Luxury, style, and performance! These three words are enough to describe this German Car giant. With its impeccable racing pedigree, strong design identity, and use of cutting-edge technology, Audi has become an owner’s pride. Been in the market for over a century, Audi is among the best-selling luxury automobile brands in the world.
The journey of these luxurious four interwoven rings dates back to the turn of the 20th century. Although, the roots of Audi stems from an automobile manufacturer known as Wanderer that later became a branch of Audi. During the time of the Wanderer, another company, NSU, was also founded that eventually merged with Audi as well.
August Horch, the German engineer started a company ‘A. HORCH and Cie’ in 1899 but due to troubles with the chief financial officer, August Horch left the company. Horch always dreamed of manufacturing cars in his name, but after that, he was prohibited from using ‘Horch’ as a trading name new car business. So when he launched another company, he used ‘Audi’ which means ‘to listen’ in Latin, and similarly ‘Horch’ means hear in German.
Come and explore more about Audi’s history timeline
1910: August Horch, the founder of Audi, entered the automobile industry with his car company- Audi Automobilwerke GmbH Zwickau, and launched the Audi Type A.
1915 – 1940: After the huge success of its first car, the brand introduced other models such as 5720cc, 4680cc, and 3564 cc models. In 1921, Audi became the first car manufacturer to present a production car with a left-hand drive. In 1932, Audi merged with Wanderer, Horch, and DKW to form the Auto Union AG, which led to the creation of Audi’s four rings logo. By the end of the 1930s, the car brand started participating in Grand Prix races and marked the beginning of the success.
1940 – 1980: Audi moved to manufacture military vehicles in 1941 and till the mid-40s, it became a well-known supplier of vehicles for war. Due to this popularity, Audi became a target for allied bombing and in 1945, the US Army raid caused great damage to Audi’s plant. However, the company didn’t give up and began manufacturing front-wheel-drive cars with two-stroke engines.
In 1966, Volkswagen AG purchased the Auto Union but didn’t give the Audi logo as well as the name. After that company redesigned its models and introduced the Audi 80 in 1972. By the end of the 70s, Audi 50 and 100 Avant also made their position in the market.
1980 – Today: By the 1980s, Audi was awarded the Golden Steering Wheel Award and the Grand Austrian Automobile Prize. By the 1990s, the company launched some of the best models such as the Audi 8, Audi 11, Audi Cabriolet, and Audi S4. In the 2000s, the sales grew strongly with China, in particular, has become the key market. Today, Audi has two assembly plants namely Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. Additionally, it has six subsidiaries and a yearly output of about 1,741,100 vehicles.
One of the best attractions of the brand is Audi’s symbol. This modern and sophisticated Audi emblem has a story behind its creation. So, let’s talk about it:
Audi Logo Meaning & History Timeline
The four rings of Audi’s symbol represent the merger of four automakers that made up Auto Union in 1932: Audi, DKW, Wanderer, and Horch. The first ring on the left side represents Audi, the next DKW, the third is Horch, and then the fourth ring is Wanderer. Each company was allocated a different segment. Audi was to manufacture deluxe mid-size cars, TSK to make small cars & motorcycles, Wanderer focused on standard mid-size cars and Horch continued with its high-end luxury cars.
Even before World War II, the Auto Union used the same Audi symbol that we see in Audi cars. The Audi emblem has been slightly modified in 2009, on Audi’s 100th birthday. Some minimal changes were made in size, print, and color to sign “Vorsprung Durch Technik” i.e “Progress through Technologies”. The new chrome color of the Audi logo is bright and slick, which gives it a very sophisticated and modern touch.
The evolution of the various car models and milestones Audi created in the field of car manufacturing is really fascinating and achievement for Audi Car Company. Through thick and, thin Audi emerged as one of the best-selling luxury automobile brands in the world. Anyone will be amazed by looking at the variations in its model and consistency in offering the top-notched technology.
Let’s go through the Audi’s latest models list
• Audi A3 (Price: $31,950 onwards)
• Audi A3 e-tron (Price: $35,500 onwards)
• Audi A4 (Price: $36,000 onwards)
• Audi A4 Allroad (Price: $44,500 onwards)
• Audi A5 (Price: $42,600 onwards)
• Audi A6 (Price: $49,700 onwards)
• Audi A7 (Price: $69,700 onwards)
• Audi A8 (Price: $83,800 onwards)
• Audi R8 (Price: $138,700 onwards)
• Audi RS 3 (Price: $54,900 onwards)
• Audi RS 5 (Price: $69,900 onwards)
• Audi RS 6 Avant (Price: $45,877 onwards)
• Audi RS 7 (Price: $113,900 onwards)
• Audi S3 (Price: $43,650 onwards)
• Audi S4 (Price: $51,400 onwards)
• Audi S5 (Price: $54,400 onwards)
• Audi S6 (Price: $71,900 onwards)
• Audi S7 (Price: $81,200 onwards)
• Audi S8 (Price: $115,900 onwards)
• Audi TT (Price: $43,950 onwards)
• Audi Q3 (Price: 32,900 onwards)
• Audi Q5 (Price: $41,500 onwards)
• Audi Q7 (Price: $49,900 onwards)
• Audi SQ5 (Price: $54,300 onwards)
Moreover, Audi is set to launch new models in markets real soon. The list of Audi upcoming models is given below:
• Audi Q2
Expected Launch: October 2018
• Audi Q8
• Expected Launch: December 2018
• Audi Q3 2019
Expected Launch: March 2019
• Audi TT Coupe 2019
Expected Launch: May 2019
• Audi A6 2019
Expected Launch: May 2019
• Audi A1 Sportback
Expected Launch: December 2019