The predecessor of Audi

August horch, one of the automobile unions, is one of the pioneers of German automobile industry and the founder of Audi. Hoshi graduated from a technical college in Mitveda, Saxony. He first worked in the karl benz engine manufacturing department in Mannheim, and later became the general manager of the automobile manufacturing department. 1899, Halsey decided to set up his own company, and established Holsey Company in Cologne (Horsch &; Cie). In Germany, Hoshi was the first person to apply the cast aluminum technology to the manufacture of automobile engines and gearbox housings, as well as the manufacture of cardan shafts and high-strength steel gears for power transmission parts. 1902, Holsey moved the company to Reichenbach, Saxony. 1903, the company began to produce two-cylinder engine cars. Then move to Zwickau at 1904. After moving to Zwickau, the company began to produce four-cylinder engine cars. This kind of car has good performance. 1906 won the world's most difficult road and longest distance rally championship. Two years later, the annual sales of Horsey Company exceeded 65,438+000 vehicles for the first time. R8 on Audi factory assembly line

Auguse horch is not always smooth sailing. Due to disagreement with the board of directors and the board of supervisors, August Horsey left the Holsey company he founded on 1909, and then set up another automobile company in Zwickau. Since the name "Horsey" has been used by the original company and registered as a trademark, Horsey translated its name into Latin "Audi" (two "audi”(“Audi”horch means" listen "), so the name of the new company is Audi. Audi brand was born. August Horsey moved to Berlin in the 1920s, and was appointed as a member of the supervisory board of 1932 automobile union, and continued to participate in the company's technology development as an expert. 1944, he left Berlin for Salle. Hoshi spent his last years in Munich, Upper Franken, and died in 195 1 at the age of 83. 193 1 In the autumn of, Horsey-Verk presented its latest product at the Paris Motor Show-a sports convertible with bright yellow appearance, brown soft roof, green leather interior and 12 cylinder engine. From 1932 to 1934, only 80 luxury Horc cars were sold. Although the market demand for luxury cars began to decline, Hodge still occupied the dominant position in the luxury car market, and its sales volume was one third more than the sum of competitors: for example, 1932, Hodge sold 773 luxury cars in Germany and exported about 300 cars. The last inspection chart before going offline is R8 V8.

(horch spezial roadster 855 is one of the most dazzling treasures in the Audi Automobile Museum in Ingolstadt, Ingall. 1939 was produced by Hoshi factory of Zwickau's automobile alliance. At that time, only seven cars were produced, and the price was 22,000 German marks. The organization was founded by the famous glser company at that time, and its headquarters was in Dresden. The car cost 22,000 German marks, equivalent to the price of a detached house at that time. In order to reproduce the charm of the horch spezial roadster 855, Audi's historical and cultural department spent two years and more than 5,000 working hours to restore it. Equipped with an in-line 8-cylinder engine, the fuel tank capacity is 4944 cubic centimeters, and the output power is 1.20 horsepower. One of the automobile alliances-Audi 19 10 The first Audi brand car produced by a new company founded by Hoshi went on the market. During the period from 19 12 to 19 14, Audi won the championship again and again in the world's most difficult long-distance car rally-the international Austrian alpine car rally, which won special praise. After World War I, Audi pioneered the left-hand steering wheel technology, and moved the gear lever to the middle of the car, making driving more convenient. Since then, Audi has stood out among many car brands. 1923, the first six-cylinder Audi car came out. There was an air filter in the car, which was a pioneering work at that time. A few years later, air filters became a necessary facility for automobiles. At the same time, Audi took the lead in applying the hydraulic four-wheel braking system designed and manufactured exclusively by Audi among German automobile manufacturers. 1927, heinrich schuh, chief designer of Audi, introduced the first Audi eight-cylinder car named "Accelerator" to the market. Unfortunately, this luxury car was experiencing a rapid decline in the luxury car market when it was launched. (In 2002, "Mrding" was added to the history of Audi family: Audi type p car reappeared. This car was first put into production at 193 1. In the 1920s, Audi was the representative of high-powered luxury cars. In order to get rid of the world economic crisis, the company also began to try to produce small cars, and Audi P car was born. This car combines dkw 4=8 engine (meaning' four-cylinder engine with eight cylinders') and Peugeot Peugeot 30 horsepower four-cylinder engine. However, the economic depression prevented this car from achieving market success. A total of 327 Audi P-cars were produced. Later, this long-forgotten car was found in Ludwigsburg, Germany. DKW, one of the automobile unions, was born in Denmark, studied engineering in Mitveda, and set up its first company in Saxony after graduation. 1904, he set up an equipment engineering company in Chemnis. Three years later, he came to zschopau, erzgebirge region, and started the steam-driven vehicle experiment from 19 16. Although these experiments did not produce some special models, the company decided to name them DKW-German abbreviation for steam-driven vehicles. 19 19, Rasmussen got the design of a two-stroke engine from hugo ruppe, which is a miniature version of a toy engine called "des knaben wunsch" (meaning "a boy's dream"). This micro-engine caters to the needs of high-level consumers. As an auxiliary stroke engine, it was improved to "das kleine wunder" motorcycle engine in 1922. With the efforts of Rasmussen, manager Carl and chief designer Herman Weber, dkw became the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer and the world's leading engine manufacturer in the 1920s. 1927, Rasmussen obtained the design scheme and production equipment of 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder engines from Detroit Automobile Company, and then launched new Audi cars equipped with these two engines respectively. However, the luxury car market declined rapidly, and Rasmussen realized this development trend and began to turn to the manufacture of small cars. The earliest car produced by dkw was rear-wheel drive, which was made in Berlin-Spandau. At the end of 1930, Rasmussen entrusted Zwickau factory to develop a car with the following design features: two cylinders, two-stroke motorcycle engine, volume of 600cc, leather-decorated integral wooden chassis, front and rear swing shaft and front wheel drive. A car designed by Audi designers walter haustein and oskar arlt, which meets the above requirements, was named DKFront, and it caused a sensation when it made its debut at 193 1 Berlin Auto Show. Dkw front was produced by Audi factory, which was the most popular and productive small car in Germany at that time. (auto union 1000 s coupé charm of economic miracle: After the war, dkw achieved great market success by virtue of its remarkable technical advantages such as front-wheel drive and three-cylinder two-stroke engine. The design and modeling of these models are consistent with the streamline concept popular in the 1930s, and thus the prototype of all dkw-Type F 9 models with three-cylinder engines was born. At the 1957 Frankfurt Motor Show, the company announced that it would use "auto union" as the automobile trademark, and launched a three-cylinder engine with the capacity increased to 1000 cubic centimeter. At the same time, "dkw" is still a brand of low-priced cars, while "Car Link" belongs to those cars with higher technical content and higher grade. 1959 autumn, the car Federation 1000 s coupé (pictured) came out. The design of this car is amazing-its panoramic windshield is amazing. From 1959 to 1963, the automobile alliance limited company in Stated, Ingall has been producing this car. ) The use history of the name Rover Company, one of the automobile alliances, can be traced back to 1896, which was founded in Winklhofer &; About bicycles produced by jaenicke factory. 1902 Mars began to produce motorcycles, and 1904 made the first attempt to produce automobiles. 19 13 years, the rover began mass production of a small car called "puppchen", which was well received by the public. However, it was not until 1926 that the Land Rover w 10 with a 30 HP10.5 liter engine made its debut that the second generation of this small car was put on the market. This model integrated all the latest development achievements of the world automobile industry at that time, such as left-hand steering wheel, central shift lever, multi-purpose dry clutch, integral cylinder casting engine and gearbox, four-wheel braking system and so on. And it is very popular in the market and can't meet the demand. In order to meet the demand, the company set up a new car factory in the suburb of Chemnis in Sigma. Auto parts continue to be produced in the original factory and then transported to the new factory by railway. Spare parts are unloaded directly from the suitcase to the assembly line. This just-in-time production method just met the production needs in the late 1920s: Sigma's turnover warehouse can only accommodate 25 cars at most a day. Because the rover has reliable performance and high quality, the cost is also high. In the late 1920s, Rover tried to get rid of the initial business crisis with more modern vehicle design and higher-performance engines, but the automobile output still declined, resulting in a business deficit, which led to the motorcycle department of the whole company being destroyed by nsu and jane? Acquired by ek company. Since then, Dresden Bank, Rover's largest shareholder, has sold the automobile department and turned to produce profitable mechanical tools and office equipment. The Formation of Automobile Alliance In the 1920s, four automobile companies, Audi, Horsey, dkw and Rover, each responded to different market segments and lived in peace. With the use of assembly lines and modern machinery and equipment, the production capacity has risen rapidly, which requires enterprises to continuously expand the market and increase sales volume at a great cost; On the other hand, the price war triggered by foreign automobile manufacturers has caused great losses to automobile enterprises. German automobile industry finds it difficult to solve these financial problems and needs the support of bank loans. As a result, Saxony Bank met Rasmussen's loan demand and laid the foundation for the expansion of Rasmussen Group. Since then, in order to safeguard its interests in the automobile industry, Saxony Bank has established an automobile alliance based on four companies, with total assets of14.5 million Deutsche Mark. The automobile alliance has four brands, Audi, dkw, Hodge and Rover, and their products. But in these very traditional companies, it will take a long time to form a unified team concept and make it work. Automobile alliance was developed at 1933 German Auto Show. The automobile alliance first appeared as a company, and its four-ring logo Audi front-wheel drive medium-sized car caused a sensation. However, due to the limited market awareness of avant-garde technology, its innovative functions have not brought great sales. Therefore, the automobile alliance revised the design. 1938, Audi 920 sedan with modern interior and superior engine performance was put on the market. Its newly developed ohc engine has a power of 75 HP and a top speed of140 km/h. This kind of car with large power and small volume is deeply loved by those who are full of dynamic energy. Later, this front-wheel drive car was changed to rear-wheel drive, and the side chassis replaced the central square chassis. There are two types: 6-window type and double-door 4-window type. The market demand of Audi 920 is very large, and it sold the planned annual sales soon after it was put into use. At that time, dkw mainly produced motorcycles. 1933 produced 8 motorcycles with engine capacities ranging from 175cc to 600cc. A year later, rt 100 appeared in the market. Its simple body and perfect combination of economy and power make it the standard of motorcycle production in the following decades. Rt motorcycle has excellent performance and the price is 345 Deutsche Mark, which is one of the most produced motorcycle models. Class 200 motorcycles continue to consolidate the success of zschopau factory. Dkw took the lead in the motorcycle market and maintained this leading position until the appearance of nz series motorcycles in 1938. These fashionable motorcycles-four-speed gearbox, pedal shifting and rear suspension-are the best portrayal of dkw's leading position in the development of two-stroke motorcycles. Dkw's compact cars are produced in Berlin-spandau (vehicles equipped with two-stroke engine, rear-wheel drive and charging pump v4) and Zwickau (vehicles equipped with front-wheel drive, two-cylinder and two-stroke embedded engines) in Spandau, Berlin, Germany. All engines are produced in zschopau, while the wooden bodies of front-wheel drive models assembled in Zwickau are produced in Berlin-Spandau. Reichsbahn, a German railway operator, transports these bodies to Zvecho at a price of 8 marks each day. Dkw front-wheel drive vehicles (design specifications f2, 4, 5, 7 and 8) have two grades: "reichsklasse”(600 cc cc engine, 18 horsepower) and" Meister Klasse”(700 cc engine, 20 horsepower). This beautiful steel convertible is called "front luxus". DKFront has always been the most popular and best-selling car in Germany. In the 1930s, 250,000 cars of this model were sold. Front-wheel drive puts it in the lead. F9 is an improved model based on this model, with three-cylinder engine, 28 horsepower and steel body, which is produced in Berlin-Spandau and Zwickau. This car was originally planned to be put into production at 1940, but due to the outbreak of World War II, the plan was not realized. Hoshi has been producing high-end cars in Zwickau for decades. Its engine is regarded as the industry benchmark. Because of its superior performance and exquisite appearance, many automobile manufacturers have followed suit. Horch 8 is gradually considered as the highest quality model. The V8 engine developed by fritz fiedler was put on the market at 1933, which was 3.0 liters at first, then increased to 3.5 liters and 3.8 liters, and the power increased from 70 horsepower to 92 horsepower. However, compared with the Hoch with 8-cylinder embedded 120 HP engine, the former is undoubtedly a "small" Hoch model. Because both cars used steel axle models at the beginning, it is easy to have problems when the speed is too fast. 1935, the independent front suspension was added to the Hodge car, and the de dion shaft (double universal joint steel shaft, frame installation) was added to the rear. The 853 sports convertible, which debuted in the same year and equipped with an 8-cylinder embedded engine, is considered by many to be the most beautiful Hodge car ever. In the field of luxury cars, Hoch easily took the lead. 1937, Hoch Automobile occupied 50% market share in the luxury car market above 4 liters. (Porsche) Professor Design. Later, on this basis, new modern suspension systems and models were developed. 1933, w2 1 and w22 have rear swing shafts connected with steel front axles, and w40, 45 and 50 in 1936 have independent front suspensions. Models named after three digits (such as w240, 250, etc.). ) represents the transition of these two models at 1935. Starting from 1937, the reliable and expensive ohv engine was replaced by the bypass valve engine with the same horsepower. The w24 (two-cylinder) and w24 (six-cylinder) models equipped with this engine first appeared in the market at 1937. The engine is standardized, but the body is greatly adjusted (steel rear axle and removing transverse spring). 1936 rover w5 1 debut. Since then, all the cars produced by the automobile alliance have more or less embodied the characteristics of this new model inspired by American models. Centralized management and R&D of automobile alliance From a certain point of view, automobile alliance is just a new term for some products with a long history, and its management still follows the original structure. Initially, the automobile alliance was established in zschopau(DKW headquarters). 1936, the new office building of the automobile alliance was built in Chemniss, marking the end of the era of independent automobile development in various places. A central design room and a central testing department have been set up in Chemnis, where new models are developed and tested, and then prototypes and drawings of cars are handed over to various production plants. From the beginning, the development and design office of the central organization carried out the streamlined idea, based on the patent of Swiss aerodynamics expert paul jaray. The most suitable aerodynamic characteristics are calculated by theoretical method for the first time, and then the wind tunnel test is carried out. The frontal drag coefficient of dkw f9 car that has been produced is surprisingly low, reaching cd = 0.42 (the frontal drag coefficient of its predecessor f8 is 0.58), which became the standard of German automobile manufacturing in the following decades. Due to the shortage of steel and rubber caused by the arms race and the high cost of wooden bodies decorated with leather (from the perspective of a large number of labor demand), the automobile alliance began to jointly develop plastic bodies in troisdorf, central and western Germany, and conducted collision tests for the first time in German automobile history to evaluate the strength of wood, steel and plastic. In the central laboratory of Chemniss, simulated edge collision, lateral and forward rollover tests were carried out. The technical department of the laboratory studied all factors related to materials, developed alloys and special production processes, and studied the technical applicability of all new designs. The technical department focuses on the future engine form, transmission development, research on vibration and noise, and preparations for many complex tests, such as installing catapults in collision tests. The road test department is responsible for the feasibility test plan, series of tests and monitoring, as well as the comparison test with competitors. The rapid growth of automobile alliance from 1933 to 1939, Audi automobile alliance has developed rapidly: its sales have steadily increased from 65 million German marks to 276 million German marks; The number of employees has increased from 8,000 to more than 23,000; The annual output of motorcycles increased from1.2000 to 59000; The annual output of automobiles increased from 1.7 million to 67,000. Automobile experts of automobile alliance have obtained more than 3,000 patents in Germany and other countries, which shows their innovative ability. 1938, one quarter of the buses ordered are made by the automobile federation, and one third of the motorcycles are made by dkw. Automobile alliance has played a leading role in the innovation of modern automobile by virtue of its numerous technological development achievements, research achievements and innovative ideas. The Terminator of the Automobile Alliance-War When the automobile alliance showed a strong development momentum, the outbreak of World War II terminated the development of the automobile alliance itself, and the last civilian car was built in 1940. Since then, the automobile alliance has been forced to produce according to official instructions, and the vehicles it produces are only used for military purposes. The automobile alliance lasted for 16 years, and its last three years were almost just waiting for liquidation. In the six years before that, the war almost paralyzed its car operation. All the innovations and rapid development of automobile alliance were completed in the first seven years. After the war, the production facilities of the automobile alliance were confiscated and demolished by the former Soviet occupation forces. In 1948, the company was deleted from Chemnis's register. During this period, many senior officials of the automobile alliance came to Bavaria, West Germany, and the Audi automobile alliance was re-established here in Ingolstadt. Development after World War II