So, I was driving the other day, saw a sharp-looking Audi zip past, and it got me thinking, where are these cars actually from? I always kinda assumed Germany, but you know how things are these days, stuff gets made everywhere. Decided to actually check it out when I got home.
Fired up the computer and started digging around. It wasn’t too hard to find the basic story.
My Little Research Journey
Okay, so the first thing I learned was, yeah, Audi is definitely German. It goes way back, like over a hundred years. There was this fella, August Horch, who was apparently a big deal in early cars. He started a car company with his own name back in 1909.
But here’s a little twist I found interesting. Seems he had some kind of falling out with the people at his first company. So, what did he do? He left and started a new company right away! Pretty bold move.
He couldn’t use his own name again for the new company, legal stuff I guess. So, he got clever. “Horch” apparently means “listen” in German. Someone suggested using the Latin word for “listen,” which is “Audi.” Boom, that’s how Audi Automobilwerke came about in 1910.
Later on, things got more complicated. Audi eventually merged with three other German car makers – the original Horch company (ironic, right?), DKW, and Wanderer. They formed something called Auto Union AG back in 1932. That’s where the four rings logo comes from, representing the four companies joining up. I always wondered about those rings!
Where They Build Them Now
So, the roots are firmly planted in Germany. Zwickau was where the first Audi car was built. But just knowing the origin wasn’t quite enough for me. I wanted to know about today.
Turns out, like most huge car companies, while Audi is German to the core, they don’t just build cars in Germany anymore. Makes sense, it’s a global world. I found a list of places where they have factories putting Audis together.
- Germany (of course)
- Hungary
- Belgium
- Mexico
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Even places like Russia, Brazil, and India came up, though maybe smaller operations, I’m not sure.
So yeah, started in Germany by August Horch (after a bit of drama), got its name from Latin, formed the four rings through a merger, and now builds cars across the globe. Pretty interesting little history lesson for myself just from wondering about a car that drove by. Always German in spirit, but made worldwide now.