| The origins of Audi | | | | rear-engined Prinz models and the futuristic |
| | | | Ro 80. However, Volkswagen took the K70 for |
| The company traces its origins back to 1899 | | | | its own range, spelling the end of NSU as a |
| and August Horch. The first Horch automobile | | | | separate brand. |
| was produced in 1901 in Zwickau. In 1910, | | | | |
| Horch was forced out of the company he had | | | | The modern era of Audi |
| founded. He then started a new company in | | | | |
| Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. | | | | The new merged company was known as "Audi NSU |
| His former partners sued him for trademark | | | | Auto Union AG", and saw the emergence of Audi |
| infringement and a German court determined | | | | as a separate brand for the first time since |
| that the Horch brand belonged to his former | | | | the pre-war era. The first new car of this |
| company. August Horch was forced to refrain | | | | regime was the Audi 100 of 1968. This was |
| from using his own family name in his new car | | | | soon joined by the Audi 80/Fox (which formed |
| business. Horch immediately called a meeting | | | | the basis for the 1973 Volkswagen Passat) in |
| at the apartment of Franz Fikentscher to come | | | | 1972 and the Audi 50 (later, rebadged as the |
| up with a new name for his company. During | | | | Volkswagen Polo) in 1974. |
| this meeting Franz's son was quietly studying | | | | |
| Latin in a corner of the room. Several times | | | | The Audi image at this time was a |
| he looked like he was on the verge of saying | | | | conservative one, and so, a proposal from |
| something but would just swallow his words | | | | chassis engineer Jörg Bensinger[2] was |
| and continue working, until he finally | | | | accepted to develop the four-wheel drive |
| blurted out, "Father - audiatur et altera | | | | technology in Volkswagen's Iltis military |
| pars... wouldn't it be a good idea to call it | | | | vehicle for an Audi performance car and rally |
| AUDI instead of HORCH?". "Horch!" in German | | | | racing car. The performance car, introduced |
| means "Hark!" which is "Audi" in Latin. The | | | | in 1980, was named the "quattro," a |
| idea was enthusiastically accepted by | | | | turbocharged coupé which was also the |
| everyone attending the meeting. [1] It is | | | | first German large-scale production vehicle |
| also popularly (but incorrectly) believed | | | | to feature full-time all-wheel drive through |
| that Audi is an acronym which stands for | | | | a center differential (not counting the |
| "Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt". | | | | earlier British Jensen FF, produced in small |
| | | | numbers). Commonly referred to as the |
| Audi started with a 2612 cc (2.6 Liter) four | | | | "Ur-Quattro" (the "Ur-" prefix is a German |
| cylinder model followed by a 3564 cc (3.6 L) | | | | augmentative used, in this case, to mean |
| model, as well as 4680 cc (4.7 L) and 5720 | | | | "original" and is also applied to the first |
| cc(5.7L) models. These cars were successful | | | | generation of Audi's S4 and S6 sport sedans, |
| even in sporting events. August Horch left | | | | as in "UrS4" and "UrS6"), few of these |
| the Audi company in 1920. The first six | | | | vehicles were produced (all hand-built by a |
| cylinder model ,4655 cc (4.7 L) appeared in | | | | single team) but the model was a great |
| 1924. In 1928, the company was acquired by | | | | success in rallying. Prominent wins proved |
| Jørgen Rasmussen, owner of DKW, who bought | | | | the viability of all-wheel drive racecars, |
| the same year the remains of the US | | | | and the Audi name became associated with |
| automobile manufacturer, Rickenbacker | | | | advances in automotive technology. |
| including the manufacturing equipment for | | | | |
| eight cylinder engines. These engines were | | | | In 1985, with the Auto Union and NSU brands |
| used in Audi Zwickau and Audi Dresden models | | | | effectively dead, the company's official name |
| that were launched in 1929. At the same time, | | | | was now shortened to simply "Audi AG". |
| six cylinder and a small four cylinder | | | | |
| (licensed from Peugeot) models were | | | | In 1986, as the Passat-based Audi 80 was |
| manufactured. Audi cars of that era were | | | | beginning to develop a kind of "grandfather's |
| luxurious cars equipped with special | | | | car" image, the type 89 was introduced. This |
| bodywork. | | | | completely new development sold extremely |
| | | | well. However, its modern and dynamic |
| The Auto Union era | | | | exterior belied the low performance of its |
| | | | base engine, and its base package was quite |
| In 1932 Audi merged with Horch, DKW and | | | | spartan (even the passenger-side mirror was |
| Wanderer to form Auto Union. Before World War | | | | an option.) In 1987, Audi put forward a new |
| II, Auto Union used the four interlinked | | | | and very elegant Audi 90, which had a much |
| rings that make up the Audi badge today, | | | | superior set of standard features. In the |
| representing these four brands. This badge | | | | early nineties, sales began to slump for the |
| was used, however, only on Auto Union racing | | | | Audi 80 series, and some basic construction |
| cars in that period while the member | | | | problems started to surface. |
| companies used their own names and emblems. | | | | |
| The technological development became more and | | | | This decline in sales was not helped in the |
| more concentrated and some Audi models were | | | | USA by a 60 Minutes report which purported to |
| propelled by Horch or Wanderer built engines. | | | | show that Audi automobiles suffered from |
| During World War II the Horch/Auto Union | | | | "unintended acceleration". The 60 Minutes |
| produced the Sd-Kfz 222 armored car, which | | | | report was based on customer reports of |
| was used in the German army during the war. | | | | acceleration when the brake pedal was pushed. |
| It was powered by an 81 hp Horch/Auto Union | | | | Independent investigators concluded that this |
| V8 Engine which had a top speed of 50 miles | | | | was most likely due to a close placement of |
| per hour. | | | | the accelerator and brake pedals (unlike |
| | | | American cars), and the inability, when not |
| Another vehicle which was used in World War | | | | paying attention, to distinguish between the |
| II to shuttle German military officials | | | | two. (In race cars, when manually |
| safely was known as the Kraftfahrzeug (KFZ | | | | downshifting under heavy braking, the |
| 11) or the Horch Type 80. The military used | | | | accelerator has to be used in order to match |
| it as a light transport vehicle. | | | | revs properly, so both pedals have to be |
| | | | close to each other to be operated by the |
| The four-ring logo | | | | right foot at once, toes on the brake, heel |
| | | | on the accelerator.). This did not become an |
| The Audi emblem is four overlapping rings | | | | issue in Europe, possibly due to more |
| that represent the Auto Union. The Audi | | | | widespread experience among European drivers |
| emblem symbolizes Audi amalgamation of Audi | | | | with manual transmissions. |
| with DKW, Horch and Wanderer: the first ring | | | | |
| represents Audi, the second represents DKW, | | | | 60 Minutes ignored this fact and rigged a car |
| third is Horch, and the fourth and last ring | | | | to perform in an uncontrolled manner. The |
| Wanderer. | | | | report immediately crushed Audi sales, and |
| | | | Audi renamed the affected model (The 5000 |
| Pause and a new start | | | | became the 100/200 in 1989, as it was |
| | | | elsewhere). Audi had contemplated withdrawing |
| Auto Union plants were heavily bombed and | | | | from the American market until sales began to |
| partly destroyed during World War II. After | | | | recover in the mid-1990s. The turning point |
| the war, Zwickau soon became part of the | | | | for Audi was the sale of the new A4 in 1996, |
| German Democratic Republic and Auto Union | | | | and with the release of the A4/6/8 series, |
| headquarters were relocated too, Daimler-Benz | | | | which was developed together with VW and |
| acquired 88 per cent of Auto Union and the | | | | other sister brands (so called "platforms"). |
| next year, 1964, Benz sold the company to | | | | |
| Volkswagen. In September 1965 the model was | | | | Currently, Audi's sales are growing strongly |
| launched, also "relaunching" the Audi brand. | | | | in Europe. 2004 marked the 11th straight |
| The model was classified internally as the | | | | increase in sales, selling 779,441 vehicles |
| F103 and sold as simply the "Audi" (the name | | | | worldwide. Record figures were recorded from |
| being a model designation rather than the | | | | 21 out of about 50 major sales markets. The |
| manufacturer, which was still officially Auto | | | | largest sales increases came from Eastern |
| Union), but later came to be known as the | | | | Europe (+19.3%), Africa (+17.2%) and the |
| Audi 72. Developments of the model were named | | | | Middle East (+58.5%)[citation needed]. In |
| for their horsepower ratings and sold as the | | | | March of 2005, Audi is building its first two |
| Audi 60, 75, 80, and Super 90. These models | | | | dealerships in India following its high |
| sold until 1972. | | | | increase in sales in the region. |
| | | | |
| In 1969, Auto Union merged with NSU, based in | | | | Audi has recently started offering a |
| Neckarsulm near Stuttgart. In the 1950s NSU | | | | computerised control system for its cars |
| had been the world's largest manufacturer of | | | | called Multi Media Interface (MMI). This |
| motorcycles but had moved on to produce small | | | | comes amid criticism of BMW's iDrive control, |
| cars like the NSU Prinz (the TT and TTS | | | | essentially a rotating control knob designed |
| versions are still popular as vintage race | | | | to control radio, satellite navigation, TV, |
| cars). NSU then focused on new rotary engines | | | | heating and car controls with a screen. |
| according to the ideas of Felix Wankel. In | | | | |
| 1967, the new NSU Ro 80 was a space-age car | | | | MMI has been generally well-received, as it |
| well ahead of its time in technical details | | | | requires less menu-surfing with its mass of |
| such as aerodynamics, light weight, and | | | | buttons around a central knob, with shortcuts |
| safety, but teething problems with the rotary | | | | to the radio or phone functions. The screen, |
| engines put an end to the independence of | | | | either colour or monochrome, is mounted on |
| NSU. Today the Neckarsulm plant is used to | | | | the upright dashboard, and on the A6 and A8, |
| produce the larger Audi models. | | | | the controls are mounted horizontally. |
| | | | However, an "MMI Like" system is also |
| The mid-sized car that NSU had been working | | | | available on the Audi A3 and A4 models when |
| on, the K70, was intended to slot between the | | | | equipped with the optional Navigation System. |