August Horsch, who founded a car company under his own name in 1899, was forced to leave that company in 1909. He founded a new business named Audi, which is the Latin translation of 'Horch.' Early Audis had competition success. The production cars of the late-1920s were luxurious and high-priced. In 1932, four German car companies - Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer - merged to form the Auto Union; the four linked rings in the current Audi logo represent the four companies. Along with racers from Mercedes-Benz, mid-engine Auto Union race cars originally designed by Ferdinand Porsche dominated motor racing in the 1930s.

With the end of World War II, the Auto Union lost all production plants in the Soviet-occupied eastern part of Germany. Many of the leading staff fled to the U.S. and British Zone in Western Germany and founded a new company in the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. In 1949, this company - baptized Auto Union GmbH - produced its first motorcycles and delivery vans. In 1958, the company's shares were acquired by Mercedes-Benz. Between 1964 and 1966, Volkswagen acquired the company and revived the Audi name for a newly designed car with a four-stroke engine.

The car that launched Audi's modern reputation as a technology leader and maker of advanced competitive cars was the four-wheel-drive Audi quattro in 1980. The racing version of the 200 quattro dominated the TransAm series in 1988, and sent competitors back to the drawing board. Audi's popular A4, A6, and A8 series cars first appeared in 1994, although their roots date back much longer - some of the predecessors were known as the Audi 80 and Audi 100.

The high-performance, all-wheel-drive S-series versions have been successful in amateur competition, and Audi's Le Mans prototype race cars have played a dominant role at the top level of motor racing, led by the 550-horsepower R8, which has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row. In 2006, Audi introduced the diesel-powered R10 TDI, which won in its first two outings at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2006 and 2007, as well as at three consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2009, Audi introduced its latest Le Mans prototype, the R15 TDI, which won its first outing at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the same year.

Operations Personel

Rupert Stadler Chairman of the Board (2000-2012)

Wolfgang Egger Head of Design (2000-2012)

Historical Figures

August Horch Founder (1933-1967)

Primary Headquarters