audi history timeline

It’s one of the most multi-faceted stories ever told in the history of the automobile. The Audi emblem with its four rings identifies one of Germany’s oldest-established automobile manufacturers. It symbolizes the amalgamation in 1932 of four previously independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. These companies form the roots of what is today AUDI AG.

Thanks to his victorious involvement in the Austrian Alpine Runs, August Horch succeeded in making Audi internationally known in just a few years. After the First World War, August Horch withdrew from the company and moved to Berlin to work as an independent automotive expert.

Therefore, in 1945, the US Army raid caused great damage to Audi’s plant and a few years later Auto Union AG was removed from the commercial register. However, Audi didn’t give up and began assembling pre-war models in 1949. Additionally, the company was renamed to Auto Union GmbH and continued DKW’s tradition of manufacturing front-wheel-drive cars with two-stroke engines.
In 1966, Auto Union became a fully-owned subsidiary of VW. However, the new owner did not give up the Audi name and logo and presented the DKW Model F 102 as an Audi. It was during this time that the company went through significant changes and redesigned most of their models. In 1972, Audi introduced a new mid-size vehicle: the Audi 80.

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25 years ago, the first Audi A4 took to the streets and quickly became a best-seller. Read here how this model became a cult car and freed Audi from its outdated image.

1926–The first Wanderer car with left-hand drive and four-wheel brakes appears. Horch introduces the first eight-cylinder engine to be manufactured on a production scale in Germany this year as well.
1901–First year that NSU motorcycles are built.

However, in 2015 Audi admitted that at least 2 million of their cars had been involved in the VW emissions scandal. The cars affected were the;
The Audi logo came about after a merger of four companies. In 1928, engineer Jørgen Rasmussen acquired majority shares in Audi. Soon, the company merged with Rasmussen’s DKW, Wanderer and Audi’s old competitor Horch to form the Auto Union in 1932. The merger led to the creation of the four interlocking rings.

Resources:

http://www.globalcarsbrands.com/audi-logo-history-and-models/
http://www.audi.com/en/company/history.html
http://www.autoweek.com/news/a2018191/audi-100-timeline-significant-events/
http://www.osv.ltd.uk/brief-history-of-audi/
http://www.britannica.com/topic/The-United-States-Navy