Audi is a name that has been around for more than 100 years in the motor industry and comes from the Latin for ‘hear.’ The name came about from the founder August Horch who after several failed attempts at trying to start a car manufacturing business he finally succeeded with the luxury brand Audi.
Audi began production in 1910 and the first cars to be produced were huge inline-four engine models starting with a 2612cc. Over the next 14 years, the team at Audi produced larger cc engine cars including a 5720cc and culminating in their first ever six-cylinder model with a 4655cc mount. August Horch had left the company, to take up a post with the Ministry of Transport in Germany, before this milestone had been reached. Audi went on to become the first ever German production car maker in 1921. Their car, the Audi Type K, was to become very popular in Germany during the 1920s as it was a left-hand drive car that enabled a better seeing position for overtaking maneuvers.
A History of Audi
Towards the end of the 1920s, Audi stepped up a gear and launched itself into the luxury car market. The majority shareholder, Jørgen Rasmussen, acquired the equipment for Audi to start building eight-cylinder engines at the Audi plant. Further improvements would come when Audi merged with Wanderer, DKW and Horch to form Auto Union, now known as Audi, where they launched the first front-wheel-drive six cylinder cars in Europe. To represent the four coming together a new logo was designed and it is the same four-ring interlinked chain famously seen on Audi cars today.
After WWII, the plants were stripped down to nothing as they were used for military engineering against the allied forces. Production would not commence again until 1949 and it was back to the small two-stroke vehicles and even a 125cc motorbike. Daimler-Benz made the largest investment in the company in 1958 when they took an 87% holding and the following year took an impressive 100%. The making of two-stroke engine cars did not suit the growing boom of the 1960s and by 1964 Volkswagen had become a 50% share holder increasing this to 100% just two years later.
Volkswagen decided to use the Audi name on these vehicles from this point onwards and upgraded many of the older models to four-stroke and given a gentle facelift. Audi was launched in the US in 1970 and slowly spread across the world with a great reputation for reliability and good all-round car.
The Quattro was shown to the world in 1980 and fast became the car of choice for discerning man of style. The Quattro brand helped to establish Audi again back in the luxury sports car market and keep them where they are today. The cars being produced from Audi in the present are examples of pure fun wrapped in style and luxury. From the humble A1 Supermini to cars like the formidable TT that has graced our eyes to the supercars like the Audi R8 roadcar or Audi RS6, an estate car that firmly believes it can keep up with F1 racing cars. For further details please visit us at Exotic Car Rental Miami
