VIN Decoder · Audi
Audi VIN Decoder: WAU, WA1, WUA and TRU Codes
WAU says Audi AG and Germany. It does not say the car was built there. A European Q5 from 2018 starts WAUZZZFY and carries a 2 in position 11: San José Chiapa, Mexico. Position 9 holds a genuine ISO 3779 check digit on every Audi from model year 2002, European cars included, so a failed check on a modern Audi means something.
- WMI set: WAU · WA1 · WUA · WU1 · TRU
- Plant codes: Ingolstadt · Neckarsulm · Győr · San José Chiapa and 6 more
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode an Audi VIN
Scope: Audi WAU / WA1 / WUA / WU1 / TRU0 / 17
Audi VINs never use I, O or Q. The run of three letters after WAU on a European car is ZZZ, not 222 and not OOO.
What an Audi VIN tells you
The first three characters name the issuing company: WAU and WA1 for Audi AG in Ingolstadt, WUA and WU1 for Audi Sport GmbH in Neckarsulm, TRU for Audi Hungaria in Győr. On a European Audi the next three are ZZZ. Positions 7 and 8 then give the internal type code that Audi workshops use, such as 8K for the A4 B8, FY for the second-generation Q5 or 4M for the Q7.
Position 10 is the model year. Position 11 is the plant, and on an Audi it is the only reliable answer to where the car was assembled: A for Ingolstadt, N for Neckarsulm, 1 for Győr, D for Bratislava, B for Brussels, 2 for San José Chiapa. Looking at a Q7 advertised as German-built? A D in position 11 means Slovakia.
The last six characters are the serial number. They identify the single car, and nothing else.
Audi WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WAU | Audi AG passenger cars. In Europe also used on Audi SUVs (Q5, Q7, e-tron), whatever the plant |
| WA1 | Audi AG SUVs on North-American-spec VINs (Q5, Q7, Q8, e-tron sold in the US and Canada) |
| WUA | Audi Sport GmbH, formerly quattro GmbH: RS models and the R8 |
| WU1 | Audi Sport GmbH SUVs: the RS Q8, built in Bratislava |
| TRU | Audi Hungaria, Győr: the TT family. A3 saloons and Q3s from Győr use WAU or WA1 instead |
Each code was checked against the NHTSA manufacturer register (vPIC) and the German KBA manufacturer list SV 3.2, then against real Audi VINs from both sides of the Atlantic.
European, North-American and non-German-built Audis
One Audi model can leave the factory with two very different VINs. A 2018 Q5 sold in Munich reads WAUZZZFY…, the same car for a dealer in Texas reads WA1BNAFY…, and both were built in Mexico. Which pattern is yours?
European-market Audi (WAU / WUA / TRU + ZZZ)
- Positions 4–6 are ZZZ; positions 7–8 are the type code (8K, FY, 4M, GE, FV).
- From model year 2002 onward, position 9 carries a computed check digit. An A4 B5 from 2000 still has a Z there.
- The type code can start with a digit, so position 7 cannot settle the 30-year year cycle.
North-American-spec Audi (WA1 / WU1 / WAU / WUA)
- Positions 4–8 are filled: engine, restraint system, model line (WA1BNAFY for a 2018 Q5).
- Since model year 2010 the model line starts with a letter, so the A4 B8 reads FL instead of 8K.
- The check digit is mandatory under 49 CFR 565. Every Audi WMI starts with W or T, even for US cars.
German WMI, plant outside Germany
- 2 = San José Chiapa: the Q5 for every market except China since September 2016.
- D = Bratislava (Q7, Q8, RS Q8), B = Brussels (e-tron), R = Martorell (RS Q3).
- 1 = Győr: the TT under TRU, the A3 saloon and Q3 under WAU or WA1.
WAU is not a birth certificate
Buying a used Q5 (FY, 2017 on) as a German-built car? Look at position 11. A 2 means San José Chiapa, Mexico, which built the Q5 for Europe too. WAU only records that Audi AG issued the number.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: the digit fails on a North-American-spec Audi, meaning a WA1 or WU1 VIN, or a WAU/WUA VIN with real descriptors instead of ZZZ in positions 4–6. US law makes that digit mandatory, so on such a car the cause is either a mistyped character or a VIN someone has changed. Amber: the digit fails on a European ZZZ Audi. Before model year 2002 that is expected, because those cars carry a Z in position 9; on anything newer, re-read every character from the plate under the windscreen. When the WMI country and the plant differ, the decoder shows both and trusts position 11.
Audi model year — position 10
Position 10 runs through a 30-year cycle: J is 1988 or 2018, Y is 2000, and the digits 1 to 9 stand for 2001 to 2009. On a North-American-spec Audi a letter in position 7 (FY, FX, F7) pins the year to 2010–2039. On a European Audi positions 7–8 are the type code, so an 8K tells you nothing about the cycle. The type code still narrows the car to one generation, which rules out the wrong century. In practice, field B of the registration certificate, the date of first registration, settles any doubt.
| Code | Model year | Code | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | M | 2021 |
| B | 2011 | N | 2022 |
| C | 2012 | P | 2023 |
| D | 2013 | R | 2024 |
| E | 2014 | S | 2025 |
| F | 2015 | T | 2026 |
| G | 2016 | V | 2027 |
| H | 2017 | W | 2028 |
| J | 2018 | X | 2029 |
| K | 2019 | Y | 2030 |
| L | 2020 |
Frequently asked questions
What are the Audi WMI codes?
WAU for Audi AG passenger cars and, in Europe, its SUVs too; WA1 for Audi SUVs on North-American-spec VINs; WUA for Audi Sport cars (RS models, R8); WU1 for the RS Q8; TRU for the TT built by Audi Hungaria in Győr. None of them tells you the assembly plant. Position 11 does.
Where is the VIN on an Audi?
Audi puts it on a plate under the driver's-side end of the windscreen, stamps it on the right-hand side of the engine bay and prints it on the vehicle data sticker glued into the service schedule. Recent cars also show it in the MMI under Car > Systems > Servicing & checks. In the UK it is printed in the vehicle details section of the V5C; in Germany the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I shows it as field E.
Why does my old European Audi fail the check-digit test?
European Audis built before model year 2002 have a Z in position 9 instead of a computed digit, so a 1999 A4 or a 2000 TT will always fail. From model year 2002 Audi computes the ISO 3779 digit for Europe as well. If a 2010 A4 fails, compare every character with the windscreen plate before you trust the paperwork.
My Audi has a German WMI but was built in Mexico or Slovakia. Is that normal?
Yes. WAU, WA1, WUA and WU1 are issued to Audi companies in Germany and stay the same wherever the car is assembled. The Q5 has come from San José Chiapa since 2016, the Q7 and Q8 from Bratislava, the first e-tron from Brussels. Position 11 records the plant.
Can an Audi VIN tell me the engine, trim or options?
Partly. A North-American-spec VIN encodes the engine in position 5, but a European VIN has ZZZ there, leaving the type code in positions 7–8 as the only model information. Paint, interior and every option are listed as three-character PR codes on the vehicle data sticker, not in the 17 characters.