Audi

Audi History: A man by the name of August Horch kick started the car company A. Horch & Cie. on November 14, 1899. The company was moving along, that is till Horch had a dispute with the supervisory board. In 1909, Horch abandoned the company to begin his own. Audiwerke. The four consecutive rings, each one representing a different branch of the companies. Since a man by the name of J.S. Rasmussen had taken hold of a majority of the company shares in 1928. As a result of this, in 1931, DKW led the way to front wheel drive vehicles. The design of a wooden exterior and false leather set the new trend flying with other car companies. By 1932, Audiwerke joined together with DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. The new name became to be Audi Union AG. Due to this alliance, the well-known Audi logo was created. Audi Union AG skyrocketed as they expanded to anything from average cars, light motorcycles, luxury saloon cars, even to racing cars. When Audi had shown it’s first racing car in the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, they were praised greatly. Not only was the Ferdinand Porsche design brilliant, but the so was the technology used to make it. With a high-tech engine, sleek design for aerodynamics, and use of lightweight materials, the 1933 Audi racing car became the first to exceed the speed record, setting it at a roaring 400 km/h with the use of 545 horsepower. Since the company had started, around 70 different models of cars have been created.

The audi symbols four rings symbolizes the amalgamation of four previously independent automobile manufacturers in 1932.

These companies were Audi DKW Horch and Wanderer

On November 14 1899 August Horch established the company A. Horch & Cie., and began to develope the very first Horch automobiles.

Had a dispute with his supervisory board and left the company in 1909 to start his own company

The new company name was Audiwerke and it later joined forces with the other three.

In August 1928, J. S. Rasmussen acquired the majority of shares in Audiwerke AG. Beginning in 1931, he produced the DKW small car with front wheel drive in large numbers. The small car had a wooden body covered in imitation leather and the standard DKW two-stroke engine. This design formed the basis for one of the most successful German small cars of the 1930s, over 250,000 of which were produced at Zwickau plant until 1942.

On June 29, 1932, four vehicle brands - Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer - joined forces to create Auto Union AG. The new company group, based in Chemnitz, was able to serve all market segments, from light motorcycles to luxury saloon cars. They presented their newest Audi at the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, and received its greatest popularity boost with the success of a racing car based on Ferdinand Porsche's design. Auto Union racing cars were high-tech products that concentrated above all on high-performance engines, aerodynamic design, and the systematic use of lightweight construction. The Auto Union car with streamlined fairing and an output of 545 horsepower was the first to exceed a speed of 400 km/h on a normal road.

The Audi 100 was developed in 1968 and it took audi automobiles into the mid sized sedan market for the first time and becoming the best seller. It was also the stepping stone that ensured the future independance of the Audi brand.

(  "Audi History | Audi USA." Audi USA. Audi, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.)