Skip to Content

Four rings – four brands

Four interlocking rings symbolised the merger of four automobile manufacturers based in the German state of Saxony: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer became Auto Union AG, then the second-largest motor vehicle manufacturing group in Germany. Here are brief details of the roots of today’s AUDI AG.

Audi

The company established by August Horch in Zwickau on July 16, 1909 could not take its founder's name for competitive reasons. A new name was found for the company by translating Horch’s name, which in German means "hark!" or "listen!", into Latin. The second company established by August Horch therefore commenced trading as Audi Automobilwerke GmbH, Zwickau on April 25, 1910.

Find out more about the history of Audi

1899.png

1899: Founding

August Horch founded his first automobile company, August Horch & Cie, in Cologne in 1899. Shortly after that, in 1909, he set up a new automobile company in Zwickau, which has been operating under the name Audiwerke AG, Zwickau since 1910. This marked the birth of the modern company’s name.

1945.png

1945: End and recommencement

In 1945, after the war had ended, Auto Union AG's premises were located in the zone occupied by the Soviet forces, who expropriated its assets, dismantled the plant and had the company removed from the Commercial Register of the city of Chemnitz in 1948. 1949/1950, the Auto Union GmbH was founded in Ingolstadt newly.

1971.png

1971: Vorsprung durch Technik

Focused on the NSU Ro 80, a car that was far ahead of its time, a new advertising slogan was introduced in 1971, which has since become the key message underlining the expertise of the company: “Vorsprung durch Technik” [“Advancement through Technology”].

Back to top

© 2023 Audi Egypt. All Rights Reserved.

Loading..