The eventful history of Audi began in the 19th century, with the first chapter written by August Horch, one of the German pioneers of automotive engineering. After graduating from the Technical Academy in Mittweida, Saxony, he initially worked in engine construction and later as operations manager in motor vehicle production at the Carl Benz company in Mannheim. On 14 November , with the establishment of the company A. The first employees of A. In , Horch relocated his company to Reichenbach in Saxony.
And in , he registered it as a joint-stock company and moved to Zwickau. However, just five years later, he left the company due to differences of opinion and founded a new car company. Because he was not allowed to use his own name again, it was translated into Latin. The allies were thus able to face financial challenges together. The company logo β four interlocking rings β is world-famous to this day and symbolises the unity of the four founding companies.
Each of the four brands is associated with a specific vehicle segment. In February , the Audi brand made its first appearance at the Berlin Motor Show as part of Auto Union AG, causing a stir in the mid-range segment with its front-wheel drive.
The new Audi Front vehicles also featured other technical highlights, such as a six-cylinder engine with an alloy crankcase, a central box-section chassis frame and a sophisticated suspension with encapsulated transverse leaf springs and lever arm shock absorbers.
However, buyers at the time were not yet prepared to pay for such avant-garde technology, so that registration figures for these vehicles remained low in the years that followed. In response, Audi changed its concept and in launched the Audi , a modern and powerful vehicle made up of various components from the Group.
