History

1899
August Horch establishes A. Horch & Cie in Cologne.

1901
The first Horch car appears on the road.

1902
August Horch & Cie Motor- und Motorwagenbau established in Reichenbach/Vogtland on March 3

1909
Following a disagreement with the supervisory board, August Horch leaves  August Horch Motorwagenwerke AG, which had been based in Zwickau since 1904, and founds a new company, also in Zwickau. He chooses the Latin translation of his surname as the name of the new company: Horch (“hark”) thus becomes Audi.

1921
Audi becomes the first manufacturer in Germany to introduce left-hand drive and central gear change as standard.

1931
The world’s first volume-built car with front-wheel drive is introduced: the DKW Front (F1).

1932
The Saxon companies Audi, DKW and Horch and the automotive department of Wanderer Werke merge to form Auto Union AG, with its headquarters in Chemnitz. The company chooses four interlinked rings as its logo.

1945
Auto Union AG in Saxony is dispossessed by the Soviet occupying forces; the factories are dismantled.
A few months after the war, a central depot for Auto Union parts is set up in Ingolstadt to supply the vehicles traveling in Western zones.

1948
Auto Union AG is deleted from the Commercial Register of the city of Chemnitz.

1949
The newly founded Auto Union GmbH is entered in the Commercial Register of the city of Ingolstadt. Production of the DKW RT 125 W motorcycle and the DKW F 89 L high-speed van begins in former garrison buildings.

1958
Auto Union GmbH is acquired by Daimler-Benz AG.

1959
A new plant goes into operation in Ingolstadt for the production of the DKW Junior small car. This forms the nucleus of the Audi plant today.

1964
Auto Union GmbH’s capital is doubled to DM 160 million; Volkswagenwerk AG initially takes over 50.3 percent of the shares.

1965
Auto Union GmbH presents a new model with four-stroke engine. Its name: Audi. This marks the end of the DKW two-stroke era.

1966
Auto Union GmbH becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagenwerk AG.
The last DKW passenger car of the Type F 102 leaves the assembly line.

1969
Auto Union GmbH merges with NSU Motorenwerke AG (established 1873) to form Audi NSU Auto Union AG.

1971
“Vorsprung durch Technik” becomes Audi’s advertising slogan.

1980
Audi quattro: The first production car with permanent all-wheel drive is presented in Geneva.

1982
The third generation of the Audi 100 goes down in the annals of technology history as the world’s most aerodynamic production sedan, with a drag coefficient of 0.30.

1985
Audi NSU Auto Union AG is renamed AUDI AG. This means that the products and the company share the same name.
In September of the 1986 model year, Audi launches the Audi 100 and 200 models with fully galvanized bodies.

1986
The third generation of the Audi 80 excels with its excellent aerodynamics and fulli galvanized body. As part of the preperations for production, the body shop and paint shop are extensively modernized.

1989
With the 2.5-liter, five-cylinder TDI, Audi introduces the direct-injection turbocharged diesel engine.

1990
Audi presents the Audi duo, a hybrid model based on the Audi 100 Avant.

1993
AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. is established in Győr (Hungary) as a fully owned subsidiary of AUDI AG. The plant is officially opened on October 12, 1994.

1994
Audi takes a quantum leap in automotive engineering with the market launch of the Audi A8* with its revolutionary aluminum Audi Space Frame (ASF).

1998
The agreement for the takeover of Lamborghini is signed on July 24.

2000
The Audi Forum Ingolstadt has its official opening ceremony on December 15. With a combination of museum, factory tours, direct vehicle collection arrangements, restaurants and tourism services, Audi adds a new facet to the brand experience for customers, visitors and employees alike – in architecturally attractive surroundings.

2001
The Audi A2 1.2 TDI is presented to the public, the world’s first four-door vehicle with fuel consumption of three liters per 100 km.

2002
Audi takes charge of the sporty brand group within the Volkswagen Group. The Audi brand group comprises the brands SEAT, Lamborghini and Audi.

2003
Inauguration of “Concept Design Munich.” This studio develops creative concepts for the entire Audi brand group.

2005
The Audi Forum Neckarsulm is officially opened.

2007
Audi increases its number of sites. The production of Audi automobiles starts in Brussels (Belgium) and Aurangabad (India).

2008
Audi passes the mark of one million vehicles sold for the first time in its history with deliveries to customers of 1,003,469 units.

2009
The Audi brand celebrates its 100th anniversary on July 16.
Audi presents its first high-performance sports car powered purely by electricity at the Frankfurt Motor Show – the Audi e-tron*.

2011
Audi starts producing the Audi Q3* in spring at the SEAT site in Martorell, Spain.
As part of the growth strategy, expansion of the Győr plant to a full-fledged automotive production site begins in July.
FAW-VW and Audi announce the construction of a second plant in Foshan in southern China, with completion scheduled for late 2013.

2012
Audi announces it will construct a plant in San José Chiapa, Mexico. This facility will produce all Audi Q5* cars as of 2016.
Audi acquires from Investindustrail Group the long-established Italian manufacturer of sports motorcycles, Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., based in Bologna.

2013
Official opening of the new car plant with a full process chain in Győr, Hungary.
Opening of the Audi production facility in Münchsmünster close to the main site in Ingolstadt: a competence center for the production of die-cast aluminum structural body parts, hot- and cold-formed pressed parts, and suspension components.
Announcement of new production site in Brazil: Audi will produce the Audi A3 Sedan in Curitiba in the federal state of Paraná as of 2015 and the Audi Q3 as of 2016.

2014
Official opening of Audi Neuburg, the new home of Audi driving experience, Competence Center Motorsport/Audi Sport and Audi Sport´customer racing.

Opening of the training center in San José Chiapa in Mexico.

New record for unit sales with 1,741,100 automobiles delivered.