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Audi Tradition

The eventful and varied history of AUDI AG extends back to the 19th century. Find out more about the great personalities from the brand’s 100-plus years of history. Learn about the fascinating evolution of the various models and major milestones in the fields of car manufacturing, engine production and motor racing.

Recent Press Releases

  • 05/26/23
    Company

    “Nicht mehr laufen, Quickly kaufen”: the NSU Quickly

    To many, it is a cult classic: the Quickly. This moped marked the Neckarsulm-based traditional brand NSU’s commitment to make mobility possible for everyone in the early days of Germany’s Miracle on the Rhine; starting in 1953, the company began to make the switch to motorized mobility tempting to people with advertising slogans such as “Nicht mehr laufen, Quickly kaufen” (English: Instead of walking, buy a Quickly). In the following years, many variants of the NSU Quickly were built, and the moped became hugely popular. In the 1980s, its popularity was rekindled thanks to the popular German television series “Irgendwie und Sowieso”: Actor Ottfried Fischer cut a fine figure on the moped as “Sir Quickly” in a white hat and trench coat, and the nostalgic series made the actor a household name in Germany. In this third episode on the history of NSU, Audi Tradition presents the moped.
  • 05/12/23
    Company

    Le Mans trilogy with Audi Tradition

    A series of victories: No brand has won at Le Mans as often as Audi in such a short period of time. The four rings were at the top of the podium a total of 13 times between 1999 and 2016. In 2023, the “24 Hours of Le Mans” will celebrate its 100th anniversary and Audi Tradition will join in the festivities: in Ingolstadt, Le Mans and Goodwood. “Audi in Le Mans” was recently launched for all motorsport fans; the latest book of the Edition Audi Tradition presents the success story of the four rings at the endurance classic on the Sarthe in great detail for the first time.
  • 05/02/23
    Company

    A timeless design icon: The Audi TT turns 25

    Twenty-five years, three generations: The brand with the four rings wrote design history with the Audi TT. Since its debut in 1998, the sports car has struck a chord with people worldwide thanks to the fun it promises drivers and its clear design language. „Auto Europe“ voted it the best new car of the year in 1999.
  • 04/28/23
    Company

    New book from Audi Tradition: “Audi at Le Mans”

    Audi has made history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 13 wins in 18 years. In 2023, the classic endurance race on the Sarthe is celebrating its hundredth anniversary, and Audi Tradition is fittingly releasing a book for the occasion. At 320 pages, “Audi at Le Mans” offers previously unpublished images and extensive insights into the four rings’ success story in this tradition-steeped race. The book is being published by Delius Klasing Verlag. In addition to chapters on each race, it contains forays into technological milestones, exciting background information and a comprehensive statistics section. At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, the authors will introduce Edition Audi Tradition’s latest title at the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt, where they’ll be happy to sign books. Registration is required, and admission is free.
  • 04/26/23
    Company

    Futuristic, aerodynamic, stylish: The NSU Ro 80

    Even the name is special: Ro 80 – Ro stands for rotary piston, and 80 is the type designation. When first unveiled at the IAA International Motor Show in September 1967, the NSU Ro 80 astonished the automotive world. NSU connoisseur Klaus Arth described it this way: “Many visitors don’t know what to admire first. The futuristic shape, the extravagant drive, or both”. The car inspired the public but did not result in a sales hit, so the last NSU Ro 80 rolled off the production line in April 1977. In this second episode of the series on the history of NSU, Audi Tradition presents this model.

Press folder

  • 03/30/23
    Company

    150th Anniversary NSU and Audi Neckarsulm site

    The traditional NSU brand is celebrating its birthday. In 1873, Christian Schmidt and Heinrich Stoll founded “Mechanische Werkstätte Schmidt & Stoll” in Riedlingen for the production of knitting machines, which later evolved into NSU Motorenwerke AG and ultimately into today’s Audi site in Neckarsulm. Even NSU’s name is closely associated with Neckarsulm, as the company name is derived from the city on the Neckar and Sulm rivers. NSU impressively demonstrates the development of mobility – from bicycles and motorcycles to automobiles.

Historic Models

01/01/15
Company

Audi

After parting company from Horch Motorwagenwerke AG, August Horch established a new company in 1909, again with the declared aim of building automobiles. Since Horch was unable to make further use of his own name as an automobile brand, he resorted to the device of translating his own name into Latin: “Horch“ (“Listen!“) became “Audi”. This was the starting point for the Audi factory in Zwickau.
01/01/15
Company

Auto Union

On 29 June 1932, Audiwerke, Horchwerke and Zschopauer Motorenwerke/DKW merged on the initiative of the State Bank of Saxony to form Auto Union AG. At the same time a purchase and leasing agreement was concluded with the Wanderer company for the acquisition of its automobile department. The new group had its headquarters in Chemnitz. When Auto Union AG was established, it was the second-largest motor vehicle manufacturer in Germany. The four interlocking rings chosen as its emblem symbolised the indissoluble unity of the four member-companies. The brand names Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer were retained. Each of the four brands was allocated a specific market segment within the new company: DKW (motorcycles and small cars), Wanderer (medium-size cars), Audi (cars in the upper midsize market segment), Horch (top-class luxury cars).
01/01/15
Company

DKW

Established originally in 1902 as Rasmussen & Ernst in Chemnitz, the company moved to Zschopau, in Germany’s Erzgebirge mountains, in 1907. It first manufactured and sold waste steam oil traps and other components for steam raising plant, and later added centrifuges of all kinds and painting equipment to its product range. It also supplied car parts such as mudwings and vehicle lighting. The company's founder Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen began to experiment with a steam-driven motor vehicle in 1916, registering "DKW" as a trademark. By 1919 the company’s name had been changed to Zschopauer Motorenwerke and it was manufacturing small two-stroke engines. This led in 1922 to the successful introduction of motorcycles bearing the DKW name. The first small DKW motor car appeared on the market in 1928.
01/01/15
Company

Horch

By the end of the nineteenth century several companies in Germany were already building cars. Among them was August Horch & Cie., established on 14 November 1899 in Cologne. August Horch was one of the pioneer figures of automotive engineering. Before setting up business on his own, he worked for Carl Benz in Mannheim for three years as Head of Automobile Production. In 1904 August Horch moved his business to the town of Zwickau and transformed it into a share-issuing company. Following differences between the Executive and Supervisory Boards, August Horch left his company in 1909.
01/01/15
Company

NSU

The NSU company was founded in 1873 by two mechanics from the Swabian region of Germany in the town of Riedlingen an der Donau. Seven years later it moved to Neckarsulm. In the first 20 years of its existence, it manufactured knitting machines. In 1886 the proprietors of the knitting machine factory opened a department devoted to building bicycles. From then on, two-wheeled road vehicles were to govern the company’s fortunes. Motorcycle production started in 1901, and the company’s first cars appeared five years later. Car production ceased in 1929, however, when the company decided to concentrate fully on its bicycles and motorcycles. It was almost three decades later, in 1958, when car production recommenced in Neckarsulm. On March 10, 1969 Auto Union GmbH, Ingolstadt joined forces with NSU Motorenwerke AG, Neckarsulm. The new company, known as Audi NSU Auto Union AG, was established retrospectively from January 1 onwards and had its head offices in Neckarsulm.
01/01/15
Company

Wanderer

In 1885, the two mechanics Johann Baptist Winklhofer and Richard Adolf Jaenicke opened a repair business for bicycles in Chemnitz. Shortly afterwards they began to make bicycles of their own, since demand at that time was very high. These were sold under the brand name Wanderer, and in 1896 the company itself began to trade as Wanderer Fahrradwerke AG. Wanderer built its first motorcycle in 1902. The idea of branching out into motor car production was finally put into practice in 1913. A small two-seater that people nicknamed "Puppchen" (loosely translated as “Baby Doll”) heralded in Wanderer's tradition of motor car production that was to last several decades.
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