Let’s start at the very beginning: the Audi brand’s history dates back to the 19th century and includes
Julius Horch The mechanical engineer established his own company, August Horch & Cie, in 1899. Initially, he produced two-cylinder autos, and later, four-cylinder vehicles. He departed the business in 1909 as a result of a disagreement with the board of directors.
Horch then started a new vehicle company that same year. He translated his family name into Latin: “Audi. In 1910, the new brand’s first car entered the market. Audi gained notoriety with its three consecutive victories at the International Austrian Alpine Rally between 1912 and 1914one of the most difficult rallies of its time. Since the name Horch was already taken, and he was forbidden to use it, Audi.
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Four ringsfour brands
Four interlocking rings represented the joining of four Saxony-based automakers: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG. Here are some quick facts about the history of the current AUDI AG.
What does the Audi logo mean?
Going all the way to the beginning August Horch in the 19th century marked the start of the Audi brand’s history. In 1899, the mechanical engineer established his own company, August Horch & Cie. He started out making cars with two and eventually four cylinders. He departed the business in 1909 as a result of disagreements with the board.
Horch established a new automobile company as a result that same year. Horch was already in use, and it was against the law for him to use it, so he changed it to Audi. The first vehicle under the new marque entered commerce in 1910. With its three victories in a row in the International Austrian Alpine Ride, one of the most difficult rallies of the period, between 1912 and 1914, Audi attracted a lot of attention.
The union of the four Saxon automakers Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, and Auto Union AG is represented by four interlaced rings. a description of the company’s historical foundations.
The combination of the four Saxon automakers Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer into Auto Union AG is represented by four interlaced rings. When Auto Union AG was established, it was Germany’s second-largest automaker. a description of the company’s historical foundations.
Audi
August Horch created the business in Zwickau on July 16, 1909, however it was forbidden by competition law to use his name any more. Your choice for the Latin equivalent of the phrase “horch!” is “audi!” The second business established by August Horch has been doing business as Audi Automobilwerke GmbH, Zwickau, since April 25, 1910.
DKW
Rasmussen & Ernst was initially established in Chemnitz in 1902, but in 1907 it relocated its headquarters to Zschopau in the Ore Mountains. Initial products and sales included all varieties of centrifuges, vulcanizing equipment, evaporator oilers for steam power plants, fenders and vehicle lights, and vehicle lights. Jrgen Skafte Rasmussen, the company’s founder, began testing a steam car in 1916 “DKW, from which he was subsequently shielded in 1922. Beginning as a toy engine, two-stroke engines were first produced in 1919. The company changed its name in 1921 “JS Rasmussen OHG Zschopauer Motorenwerke The first DKW-branded motorcycles rolled out of the Zschopau facility a year later.
Horch
There were some vehicle manufacturing enterprises in Germany at the end of the 19th century. One of them was known as August Horch & Cie., and it was established on November 14, 1899, in Cologne. One of the early engineers in the field of automotive technology was August Horch. He had previously worked for Carl Benz in Mannheim for three years as the director of automobile engineering before launching his own company. August Horch relocated his business to Zwickau and changed it into a public limited corporation in 1904.
Wanderer
Since 1885, the two mechanics Richard Adolf Jaenicke and Johann Baptist Winklhofer have had a bicycle repair business in Chemnitz. They started building the then-in-demand two-wheelers own a short while afterwards, and they soon started selling them under the brand name “Wanderer.” Since 1896, the business was known as Wanderer Fahrradwerke AG. Wanderer created the first motorcycle in 1902. In 1913, the concept of increasing production to include automobiles was implemented.
Auto Union AG, Chemnitz
The Saxon State Bank spearheaded the June 29 merger of the Audiwerke, Horchwerke, and Zschopauer Motorenwerke JS Rasmussen AG (DKW) to create the Auto Union AG. In order to acquire the Wanderer automotive division, a purchase and lease arrangement was made with the Wanderer plants at the same time. The new group had its headquarters in Chemnitz. When Auto Union AG was established, it was Germany’s second-largest automaker. The company’s logo featured four interlinked rings to represent the unbreakable bond between the four founding businesses. Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer are still used as brand names. Within the group, each of the four brands was given a specific market niche: Horchluxury vehicles for the top class; Wanderermid-range cars; Audiautomobiles in the upper middle class segment.
The Wanderer firm started as a bicycle repair shop. Later, she began to construct two-wheelers, initially without a motor and then with one. The Puppchen, the first tiny car made by the company, debuted in 1913.
DKW, one of the biggest motorcycle manufacturers at the time, was the fourth business. In 1916, Jrgen Skafte Rasmussen, the founder of the Danish business, began testing a steam automobile (DKW). After the failed attempts, Rasmussen started creating two-stroke engines. DKW became the most significant pre-war motorcycle company a few years later. DKW began producing automobiles in 1928.
The global economic crisis welds together: the Audi logo is created
Due to the Great Depression in 1929, demand fell. The four successful automotive businesses at the time were experiencing financial issues. The Saxon State Bank came up with the idea to combine the four brands as a solution. When judged by the number of cars manufactured, Auto Union AG, then Germany’s second-largest automaker, was founded. It gave rise to the precursor of the current AUDI AG.
Why was the Audi logo created?
The Olympic rings are generally thought to have served as inspiration, though the design was altered to use four rings from each of the four corporations rather than the five Olympic rings.
You might not be aware of one part of the Audi emblem, which is that in 1995, the International Olympic Committee filed a lawsuit against Audi.
What is the tagline for Audi?
The Audi tagline “This year, Vorsprung durch Technik celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Four Rings’ infamous catchphrase is still popular today, fifty years after it was first used. There is a little bit more history behind it every year. The firm is celebrating this historic occasion by looking back at a number of developments from the past 50 years that show why “The phrase “Vorsprung durch Technik” isn’t just used by Audi. It also represents the company’s outlook on the future.
Ingolstadt-based Auto Union GmbH and Neckarsulmer NSU Motorenwerke merged in 1969 to become Audi NSU Auto Union AG, which was based in Neckarsulm. The models offered by the new business ranged from the rotary engine of the futuristic-looking NSU Ro 80 to the air-cooled engines of the rear-wheel-drive NSU Prinz series and the water-cooled four-cylinder engines of the front-wheel-drive Audi 60 and Audi 100. In 1970, Hans Bauer had the concept of using this technological diversity as a competitive advantage. A member of the Audi NSI advertising team came up with the catchphrase that became well-known worldwide: “advance through technology.
In a significant advertisement, the new catchphrase initially surfaced in January 1971. Customers soon noticed it in the brochures for the Audi NSU. Audi 50, Audi 80, Audi 100 Coup S, or any other model they now all signified “advance via technology. Numerous variations of the catchphrase have been used over the years, such as “Audi. Perfect technology for relaxed driving, but the business eventually went back to the memorable original. With the release of the Audi quattro in 1980, the catchphrase was used in advertisements more regularly. At the time, a high-rise along the A9 Autobahn at the exit for Ingolstadt-Nord had the largest illuminated advertisement in Europe, a reddish-brown Audi oval with the motto “Made in Europe.” “advance via technology. By October 1986, when it was also included in the Audi 80 sales brochures, the tagline was clearly a part of the Audi Corporate Identity. It has become associated with the company today, fifty years later.
In a brand-new, unique exhibit named “50 Years of Technological Advancement Audi will demonstrate to guests at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm its ongoing love for technology.
But which turning points led to the realization that “The motto “Vorsprung durch Technik” is still used in all Audi advertising, continuing to signify the company’s commitment to innovation. Oliver Hoffmann, Technical Development Member of Audi AG’s Board of Management: “I consider quattro technology to be the most significant achievement. It served as the cornerstone for our rally victories and symbolizes the translation of our racing expertise into mass manufacture. Since then, quattro and Audi have been synonymous. Equally significant was the debut of the Audi A8 with Audi Space Fram in 1194, which helped us finally establish our position in the luxury market.
The “In the early 2000s, Le Mans served as the official start of the Audi era. The Four Rings conquered the legendary long-distance race as the unmatched serial victor using innovative technologies including FSI, Turbo-FSI, laser light, Ultra technology, and hybrids. The A2 1.2 TDI in aluminum also made its premiere; it was the first and only four-door three-liter vehicle until this day.
With the release of the Audi e-tron, the first completely electric Audi vehicle to enter serial production with a range of 400 kilometers and paving the way for premium electromobility, the firm took the industry to the next level. Three years later, the Audi e-tron GT, a design revolution with great potential for the future of e-mobility, was released on the market. The latest brand initiative “The phrase “Future is an Attitude” highlights Audi’s focus on the future and willingness to challenge conventional ideas about mobility.
End of the 2010s: Sustainability was elevated to a primary business objective. “For this reason, says Hildegard Wortmann, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Sales and Marketing, “Audi is continuously committed to the environment, bringing together a number of measures for resource efficiency and reducing the ecological footprint in its location-independent environmental program “Mission Zero.” By 2050, Audi wants to be carbon-neutral. “We want to be a leader in this space as we grow as a source of sustainable premium mobility. We are concentrating our efforts to be a technology leader on eco-friendly driving as a result. According to Wortmann, Audi won’t be releasing any new vehicles with combustion engines after 2026 in keeping with this. And the drive toward electrification goes on: “We are redefinitioning progress and putting an emphasis on electrification, digitization, and sustainability. It is about using useful technology to contribute to a future that is livable.
Hoffmann responds when asked if Audi will find it easier to continue pushing this breakthrough given the social push for new technologies “It has always been our right to initiate change rather than allow it to happen to us. In the era of new mobility, advancement is more than just cutting-edge design, state-of-the-art engineering, and a digital experience. We also have outside-the-car thoughts. In the future, integrated mobility solutionswhich take infrastructure into accountwill be more in demand. We have created a versatile quick-charging idea for future peak demands that can be employed at numerous locations with the pilot of the Audi charging station. Wortmann continues: “Audi won’t take its success in recent years’ technological development for granted. Audi is the most forward-thinking premium brand because we constantly see the future as an opportunity and actively participate in shaping it. Vorsprung is a mental state.”
What was Audi’s previous name?
German automaker AUDI AG makes vehicles under the Audi brand. The Volkswagen Group includes it. The Latinized version of founder August Horch’s last name, which is the German word for “listen,” served as the inspiration for the name Audi. Germany’s Ingolstadt serves as the home base for Audi.
August Horch, a pioneer in the automobile industry, established August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH in Germany on July 16, 1909. A short while later, he changed the company’s name to Audi Automobilwerke, the Latin version of his last name.
To become Auto Union AG in 1932, Audi merged with Horch, DKW, and Wanderer. The brands Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer are represented by the four rings of the Audi logo. The four interconnected rings were a unique feature of Auto Union AG’s racing cars prior to World War II. The names and logos of the member companies were used.
On September 3rd, 1949, Auto Union GmbH was founded in Ingolstadt after a series of adjustments as WWII drew to a close.
On April 24, 1958, Daimler-Benz AG purchased the bulk of Auto Union GmbH’s shares, followed by the remaining ones. Auto Union was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Stuttgart-based Daimler Group from this day until the end of 1965.
Of December 1964, Volkswagenwerk AG bought the bulk of the stock in Auto Union GmbH; towards the end of 1966, Audi became a fully owned VW subsidiary.
The newly acquired NSU Motorenwerke AG by VW and the Ingolstadt-based Auto Union GmbH amalgamated to establish Audi NSU Auto Union AG in March 1969.
A four-wheel-drive sports coup was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1980. The first four-wheel-drive high-performance car was the Audi Quattro. Only trucks and off-road vehicles had previously utilised this drive concept. The Audi Quattro’s permanent all-wheel-drive technology was an international racing sensation that eventually made its way into the full lineup of Audi vehicles.
Audi NSU Auto Union AG changed its name to AUDI AG in January 1985. The business also relocated its headquarters from Ingolstadt at the same time. From that point on, both the firm and the cars shared the same name.