Audi 5000 / 200

Sold in Europe as the Audi 100 / 200 (C2 and C3 generations), this was Audi's full-size sedan in the US from 1978-1991, badged as the 5000 from 1978 to 1988 and renamed 200 (and 100) for 1989-1991 to escape the stigma of the 'sudden unintended acceleration' allegations. The 5000 was a genuinely advanced car — class-leading 0.30 drag coefficient on the C3 generation, available with Audi's pioneering quattro AWD from 1984, and offering inline-five-cylinder turbocharged engines (Audi's distinctive five-pot configuration). The 1986 CBS 60 Minutes 'Out of Control' segment alleged the 5000 had a tendency to accelerate without driver input — an allegation since comprehensively debunked (NHTSA's investigation concluded the issue was driver pedal misapplication, not vehicle defect, and CBS's on-air demonstration was found to have been engineered with a hidden compressed-air canister linked to a hole drilled in the transmission). But the damage was done: Audi's US sales collapsed from 74,061 in 1985 to 12,283 in 1991 and didn't recover to 1985 levels until the year 2000. The 200 / 100 names were Audi's attempt to escape the stigma, and the 5000 nameplate was retired permanently for the US.