the Typ 8D) debuted in October

1994,[5][6] with production starting November 1994 and European sales commencing in
January 1995 for the 1995 model year. North American sales later began in September
1995 for the 1996 model year.[7] It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 (PL45)
platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat (B5, Typ
3B). It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive. Many
variations of the A4 were also available with Audi's quattro four-wheel drive
system. The A4 was initially introduced as a four-door saloon/sedan; the Avant
(estate/wagon) was introduced in November 1995 and went on sale in February 1996.

Development began in 1988, with the first design sketches being created later that
year. By 1991, an exterior design by Imre Hasanic was chosen and frozen for
November 1994 production by 1992. The interior design was later finalized in 1992,
with pilot production commencing in the first half of 1994. Development concluded
in the third quarter of 1994, preceding November 1994 start of production.[8][9]
[10][11]

A wide range of engines were available in European markets, between 1.6 and 2.8
litres for petrol engines; and a 1.9-litre diesel engine available with Volkswagen
Group's VE technology, capable of achieving a 90 PS (66 kW; 89 bhp) or 110 PS (81
kW; 108 bhp). The 2.6 and 2.8-litre V6 engines which had been carried over from the
old 80/90 proved popular, although in North America, the 2.8-litre engine was the
only V6 that was available there until 1997. A 2.4-liter version was developed
especially for the Thai market, where import duty jumped from 60 to 100 percent on
cars of over 2,400 cc displacement.[12]

The Audi A4 was the first model in the Volkswagen Group to feature the new 1.8-
litre 20v engine with five valves per cylinder, based on the unit Audi Sport had
developed for their Supertouring race car. A turbocharged 1.8T version produced 150
PS (110 kW; 148 bhp) and 210 N⋅m (155 lb⋅ft) torque. Moreover, a quattro GmbH
special edition of the B5 1.8T was later available in Germany and Europe, for which
the engine's power output was raised to 180 PS (132 kW; 178 bhp) and 235 N⋅m (173
lb⋅ft). Five-valve technology was also added to a reengineered V6 family of engines
in 1997, starting with the 2.8-litre V6 30v, which now produced 193 PS (142 kW; 190
bhp), followed by a 2.4-litre V6 which was a downsize from the previous 2.6 litre,
150 hp (112 kW) engine, but with a power increase to 165 PS (121 kW; 163 bhp).

Audi also debuted their new tiptronic automatic transmission on the B5 platform,
based on the unit Porsche developed for their 964-generation 911. The transmission
is a conventional automatic gearbox with a torque converter offering the driver a
fully-automatic operation or manual selection of the gear ratios.

The B5 marked Audi's continued move into the midsize luxury car segment, having
started this trajectory notably with later model years of the preceding Audi 80/90
B4. Despite initial mechanical problems, overall build and assembly quality were
lauded both by the automotive press and within Audi and Volkswagen, and at the
time, parent company Volkswagen declared the B5 the company-wide build quality
benchmark for all its other models.