| German sport luxury brand Audi has played a | | | | van and a motorcycle. Continuous growth |
| strong role in helping to shape consumer | | | | throughout the 1950s highlighted by Daimler's |
| tastes and influence the entire European | | | | acquisition of the company in 1958 fueled |
| touring market. For nearly 100 years, the | | | | further expansion. In 1964, the Volkswagen |
| Audi brand has been synonymous with producing | | | | group purchased Audi from Daimler and to this |
| high quality, reliable, and well engineered | | | | day Audi remains a significant part of the |
| vehicles. An odd start almost scuttled the | | | | Volkswagen establishment. |
| company's plans, yet today Audi has risen | | | | |
| above adversity and is producing cars that | | | | By the late 1960s, Audi began what many |
| are world renowned in quality and | | | | consider to be its historic run to the top of |
| engineering. | | | | automotive excellence. New models were |
| | | | developed several of which were also marketed |
| August Horch founded Horch Automotive in | | | | as Volkswagen models for that era. In 1980, |
| Cologne, Germany in 1899, and began | | | | Audi shook the automotive world to its |
| manufacturing cars in 1901 which featured a | | | | foundation when it released its Quattro |
| horizontal engine producing upwards of 5 | | | | sports car, a vehicle with full time all |
| horsepower. Demand for these models propelled | | | | wheel drive and a turbocharged engine. |
| Horch to expand production and move to a | | | | Instantly, the Quattro propelled the Audi |
| larger manufacturing facility where a newer, | | | | name to the top of the race car world when |
| more powerful model cranking out a | | | | the vehicle began to win race upon race. |
| then-amazing 10 horsepower was released. | | | | Undeniably, the Quattro was such a runaway |
| | | | hit that the model was banned from some races |
| By 1910, Horch himself was booted out of the | | | | for having an "unfair" technological |
| company that sported his name so he set up | | | | advantage. |
| shop elsewhere and began to sell cars under | | | | |
| the Audi moniker. Originally, Horch tried to | | | | Throughout the 1980s and the 1990s, Audi |
| use his family name, but German courts ruled | | | | began to produce additional models including |
| against him thus the Audi name was selected | | | | its first premium model, the Audi V8 in 1988. |
| instead. In German, Horch means "hark" and | | | | Sporting a 3.6L 32-valve V8 engine, the Audi |
| the word "audi" is the Latin translation of | | | | V8 featured full time all wheel drive and a |
| horch/hark. So, although he could legally no | | | | four speed electronically controlled |
| longer use his family name, the Latinized | | | | automatic transmission. This particular model |
| version of the same won out. Guess which name | | | | was a huge departure from earlier Audis and |
| is known today? | | | | set the brand on a collision course with |
| | | | Mercedes and BMW, Germany's two other luxury |
| In between a pair of devastating world wars, | | | | brands in a bid for automotive supremacy. |
| the modern Audi company began to take shape. | | | | |
| Indeed, the "four rings" logo of the company | | | | Today, Audi continues to expand and compete |
| represents the union of four distinct German | | | | against all of the top luxury brands in the |
| automotive manufacturers under the auspices | | | | world. New technology including its Audi |
| of Audi. Yes, you guessed it: the Horch | | | | Space Frame all-aluminum body - known for its |
| company that originally booted Mr. Horch was | | | | rigidity and improved crashworthiness - are |
| absorbed by Audi and makes up one of the four | | | | among the highlights of a brand that doesn't |
| rings. August Horch lived to see that big | | | | settle for second best. From sedans to sport |
| day, but he also witnessed the dismantling of | | | | coupes to an all new SUV, Audi has a model |
| the company following the end of the second | | | | that competes against the likes of Lexus, |
| world war. | | | | Mercedes, Cadillac, Infiniti, and BMW its |
| | | | chief competitors. |
| Reparations was the rallying cry when World | | | | |
| War II ended, thus the Soviet Union who was | | | | That "hark" sound you hear is both the name |
| occupying the eastern portion of Germany | | | | of a company and the attention the brand |
| during the postwar era, appropriated the | | | | deserves in a sea of capable premium models |
| company, took all of its assets, and by | | | | produced by Germany's esteemed Volkswagen |
| August 1948 the company no longer existed. | | | | Group. Yes, Audi has weathered several |
| One year later thanks to state loans and | | | | storms and the company appears poised to |
| Marshall plan assistance, a resurrected Audi | | | | continue its thrust forward thanks to its |
| was back on the scene producing a delivery | | | | many innovations and continued high quality. |