Horch’s ambitions for high-quality automobiles
Audi’s origins date back to the Horch company, founded by August Horch.
Horch’s founder, August Horch, was born in the town of Winningen an der Mosel, about an hour and a half’s drive northwest of Frankfurt. Originally a blacksmith, Horch earned an engineering degree in 1890. In his autobiography, he wrote, “I was determined to make only high-quality large automobiles using first-class materials, no matter what.”
After working as a production manager at Karl Benz’s company in Meinheim, he went independent in 1899 and founded A. Horch & Cie. in Cologne in November 1899. He began developing engines in a workshop converted from a stable.
The break with Horch and the birth of Audi
The maximum output of the two-cylinder engine installed in the Horch No. 1 is said to have been around 4 to 5 horsepower.
The following December, the “Horch No. 1” was born, but the business was a failure. To raise funds for further development, the company moved to Saxony in 1902 and incorporated in 1904. This strategy proved successful, with sales increasing rapidly, and Horch gained recognition in motorsports.
Business was going well, but eventually there was a disagreement between the board of directors and Horch over management direction. In 1909, he resigned from his position and founded a new company named after the Latin translation of “Horch.” This was the birth of “Audiwerke” (Werke is German for factory, etc.). In 1914, the company was incorporated as a joint stock company, becoming “Audiwerke AG” (“AG” is an abbreviation of “Aktiengesellschaft,” meaning “joint stock company”).
The birth of Auto Union and the meaning of the Four Silver Rings
The four rings represent the four companies: Audi, Horch, DKW and Wanderer.
In 1932, the two companies founded by August Horch, “Horch” and “Audi,” would once again share the same fate. The German economy also deteriorated due to the Great Depression that began in 1929. At the initiative of the Saxony State Bank, Audi and Horch merged. DKW (*1) and Wanderer (*2), also located in the state of Saxony, also joined the merger, and “Auto Union AG” was born.
The Four Silver Rings, the Audi emblem that remains in use to this day, was born at this time. Each ring represents the four companies that made up Auto Union. The overlapping of the rings represents “unbreakable unity.”
Four brands make up Germany’s second-largest car manufacturer
A 1936 Horch 853.
The two companies remained under the Auto Union brand name, with DKW producing motorcycles and small cars, Wanderer producing mid-size cars, and Horch producing top-end large models in the luxury division, while Audi was responsible for mid-size cars.
Horch established itself as a luxury car brand, producing innovative luxury cars such as the Horch 8 Type 303, the first German mass-produced car to feature an eight-cylinder engine, and the Horch 670 (released in 1931) with its twelve-cylinder engine.
Revival from dismantling after defeat
For the first time since the war, Auto Union Audi goes offline.
Auto Union AG was dissolved after World War II, but was relaunched in 1949 as Auto Union GmbH. It resumed production of DKW-branded motorcycles and development of passenger cars in Ingolstadt, but its two-stroke engines were not up to date and business was sluggish. In 1958, it became a subsidiary of Daimler-Benz AG.
Using Daimler’s technology, Auto Union attempted a comeback. In 1965, a new model was born, equipped with the company’s first four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. To dispel the image of DKW, a different brand name was adopted for this promising car: the Audi 72.
Dr. Piëch’s Establishment of the Audi Brand
The Audi Sport Quattro S1 was released in 1985.
In the same year, Auto Union became a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VW). In 1969, it merged with NSU (※3), which VW had acquired, and the company name became “Audi NSU Auto Union AG.” From 1974, under the direction of Dr. Ferdinand Piëch (※4), the Audi brand value increased with the introduction of five-cylinder engines, turbochargers, and “quattro” all-wheel drive.
In 1985, the company underwent a restructuring of its branding and sales structure. At that time, the company name was changed to “Audi AG,” which remains the name today. Auto Union, which was founded in 1932 and was once dismantled but later revived, completely disappeared at this time. The Horch name remains on the top grade of the Audi A8 in the Chinese market.
The spirit of founder Mr. Horch lives on to this day
The NSU Ro 80, a sedan equipped with a rotary engine, was promoted with the slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik.”
Audi is famous for its catchphrase “Vorsprung durch Technik” (advancement through technology). Originally used to advertise the rotary-engine car “NSU Ro 80,” the phrase now represents Audi’s brand values. This pursuit of innovation may actually date back to the pioneering spirit of its creator, August Horch, long before the integration of NSU.
*1 DKW: Abbreviation for Dampfkraftwagen (Steam Car)
. The company originated from Rasmussen & Ernst, which was founded in 1902. The company manufactured steam oil separators for power plants and car lights, but began developing steam cars in 1916. In 1919, it manufactured a two-stroke engine for toys. In 1922, it entered the manufacturing and sales of motorcycles.
*2 Wanderer: The company
originated as a bicycle repair company founded in 1885. After starting to manufacture bicycles under the Wanderer brand, the company began producing motorcycles in 1902 and automobiles in 1913.
*3 NSU: Abbreviation for Neckarsulmer Strickmaschinenfabrik (Neckarsulm Loom Factory)
. Founded in the town of Neckarsulm as a manufacturer of knitwear looms. The company began manufacturing motorcycles in the late 1800s and later expanded into automobiles. During the Great Depression, the company sold its automobile division to Fiat, but resumed automobile manufacturing in the 1950s. In 1964, it released the Wankel Spyder, equipped with a Wankel (rotary) engine. In 1967, it also began manufacturing and selling the mid-size sedan Ro80.
*4 Dr. Ferdinand Piech: Grandson of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, he served as technical director at Porsche before moving to Audi NSU Auto Union AG in 1972. He was head of the technical development department at AUDI AG from 1975 to 1988 and served as chairman of the board of directors until 1992.
PHOTO／AUDI AG
