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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.
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.
Audi
The company founded on 16 July 1909 by August Horch in Zwickau was no longer allowed to bear his name for reasons of competition law. “Audi!” was selected as the Latin translation of the word “horch!”. Therefore, the second company founded by August Horch traded under the name Audi Automobilwerke GmbH, Zwickau from 25 April 1910 onwards.
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.
DKW, the abbreviation for “Dampfkraftwagen” (“steam-driven vehicle”).
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.
Auto Union AG, Chemnitz
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.
In 1938 every fourth car registered in Germany and every third motorcycle was a product from Auto Union AG. When the Second World War broke out in 1939 the company converted its production to war production. As the war dragged on, more and more labour was required and ultimately significant numbers of forced labourers, prisoners of war and concentration camp prisoners were assigned.
Auto Union GmbH, Ingolstadt
In 1945, after the Second World War, Auto Union AG found itself in what was then Germany’s Soviet Occupied Zone. It was requisitioned by the military authorities and the factory dismantled. Leading company executives made their way to Bavaria, where a new company was formed on 3 September 1949 in Ingolstadt. Auto Union GmbH, as it was called, continued the motor-vehicle tradition as exemplified by the Four Rings, and began to build well-proven DKW vehicles with two-stroke engines (motorcycles, passenger cars and small delivery vans).
A new Auto Union model appeared on the market in 1965, the company's first post-war vehicle with a four-stroke engine. This was the start of a new era, and logically enough a new product name was also considered necessary: the traditional Audi name with its fine tradition was revived. A short time later, the last two-stroke DKWs rolled off the production line in Ingolstadt. From then on, the new models with four-stroke engines were produced under the brand name “Audi”.
A new era also began in a different sense: in 1965 the Ingolstadt-based company became part of the Volkswagen Group.
NSUThe 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.
AUDI AG
The last NSU car left the factory in March 1977, after which the entire car output bore the Audi brand name. The company’s name, Audi NSU Auto Union AG, was considered clumsy and a more streamlined version, AUDI AG, was adopted in 1985. The company and its products then shared the same name. When this change was carried out, the company’s head offices were moved from Neckarsulm to Ingolstadt.
In the 1980s the Audi brand’s market positioning was continually raised. The “Vorsprung durch Technik” claim to technical leadership was borne out by such developments as quattro, TDI, aerodynamic body design, fully galvanised bodyshells for corrosion protection, hybrid technology in the Audi duo, aluminium bodywork for the Audi A8 Audi Space Frame and systematic lightweight construction with increased use of composite materials. With their dynamic, emotive design, Audi models have for more than a quarter of a century taken the Audi company forward to its present position as a premium brand on the international automobile scene.
Recent Press Releases
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“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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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
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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.