The History of Audi

When it comes to car manufacturing, German technology has been renowned the world over as producing some of the most reliable and most safe cars on the market today. One such German car company is Audi, which manufactures almost every kind of automobile, from superminis to crossover SUVs, in numerous body styles and price ranges. The brand is so popular that even its used cars, Audi A4 as an example, are very popular even today.

Audi first came to being when, in November 14, 1899, August Horch established his own company, the A. Horch & Cie. in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne. In 1909, however, he had to leave the company, but continued to use the Horch name in another company, named Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH, the company that would eventually be Audi of today. Its first vehicle, the Audi Type A Sport-Phaeton, was made in 1910 in Zwickau.

This new development didn't come without a hitch, however, when his previous partners in his first business sued him for the Horch brand, a lawsuit that August Horch lost. Because he can't use his surname for the business, after meeting with a couple of business partners and friends, the idea of using Audi as the name came forth, a suggestion of August's son who was present at the time. Horsch, in German, means “hear”, which is “Audi” in Latin. The idea was accepted, and the company was born.

Soon after the name change they began to follow through with their first vehicle by producing the Type B which featured different engine sizes. It was a successful car in both competition and sales, and marked a good start for the brand. August Horch left Audi in 1920 to work at a government position in the ministry of transport, but remained an active member of the board of trustees. And in 1921, the company made history as being the first German car maker to present a production car in the form of the Audi Type K.

Between 1928 and 1938, Audi would undergo a change of ownership. Jorgen Rasmussen, who owned Dampf-Kraft-Wagen, became the majority shareholder of Audi. This in addition to his acquisition of Rickenbacker allowed the combining of Rickenbacker engines in Audi cars. Then, in 1932, a merger between Horch, DKW, and Wanderer formed the Auto Union, which would form the 4-ring logo that Audi would use to this day.

World War II would also affect Audi. Before the war, the company was forced to focus on smaller vehicles, and during the war Audi's factories were retooled for the military. After the war, the Auto Union was liquidated, with the Audi plant becoming a “people owned enterprise”. It would take a few more years for a new Auto Union to form, but even then the idea was scrapped in the 1960s because it wasn't a profitable idea.

In 1985 the finalization of this idea came forth when the Auto Union and the NSU died off, and the company was officially named Audi AG, the car brand we know today. And it is a brand that is very popular that even its used cars are still sought by car buyers. When it comes to used cars Audi A3 is one of the most popular Audi models sought after, and is an ideal choice for people looking to own a truly renowned German car.