The Birth Of Audi

A myth is born.

The history of Audi AG is varied and filled with key events. Its tradition of cars and engines manufacturing dates back to the XIX century.

August Horch and Audi

1899: August Horch wrote the first chapter of Audi history when he founded the motor vehicle company known as Horch & Cie. Motorwgenwerke. After ten years, he founded in Zwickau its second company dedicated to car manufacturing: Audi Automobilwerke.

Four brands, four rings

1932: Four interlocked rings symbolized the merged of four manufacturers located in the German region of Sajonia: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer formed Auto Union AG, which at the time WAS the second most important automotive group in Germany.

Four rings: Audi

Use synergies: that was the Audi brand’s motto during the development of a systematic platform strategy ( DKW front wheel-drive, Wanderer engines and Horch body parts were part of the Audi model range since 1933)

Four rings: DKW

The DKW products were known by their high performance: practical, reliable and economical. The DKW brand provide Auto Union with models that were sold in great quantities, so it was of transcendental importance for the success of the new group.

Four rings: Horch

The Horch factory at Zwickau never strode far from the principle established by the founder of the company: to build powerful cars with great quality. It is because of this, Auto Union sold Horch cars for the top segment of the market.

Four rings: Wanderer

When Auto Union AG was created, the wanderer cars division was dedicated to the production of mid-range vehicles. In the next years, more emphasizes was increase on the sporting and advanced aspects of the brand.

A new start at Ingolstadt

1949: What was originally a deposit for spare parts of Auto Union in the ancient fortified city of Ingolstadt turn into the central building of Auto Union GmbH, a new company that continue the automotive tradition associated with the four-ring emblem.

The rebirth of the brand

1965: The new DKW model F 102 is launched to the market. It was the first car of the brand with a four stroke engine since after the war and the beginning of a new era. Because of this the brand deserved to have a new name: Audi, a name full of tradition had been reborn.

NSU fusion

In 1969, Volkswagenwerk AG acquire the fusion between Auto Union GmbH and NSU Motorenwerke AG, located in Neckarsulm. The new company received the name of Audi NSU Auto Union AG and had its registered office in Neckarsulm.

Vorsprung durch Technik

The wide range of Audi NSU, that covered a great variety of engines and driving concepts, gave place in 1971 to the need of creating a new advertising slogan. Since then, said slogan has been in an efficient manner the promise of objectives of the company: “At the vanguard of technique”.