Audi is a German automotive company that manufactures and markets luxury cars with stylish designs.

August Horch is the founder of Audi.

History and early years companies. The rise and fall of Audi.

history of the company Audi originates from the beginning of the 20th century. In 1899, the German engineer August Horch, together with his team of 15 people, founded the company "A.Horch and Cie". The first car under this brand was produced in 1901. Unfortunately, due to disagreements with the shareholders, August Horch had to leave his own company.

The dream of producing cars with her own name did not leave Augusta Horha. Due to leaving his own company, the engineer was forbidden to use his last name in subsequent company names, but the resourceful engineer found a way out and launched another company with the name Audi. August chose this name not by chance: knowing that his surname Horch in German means "Listen", he simply translated it into Latin and got the word Audi, which he used in the name of his company - Audi Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau.

Audi's first car, the Audi Type A.

Although Horch opened the company in 1909, the brand itself Audi was registered a year later - in 1910. In 1920, Audi produced the first car - , under the hood of which there were 22 horsepower. Before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Audi made the best cars in the world. During the war, the company's production was directed to the production of military equipment. After the First World War the company suffered serious losses and in 1920 August Horch decided to leave the company. Management Audi did not despair and tried with all his might to lead the company through the difficult times of 1927-1931, but later they decided to team up with other car companies to help each other. Companies such as Audi, Horch(former company of August Horch), Dampf Kraft Wagen (DKW) And Wanderer united to form a union - Auto Union AG. Four rings in the logo Audi, which symbolize the four participating companies, remain in the corporate logo Audi. Reflecting the economic pressures of the time, in the 1930s Auto Union focused increasingly on small cars, so that by 1938 DKW branded cars accounted for 17.9% of the German car market, while Audi had only 0.1 %. In 1939, the Audi brand completely disappeared from the automotive market for 20 years.

Audi Union AG logo. Doesn't it remind you of anything?

Post-war period. The resurrection of Audi.

In 1948 and Auto Union AG was abolished. The old Audi factories were relaunched to produce pre-war models. In 1949, a new automobile association was launched in Ingolstadt. DKW continued to produce front-wheel drive cars with two-stroke engines. In 1958, Daimler-Benz acquired 100% of the shares of the new automobile union. Small DKW cars with two-stroke engines were not a priority for Daimler-Benz, whose large investments were made in new Mercedes models, aging also affected model range during the economic boom of the early 1960s. Daimler-Benz decided to sell the purchased automobile union due to lack of profitability. In 1964, acquired 50% of the new automobile union, which included new plant in Ingolstad, the rights to the DKW and Audi brands, as well as the rights to the design of a new engine designed by Daimler-Benz. In 1965, Volkswagen decided to revive the Audi brand. In the postwar years Audi leader in the automotive industry. This year Audi first began to use four-stroke engines instead of two-stroke. This innovation is considered a great pioneering moment in the history of the automotive industry. The first models of the revived Audi brand are Audi 60, 75, 80, Super 90. The names are given to cars in accordance with their engine power. Models were sold until 1972. In 1968, the Audi 100 came out.

1969 Audi 80 and Audi 100 are the predecessors of the Audi A4 and A6.

In 1991, Audi had in its arsenal such cars as the 4-cylinder Audi 80, the 5-cylinder Audi 90 and Audi 100, the turbocharged Audo 200 and Audi V8, the Audi 80/90 coupe with 4 and 5 cylinder engines.

1991 Audi 80 Coupe and Audi 200.

The next major model change came in 1995, when the Audi 80 replaced the Audi A6, the Audi 100 replaced. In 1996, the Audi A3 hatchback model appeared. In 1998, the Audi TT Coupe models were released in coupe and roadster bodies.

The sketches of the new Audi logos were leaked from the patent office, where an application was filed for the registration of two new trademarks of the company. The logos no longer have rings, but only the contours of the current emblem: four connected incomplete circles and two interconnected contours consisting of two incomplete circles.

Both applications state that the emblems are for " Vehicle and their parts; radiator grilles. That is, the places for the traditional placement of nameplates are listed. What is not clear is the meaning of changing the logo and the reasons why it should evolve in such a drastic way.

The new badges could be for Audi's hybrid vehicles, as well as for all-electric and even autonomous vehicles, the special designation of which just makes sense.

The company does not comment on the registration of two emblems. It should be noted that the emblems of automakers are updated periodically. The font of the inscriptions changes, the contours and even the colors are adjusted. So, for example, the current Audi logo appeared only in 1985, and in 2009 the font of the inscription “Audi” was changed and finalized appearance rings.

• will be sold in Russia. Probably, its grille will be decorated with a new logo.
• Audi vehicles with engine internal combustion may also get a different logo. For example, about which we already know something.

How often do you think about what this or that icon on the car means? Who invented it? What is its history? You can bet the answer is "No." However, the history of the creation of the logo and its designation are as interesting as the car itself.

For example, what do the four rings on the hood of an Audi mean?

The history of the creation of the Audi logo - what does it mean

The history of the formation of the Audi brand can be called difficult. The company was named after its founder, August Horch. You may be surprised and ask a completely logical question: “What does Audi have to do with it?”. In fact, everything is simple. "Horch" (in German Horch) means "listen". When translated into Latin, the familiar word "audi" will turn out. Why did August Horch name the company Audi if his last name means the same?

The fact is that Horch called the first automobile company - A. Horche & Cie. It was back in 1899, and ten years later the founders survived from the company. August did not despair and founded another, giving it the name Horche. This did not please the former partners, who sued. The court sided with them, and Horch had to come up with a new name for the brand.

He briefly puzzled over this issue - the son of his business partner suggested the name "Audi". The boy was learning lessons when his father and August Horch had a conversation, during which they tried to find the name of a new brand. The child tried several times to interrupt the conversation, but each time returned to the Latin lesson. Then the boy made up his mind and said that you need to look at the question from the other side, because “listen” in Latin will be “audi”. The partners liked the idea. This is how the company got its name.

A little later, a logo was invented - four rings. At first, the sign bore little resemblance to the emblem familiar to us. The rings meant the merger of four companies:

1. "Audi Werke".
2. "August Horch Automobil Werke".
3. Wanderer.

Initially, the sign was used mainly on sports models. Ordinary cars were produced under their own brand and logo. The resulting logo was overloaded with elements. They decided to get rid of them, leaving only four rings.

Reference! Interestingly, the old logo was a chain link rather than being made from one piece like on modern cars.

New Audi logo

The company logo has changed several times. The new sign has become more stylish and modern.

Reference! Many car emblems are modified over time. At Audi, the progress of changing the logo is more noticeable.

The emblem has become smaller and thinner. The usual spelling of the letters A and D is gone. In addition, a corporate font has been used for the emblem, and the name has been aligned to the left edge of the logo, which is unusual for motorists.

The rings have become more elegant, and their edges are faceted. At the same time, the emblem looks more voluminous than the previous version, although they are the same in size.

In 2017, Audi patented two new emblems. The first is two pairs of semirings linked to each other. The second is the familiar rings that do not have weaves.

The reasons for the creation of two new logos are not yet known for certain. Some experts suggest that one option will be used for cars with an electric motor. Experts say that the demand for cars of the e-tron line should grow. The second emblem will look organically on Audi luxury models. These cars are distinguished by luxury, convenience, improved specifications. Therefore, a stylish emblem will be a great addition and a hallmark of the family.