Audi

AUDI AG was founded by August Horch in 1899 in Cologne. The company then known as Horch & Cie. Motorwagen Werke. Later he moved Horch in Zwickau, where his company was transformed into a corporation. Due to disagreements with the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board, August Horch left the company in 1909, but immediately set up its second car manufacturing. Because his name is already used in the name of the company and was protected by a trademark for the name of the new company, August Horch chose a Latin translation of his surname. So the German "horch" ("Listen") turned into Latin "audi". After World War August Horch withdrew from the management company and moved to Berlin to work independent automotive expert.
In 1921 the company introduced Audiwerke AG Audi K 14/50 - the first German car with a left-hand steering. In 1923, a model "M" with a 6-cylinder engine, and in 1927 - the first eight-cylinder Audi Imperator. In August 1928 Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, owner of Zschopauer Motorenwerke / DKW acquired a majority stake Audiwerke AG, and the following year merged company from Zwickau to Rasmussen's business empire. When in October 1929 broke the world economic crisis, sales of high-power cars fell sharply. Then Rasmussen asked Audi to develop a compact car with front-wheel drive under the brand name DKW, and the first model was successfully launched in 1931.

By order of the State Bank of Saxony June 29, 1932 plants Audi, Horch, and Zschopauer Motorenwerke / DKW merged into Auto Union AG. The symbol of the merger were four rings, which still serve as an emblem of brand Audi.

In 1933 it launched mass production of the Audi Front Type UW. In 1935 Audi Front 225 came with Wanderer engine cylinder capacity of 2.3 liters. In 1938 it was replaced on the assembly line Audi 920. However, the production was soon halted because of World War II. The company moved to the production of armaments.

After the war, the company managed to re-start production, and the automaker has been renamed Auto Union GmbH. The production started in Ingolstadt with a delivery van DKW F 89 L and motorcycle DKW RT 125 W at the beginning of 1949.

Since 1954 a large stake in Auto Union GmbH, Friedrich Flick gradually acquired. In April 1958 joint-stock company Daimler-Benz AG acquired a 88% stake in Auto Union, and the following year bought the complete package.

The new production model Auto Union entered the market in 1965 - it was the first postwar car brand with the four-stroke engine - Audi Type. In the same year the company became part of Volkswagen. In 1968 he was presented the Audi 100.

In 1969, the Company held Volkswagenwerk AG merged Auto Union GmbH and NSU Motorenwerke AG company in Neckarsulm. The new company became known as Audi NSU Auto Union AG. Then the light went out Audi 80 (Series B1),

In the 1970s, the company produces five-cylinder engine, technology and corporate turbonagnetaniya-wheel drive quattro. In 1985 the company changed its name - from Audi NSU Auto Union AG to AUDI AG. Since then, the company introduced many new models, including: Audi Coupe GT, Quattro, A3, A4, S4 Avant, A5, A6, A8, TT, R8, Q5, Q7, and so on.