(Many thanks to Dr. Oliver Schnaedelbach for translation.)
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August Horch joined the Benz company in 1896 as a motor engineer, but left three years later to start his own company in cologne.  After
moving to Zwickau in 1904, Horch was being booted out of his own company
and banned from using his own name. Therefore, he founded Audi (latin for
„listen!“, equivalent to the german Horch) in 1909. In the 1920ies both
Horch and Audi got into financial trouble and the saxonian car industry
was concentrated into the „Auto-Union“, joining Audi, Horch, Wanderer and
DKW between 1928 and 1932. The technically advanced designs, such as Horch’s
800 series, the Audi-Front or DKW F, won highest acclaim.  However,
motor racing was what made Auto-Union internationally renowned. Drivers
such as Hans Stuck, Bernd Rosemeyer or Deluis, won races and speed records
in the mostly by Porsche designed cars. During the war, the factories suffered
heavy damage by bombs and, being in the east of germany, were mostly dissembled
and shipped to the soviet union after the war. Thus, production started
only from 1947 under communist rule with designs left over from prewar
times. 
From the 1950ies, east german mass motorisation was achieved with the production of the „Trabant“ in the former luxury car’s factories. |
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