Audi Tradition

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.

History of AUDI AG
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Things are going streamlined at the Audi museum mobile
Company
11/17/2023

Things are going streamlined at the Audi museum mobile: new special exhibition on the history of aerodynamics

The new special exhibition at the Audi museum mobile could hardly be more topical: With the advent of electromobility, aerodynamics has again become the focus of vehicle development. Audi Tradition is inviting everyone interested in technology on a journey through the history of aerodynamics, showing the beginnings of aerodynamic concepts used in automotive engineering up to 1945 in an exhibition titled “Windschnittig” (German for “streamlined”) at the Audi museum mobile. From December 1, the August Horch Museum in Zwickau will follow with an exhibition titled “Form vollendet” (German for “perfect form"), which will complete the arc of aerodynamic development up to the present day. Both exhibitions will run until June 2024.

BasicInfo

Press kit

  • The traditional NSU brand and Audi’s Neckarsulm site: 150 years of innovation and transformation 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.
    Company
    07/13/2023

Historic Models

Anniversary magazine History
Company
01/01/2015

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).
DKW P15 roadster, 600 cc, two-stroke inline engine, rear-wheel drive, 15 hp, 1928; the first DKW car.
Company
01/01/2015

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.
NSU/Wankel Spider
Company
01/01/2015

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.

Pictures

Videos

Audi Speed of Light Reloaded
Großglockner Grand Prix 2017 with replica of the Auto Union Type C
AvD-Histo-Monte 2017 - Footage
Journey back in time: Walter Röhrl at the AvD Histo-Monte
Original Ski Jump Commercial
The Audi 100 C3