Audi Quality Assurance has conducted its 100th ‘INKA’ test. The Ingolstadt Corrosion and Aging test is one of the toughest assessments a car has to go through at Audi. Performed at the Audi global headquarters, it simulates the challenges of 12 years of a car’s lifetime in a span of just 19 weeks. Quality Assurance uses this method to verify an Audi's effective corrosion protection and durability.
In the course of performing 100 ‘INKA’ tests, Audi Quality Assurance has completed a total of 322,500 testing hours, covered more than one million kilometres (621,371 miles) and driven through 2,800 mud tests and 1,900 salt tests.
The endurance test covers five phases. First the car is misted with salt in a climatic chamber at 35 degrees Celsius. Next it is exposed to a tropical climate of up to 50 degrees Celsius and maximum air humidity of 100 percent. In phase three, 80 halogen metal vapor lamps, each with an output of 1,200 watts, heat the body to a maximum of 90 degrees Celsius. In the process, the colours in the interior must not fade and the materials must not become brittle.
The fourth phase simulates winter-like conditions at the polar circle. At minus 35 degrees Celsius, a four-post hydropulse machine rocks the car to simulate the body torsion and strain on parts of the vehicle and engine mounts that cars endure on rough roads. In parallel – phase five – test drivers repeatedly drive through specially prepared routes on the open testing grounds.
A total of 12,000 kilometres (7,456.5 miles) are travelled with each model, including driving through saltwater and mud. At the end of the test, the quality inspectors dissect the entire car into around 600 individual parts and check these for weak points.
Audi Quality Assurance conducted the first INKA tests in 2002. Technical Development has been assessing pre-series cars using the same test method for 40 years now.
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