Audi

AUDI AG is the German automaker of the Audi brand. The company from Ingolstadt has been since 1965 a part (99.95%) of Volkswagen AG, the remaining 0.05% are listed on the Deutsche Börse . The name comes from the surname of the founder August Horch, which Audi is the Latin translation.

Content

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Part of Volkswagen
 * 1.2 Reintroduction in the seventies
 * 1.3 Participation in races in the nineties
 * 2 Production
 * 3 Models
 * 4 See also
 * 5 External links

History
The brand has its origins in the 1899 car company founded Horch Automotive Werke . This company was founded by ex- Benz -werknemer August Horch along with three dozen partners. After eleven years came to an end this collaboration. Horch wanted to gain fame for his brand by participating in motorsports. Partners not disagreed because it would be too costly and sacked the technical director and founder Horch in 1909. August Horch then wanted an investment of a wealthy friend start a new car plant but there could not use his own name because his former partners, the name Horch had been registered as a trademark. The ten-year son of the wealthy friend overheard the conversation about this between his father and August Horch and said to this: "Horch in Latin Audi, [2] Why do you call the new Audi factory not? " The brand was born.

In thirties merged Audi, DKW , Horch and Wanderer to one holding: Auto-Union . The brand continued to coexist. The famous logo with the four rings hooked together, inspired by the Olympics that would come in 1936 to Germany, symbolizes the cooperation of these four brands which today Audi has emerged.

During the Second World War were no cars on Auto Union armored vehicles and other military vehicles produced. After the war, the factory owned by Mercedes-Benz and resumed civilian production (after a break of 25 years), with successful models like the 65, 50, 80 and 100.

[Part of Volkswagen edit ]
In 1965 Volkswagen Auto Union wanted to take over from Mercedes-Benz. A large part of the shareholders of Mercedes-Benz was there at that time against because they were afraid to get on a competitor. Indeed, there was much (technical) knowledge of the war at home. With a small majority, however, voted the board of Mercedes-Benz still selling Volkswagen and took one also a model yet to come out, what later became the first post-war Audi: The Audi 60 . It was very modern engine in fact, a Mercedes-Benz technological design, that, when the model was purchased. Mercedes was worried that the car would be unsuccessful and therefore sold it, but the car was a great success and so were the opponents of the acquisition right. They had a competitor. In1969 was also NSU including its slogan "Vorsprung durch Technik" to the Auto Union, after which the company Audi NSU Auto Union AG was renamed. In 1985 the company name changed to Audi

[Reintroduction in the seventies edit ]
In the early seventies was a whole series of new models that also meant the salvation of parent company Volkswagen. Volkswagen had hitherto primarily driven by the Beetle and derived models. The Audi 50, in fact intended as a successor to the smaller NSU models, was almost unchanged as Volkswagen Polo on the market and the Audi 80 with a fastback rear as Volkswagen Passat . Gulf remained exclusively for Volkswagen, the new large 100 remained exclusive to Audi.

In the eighties were both brands for models politics increasingly their own way. Audi was the luxury brand within the Volkswagen Group. The Audi quattro gave the brand a lot of fame through early eighties succession about every rally to win where it participated. Audi quattro is to this day unmatched drive and a true expression of "Vorsprung durch Technik". Diesel Technology at Audi then made ​​a breakthrough with the TDI which is synonymous with high power and low fuel consumption, therefore diesel engines are quieter.

Participation [races in the nineties edit ]
The Audi R8 at the Tokyo Motor Show

In the nineties Audi introduced innovations like the aluminum body Audi Space Frame (ASF) on mass produced cars and took it in 1998, Lamborghini about. Late 90s began Audi successfully in the long distance race, with wins at Sebring, Daytona and Le Mans . In 2000 , 2001 , 2002 , 2004 and 2005 Audi gained the victory in the overall ranking of Le Mans with the Audi R8 . In 2007, an already legendary street version of the race car was derived and marketed ( Audi R8 ). Audi's first supercar for the road ahead won numerous comparison tests of its established competitors. In 2006 and 2007 Audi won the diesel-fired 12- cylinder Audi R10 and so is the Audi technique since 2000 nearly undefeated at Le Mans. The Bentley that was won in 2003 equipped with an Audi engine, but in 2009 Peugeot won the prestigious title.

Audi also participates in the DTM . They drive with two models. First an Audi TT-R DTM derived from the TT, and the second an Audi A4 DTM , which logically derived from the A4. For Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline come former DTM champion Mattias Ekström from Sweden, the Danish Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen and the GermansMartin Tomczyk and Timo Scheider in action.

On July 16, 2009 was celebrated Audi 100 years. On that occasion, the logo was refreshed. [3]

Manufacturing [ edit ]

 * Ingolstadt ( Germany ) (department head) - Audi A3 , Audi A4 , Audi A5 and Audi Q5
 * Neckarsulm ( Germany ) - Audi A4 , Audi A6 , Audi A7 and Audi A8 . Also sitting here Quattro GmbH established that the Audi R8 produces and RS models.
 * Brussels ( Belgium ) - Audi A1 and Audi A1 Sportback and Audi A1 Quattro
 * Győr ( Hungary ) - Audi A3 Cabriolet and Audi TT . Also, the engines manufactured here.
 * Bratislava ( Slovakia ) - Audi Q7 - production by Volkswagen
 * Martorell ( Spain ) - Audi Q3 production by Seat from 2011

Models [ edit ]
The concept of four-wheel drive by Audi under the name quattro used in sporting embodiments of the models.