1913 The first Wanderer car
The first Wanderer car with a 5/12 hp four-cylinder engine was test driven in 1912. It went into series production in 1913. This small Wanderer car had not been on the market very long when it became a stage star in the operetta 'Puppchen' (which can be translated loosely as 'darling') by Jean Gilbert. The title song was rather catchy: 'Darling, you are the apple of my eye, darling, I think the world of you.' From then on the little Wanderer was known simply by the name 'Puppchen'.   View large picture.

1914 August Horch wins the Alpine Run
The International Austrian Alpine Run was one of the most famous races of its time. August Horch took part in an Audi for the first time in 1911 and won first prize. This encouraged him to enter an Audi team in the challenge trophy in the years 1912 to 1914. Audi won the team prize in each of these three years. The Alpine Challenge Trophy was presented to the Audi drivers on 27 June 1914.   View large picture.

1907 The roots of DKW
In 1904 Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen set up on his own as a manufacturer of boiler fittings. In 1906 he purchased a textile mill in Zschopau, Saxony. Production started there in 1907. During the First World War Rasmussen worked on a steam-driven vehicle ("Dampfkraftwagen"), from which the three letters DKW were derived.   View large picture.

1909 Horch becomes Audi
In 1909 August Horch got into a dispute with the supervisory board of A. Horch & Cie. Motorwagen-Werke AG. Horch left the company he had set up. Shortly after, on 16 July 1909, he established a second company, Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH, in the same city. Horch lost the legal dispute over the company name. However, a solution to the problem was found: the Latin translation of his name (the German word for "hark!"). The new company name, Audiwerke GmbH, became effective on 25 April 1910.   View large picture.

1906 A tradition of car manufacturing in Neckarsulm
1906 saw the launch of the 'Sulmobil', a three-wheeled vehicle with a 3.5 hp motorcycle engine. However, the 'Sulmobil' was not a success. As a result, the first 'Original Neckarsulm Motor Car', with a 1308 cc four-cylinder engine and 10 hp, went into production the same year.   View large picture.

1899 Horch is established in Cologne
On 14 November 1899, August Horch (1868 - 1951) established the company A. Horch & Cie. in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne. Here he developed his first car, which was completed at the beginning of 1901. The company moved to Reichenbach in Saxony in March 1902 and converted to a share-issuing company two years later, which involved a further change in location. On 10 May 1904, A. Horch & Cie. Motorwagen-Werke AG was   View large picture.

1901 The first Horch car
The first Horch car took to the road in 1901: it had a horizontal engine which developed about 4-5 hp. An additional small piston in the engine was designed to absorb the vibrations of the crankshaft. August Horch referred to this as his "impact-free" engine. Another new feature was the alloy crankcase, a pioneering achievement in car manufacturing.   View large picture.

1904 A share-issuing company is established
Following the establishment of the company in Cologne in 1899 and its relocation to Reichenbach in Saxony in 1902, the success of Horch cars made it clear that the factory had to be expanded. On the advice of his business associates, August Horch decided to establish a share-issuing company. New premises were found in Zwickau. Production started in 1904, the beginning of a long tradition of car manufacture in Zwickau.   View large picture.