The History of Audi

In 1909, August Horch founded a company called Audi Automobil-Werke. His surname, Horch, means "listen" in German. The name for the new brand came from the same word in Latin: "Audi." 

In 1921, Audi introduced the first German car with left-hand drive, which made the car more convenient to use. In 1928 the company changed hands and was taken over by the motorcycle maker DKW. Three years later, the first front-wheel-drive car in Germany, the DKW F1, was built. Because of the economic crisis, demand for cars with large engines had collapsed, and Audi's management approved the development of a front-wheel-drive car.

In 1932, at the initiative of the Saxon State Bank, which was Audi's creditor and feared for its investments in the auto industry, the Audi, Horch, and DKW factories merged into a single company, Auto Union AG. From then on, the brand's symbol became the four rings everyone knows today, and the merged company ranked second among German automakers in popularity. To avoid internal competition, Audi was assigned sports cars, DKW motorcycles, and Horch large luxury cars, while Wanderer took the mid-size luxury segment. 

During this period, the Auto Union "Silver Arrows" racing cars won many famous victories in speed competitions around the world. By 1940, however, the company had stopped producing civilian cars and focused on the Horch 901 staff car.

Near the end of World War II, all of Auto Union's Saxon plants were destroyed by Allied air raids, the surviving equipment was removed, and the company's executives managed to relocate to Bavaria. On September 3, 1949, production of trucks and motorcycles was restarted, and the company was renamed Auto Union GmbH. A year later it launched its first postwar car, the DKW F89 P Master Class.

In 1959, Daimler-Benz AG bought all of Auto Union's shares and made it a subsidiary. However, the Volkswagen Beetle was so popular that it left other small-car makers little room to grow, which seriously worsened Auto Union's finances. In 1964, it was decided that the company would become part of Volkswagen. A year later, production of new cars under the Audi name was planned for what was now a Volkswagen-controlled company. Initially, Volkswagen did not intend for Audi to design its own cars; the plant was supposed to build the VW Beetle. But the new model became the secret brainchild of Ludwig Kraus, then head of the design department. Wolfsburg did learn of his unannounced work, but by then it no longer stood in the way. As a result, the Audi 100, a popular mid-size car, was built in 1968.

In 1969, Auto Union GmbH merged with NSU Motorenwerke AG under a new name: Audi NSU Auto Union AG. In 1974, Ferdinand Piëch took over the engineering department. The company's fortunes improved significantly during the "Piëch era." During this period the five-cylinder engine was designed and put into production, turbocharging technology arrived, and the world's first permanent all-wheel-drive system, quattro, was introduced.

From 1982 to 1987, these cars performed superbly in racing, winning 23 WRC rally stages. From 1985, the number of new developments grew steadily. These included modern aerodynamic design, practical diesel engines with direct fuel injection, powerful 8- and 12-cylinder engines, and much more.

In 1993, Audi Group was formed, including divisions in Hungary and Brazil. Over time, it also took over companies such as Cosworth Technology (UK), Automobili Lamborghini (Italy), and SEAT (Spain).

Today, Audi Group continues to develop actively and add new chapters to the history of the brand. The company builds sports and racing cars as well as business and executive vehicles and crossovers, covering nearly every popular segment.