The company has even struck off the register of commerce in 1948

The champagne will flow in Ingolstadt, Bavaria: July 16, in the presence of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Audi comes officially join the circle of trademarks motor centenarian, which include Peugeot, Daimler, Renault, Opel, Cadillac, Buick, Ford, Rolls-Royce, and Skoda. The mark four rings, which crossed narrowly last year cap of 1 million cars sold in the world ( 4.1 growth in 2007), certainly hoped to celebrate the event in a less dismal period, but she continues to conduct a resolutely offensive commercial policy, expanding its product portfolio. And the limited decline in its sales in the first half demonstrates a certain resistance capacity, on a good high-end segment evil point. In the first quarter, the operating income of the constructor of the A4 has totaled 363 million euros and partly cover Volkswagen, Seat, and Bentley brands operating losses.

It was in July 1909 the engineer August Horch, one of the pioneers of the Germany sector, creates Audi Automobilwerke in Zwickau, in Saxony, after having been ousted from the company that bears his name and a minority by its Board of Directors. Good fifties builders then identified in the Germany of Guillaume II, only three have survived today: Opel, Mercedes and Audi. In the 1920s, production of the latter did not exceed 200 per year luxury cars and there were only 169 employees in the aftermath of the great depression!

In 1928, Audi, in financial difficulty, passes under the DKW Cup, retaining its name. Four years later, under the aegis of the nazi Government, which wants to restructure the sector, four entities, Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, came together under the name of Auto Union AG and under the four rings logo, which still adorns grilles House.

The release, in the Soviet zone of occupation, all automobile plants, Auto Union, were looted of their machine tools and other assets, to their doors and Windows. The company has even struck off the register of commerce in 1948. It took thus organize hastily moved, employees including Ingolstadt in Bavaria, there where DKW produced cars.

Booming outside Europe

"In the automotive industry, Auto Union was the only company to rise from its ashes" to flatter the historians of the mark.

The company immediately resumed production, not without the help of the Marshall plan. In 1958, Ford looked at the record, but it is finally Daimler-Benz purchased 88 of the company. It was the fifth German manufacturer and was also number of motorcycle DKW. The Stuttgart shareholder relations quickly strained and late 1964, change of scenery, Volkswagen is finally 50.3 of the shares in Auto Union, before quickly climbing to 100 of the capital. Wolfsburg group was able to make a useful complement to its range, although not immediately at the level of quality of Mercedes or BMW, but significant progress, with stars like the Audi 80 models and 100.

It is mainly at the instigation of Ferdinand Piëch, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, entered at Audi in 1972 and President until 1993, the firm has taken its expansion with a true "first" as the coupé Quattro full transmission. Today, the brand took a booming outside Europe, notably in the United States and China, and has to blush, side products, comparison with the eternal rivals Mercedes and BMW.