Categories: Audi

A brief look into Audi’s history

Audi’s history

We know Audi today as a luxury brand we can take on the track. This blog will be diving into Audi’s history to give light to the founding of its brand, its logo and history on the track.

The founding of the brand

It all began with August Horch back in 1899 when he started his own business, A. Horch & Cie in Cologne, Germany. He had a background in engine construction and was the head of the motor vehicle production of the Car Benz company. By 1902, his company had transformed into a joint-stock corporation. After a few years, he began to have differences of opinion with the Board of Management and Supervisory Board. He left the company in 1909 where he started a second car company almost immediately. He chose the Latin translation of his surname, which was Audi.

The four rings

The rings in the logo we have come to recognize are the result of the merger of four automobile manufacturers in 1929 due to a global recession. These businesses included Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer which then took on the name Auto Union AG.

Racing history

The Audi Sport department was founded in 1978. The first motor racing activities began under the tagline of Audi Motorsport. In 1980 with its entry into the World Rally Championship, Audi changed the name to Audi Sport. Since then Audi has had 13 Le Mans victories and DTM titles.