View source for Auto Union

{{short description|German automobile manufacturer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox company
|name          = Auto Union AG
|logo          = Auto Union.svg
|logo_caption  = The first (1932–1948) version of the Auto Union four ring logo, which survives as the logo of Audi
|fate          = acquired by [[Volkswagen]],<br>merged with [[NSU Motorenwerke|NSU]] to create modern day [[Audi]] company.
|predecessor   = [[Zschopau]]er Motorenwerke [[Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen|J. S. Rasmussen]] ([[DKW]])<br>[[Audi|Audiwerke AG Zwickau]]<br>[[Horch|Horchwerke AG Zwickau]]<br>[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]] plant, Siegmar (now part of [[Chemnitz]])
|successor     = Auto Union GmbH (1949–1968)<br>[[Audi|Audi NSU Auto Union AG]] (1969–1985)<br>[[Audi|Audi AG]] (1985–present)
|foundation    = '''Auto Union AG'''<br>[[Chemnitz]], Germany<br />({{Start date and age|df=yes|1932|06|29}})<ref name="Audi history">{{cite web|title=History of Audi AG|url=http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/company/audi_history/personalities/august_horch.html|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114004911/http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/company/audi_history/personalities/august_horch.html|archive-date=14 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>'''Auto Union GmbH'''<br>[[Ingolstadt]], Germany<br />({{Start date and age|df=yes|1949|09|03}})<ref>{{cite book|title=Four Rings: The Audi Story|date=1 August 2013|publisher=Audi AG|isbn=978-3768826730}}<!--|access-date=14 January 2016--></ref>
|defunct       = 1 January 1969 (merger with NSU to Audi NSU Auto Union AG)
|location      = Zschopau (1932–1936)<br>[[Chemnitz]] (1936–1948)<br>[[Ingolstadt]] (1949–1968)<br>[[Neckarsulm]]/Audi NSU<br>(1969–1985)<br>Ingolstadt/Audi AG<br>(1985–present)
|industry      = [[Automotive industry]], [[Auto racing|Motor racing]]
|products      = [[Automobile]]s<!--some of company's notable products-->
|key_people    = 
|num_employees = <!--peak number of employees-->
|parent        = <!--former parent companies, if any-->
|subsid        = <!--former subsidiaries, if any-->
}}
[[File:Audi Front UW 220 exhibited at Autostadt in Wolfsburg.JPG|thumb|[[Audi]]]]
[[File:DKW F7 Front-Luxus.jpg|thumb|[[DKW]]]]
[[File:Horch-853-sport-cabriolet.jpg|thumb|[[Horch]]]]
[[File:Autounion-Wanderer1936.jpg|thumb|[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]]]]

'''Auto Union''' '''AG''' was an amalgamation of four German [[automobile]] manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in [[Chemnitz]], Saxony.  It is the immediate predecessor of [[Audi]] as it is known today.

As well as acting as an umbrella firm for its four constituent brands (Audi, [[Horch]], [[DKW]], [[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]]), Auto Union is widely known for its racing team (Auto Union Rennabteilung, based at [[Horch]] works in [[Zwickau]]/[[Saxony]]). The [[Silver Arrows]] of the two German teams ([[Mercedes-Benz]] and Auto Union) dominated not only [[Grand Prix motor racing]] from [[1934 Grand Prix season|1934]] onwards but set records that would take decades to beat, such as the fastest speed ever attained on a public road (at 432.7&nbsp;km/h (268.9&nbsp;mph), a record lasting until 2017. After being reduced to near ruin in the aftermath of [[World War II]], Auto Union was re-founded in [[Ingolstadt]], Bavaria, in 1949, ultimately evolving into the modern day Audi company following its takeover by [[Volkswagen]] in 1964 and later merger with [[NSU Motorenwerke]] in 1969.

The current corporate entity which bears the Auto Union name, Auto Union GmbH, was founded in 1985 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi AG; its purpose is to act as owner of Auto Union's historical trademarks and intellectual property, as well as managing Audi's heritage operations.  The company's distinctive logo of four interlocking rings to represent the original four members of the Auto Union survives as the logo of Audi.

==Formation==
Auto Union was formed in Germany in 1932<ref>{{cite web|title=Porsche Designs: From Racetrack to Battlefield|date=27 January 2012|url=http://ranwhenparked.net/2012/01/27/porsche-designs-from-racetrack-to-battlefield/|publisher=Ran When Parked|access-date=3 February 2012|archive-date=5 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205150550/http://ranwhenparked.net/2012/01/27/porsche-designs-from-racetrack-to-battlefield/|url-status=live}}</ref> merging:
*Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen (brand [[DKW]] – steam-driven car) founded by Danish engineer [[Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen]] in 1916, it branched out into motorcycles, and then front-drive two-stroke cars built at Audi works in [[Zwickau]] since 1931.
*[[Horch]] – founded 1904 by [[August Horch]] in Zwickau. It built cars starting from [[straight-twin engine]]s to luxury models with [[V8 engine|V8-]] and [[V12 engine]]s.<ref>Peter Kirchberg, Juergen Poenisch: ''HORCH – Types * Technics * Models'', Edition Audi Tradition, published by Delius Klasing Germany, {{ISBN|978-3-7688-1775-2}}.</ref>
*[[Audi]] – because of disputes with the CFO, August Horch in 1909 left his [[Horch|namesake enterprise]] and founded Audi across town, building [[Inline-four engine|inline-four]]-, [[Inline-six engine|six]]- and [[Straight-eight engine|eight]]-cylinder-engined cars. In 1928 Audi became a subsidiary of Zschopauer Motorenwerke.
*[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]] (car division only) – founded in 1911, with small four-cylinder cars and later a more luxurious straight-6 built in Siegmar (now [[Chemnitz]])

In August 1928, Rasmussen, the owner of DKW, acquired a majority ownership of Audiwerke AG.<ref name="chronicle3">Audi website {{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1930_1944.html |title=Chronicle 1930–1944 |access-date=4 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204030104/http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1930_1944.html |archive-date=4 February 2009 }}</ref> In the same year, Rasmussen bought the remains of the US [[automobile manufacturer]] [[Rickenbacker (car)|Rickenbacker]], including the manufacturing equipment for eight- and six-cylinder engines. These engines were used in [[Audi Type SS|''Audi Zwickau'']], [[Audi Type R|''Audi Imperator'']] and [[Audi Type T|''Audi Dresden'']] models. At the same time, six-cylinder and four-cylinder (licensed from [[Peugeot]]) models were manufactured.

In 1930 the Saxony Regional Bank, which had financed Rasmussen's business expansion in the 1920s, installed [[Richard Bruhn]] on the board of [[Audi|Audiwerke AG]], and there followed a brutal pruning and rationalization of the various auto-businesses that Rasmussen had accumulated. The outcome was the founding in Summer 1932 of Auto Union AG with just four component businesses, being Zschopauer Motorenwerke with its brand DKW, Audi, Horch and the car producing piece of Wanderer,{{sfn|Deutsche Autos, Band 2,|2001|page=85}} brought together under the umbrella of single [[shareholder]] company '''Auto Union.''' Although all four brands continued to sell cars under their own names and brands, the technological development became more centralized, with some Audi models employing engines by Horch or Wanderer.

==The Auto Union racing cars==
{{Main|Auto Union racing car}}

===Background===
Auto Union chairman, [[Klaus von Oertzen|Klaus, Baron von Oertzen]], wanted a showpiece project to announce the new brand. At the 1933 Berlin Motor Show, [[German Chancellor]] [[Adolf Hitler]] announced two new programs:<ref name="David">{{cite web|url=http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/auto_c.htm|title=Auto Union Type C|publisher=DDavid.com|access-date=2009-06-20|archive-date=10 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010180201/http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/auto_c.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*The people's car (''Volks wagen''): a project that became the [[Volkswagen Beetle|''KdF'' car]] – the "Strength through Joy" car 
*A state-sponsored motor racing programme: to develop a "high speed German automotive industry," the foundation of which would be an annual sum of {{Reichsmark|500,000|link=yes}}

At fellow director's [[Adolf Rosenberger]] insistence, von Oertzen met with Dr. [[Ferdinand Porsche]], who had done work for him before, and developed his own [[P-Wagen project]] racing car based on the new {{convert|750|kg|lb|abbr=on}} formula.<ref name="David"/>

German racing driver [[Hans Stuck|Hans Stuck Sr.]] had met Hitler before he became Chancellor, and not being able to gain a seat at Mercedes, accepted the invitation of Rosenberger to join him, von Oertzen, and Porsche in approaching the Chancellor. In a meeting in the [[Reich Chancellory]], Hitler agreed with Porsche that for the glory of Germany, it would be better for two companies to develop the project, resulting in Hitler agreeing to pay [[Pound sterling|£]]40,000 for the country's best racing car of 1934, as well as an annual stipend of {{Reichsmark|250,000}}<ref name="David"/> (£20,000)<ref>Setright, L. J. K. "Mercedes-Benz: The German Fountain-head", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 11, p.1311.</ref> each for Mercedes and Auto Union. (In time, this would climb to £250,000.)<ref name="Setright, p.1312">Setright, p.1312.</ref> This highly annoyed Mercedes, who had already developed their [[Mercedes-Benz W25]]; nevertheless, Mercedes was gratified, its racing program having financial difficulties since 1931.<ref name="Setright, p.1312"/> It resulted in a heated exchange both on and off the racing track between the two companies until World War&nbsp;II.

Having garnered state funds, Auto Union bought Porsche's ''Hochleistungsfahrzeugbau GmbH (HFB)'' (High Performance Car Ltd.) and hence the P-Wagen Project for {{Reichsmark|75,000}}, relocating the company to Auto Union's [[Horch]] plant at [[Zwickau]].<ref name="David"/>

===Design===

The Auto Union racing cars types A to D were built as [[Grand Prix motor racing|''Grand Prix'']] [[racing car]]s from 1934 to 1939. They resembled the earlier Benz [[Mercedes-Benz in motorsport#The Silver Arrows (1923–1931, 1934–1939)|''Tropfenwagen'']], also built in part by Rumpler engineers,<ref>Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: One Aeroplane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p.1964.</ref> The only ''Grand Prix'' racers to wear Auto Union's four-ringed logo, they were particularly dominant in 1936. From 1935 to 1937, Auto Union cars car won 25 races, driven by [[Ernst von Delius]], [[Bernd Rosemeyer]], [[Hans Stuck|Hans Stuck Sr.]], and [[Achille Varzi]]. Much has been written about the difficult handling characteristics of this car, but its tremendous power and acceleration were undeniable – a driver could induce wheelspin at over {{convert|100|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.

The cars used [[supercharger|supercharged]] [[piston engine]]s; eventually producing almost {{convert|550|hp|kW PS|lk=in|abbr=on}}, designed to provide optimum [[torque]] at low engine speeds. Rosemeyer would later drive one around the [[Nürburgring]] in a single gear, to prove the engine was flexible enough to do it. Unlike its rivals, it had a [[rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout]]. The [[fuel tank]] was located in the centre of the car, directly behind the driver (who would be placed well towards the front), so the car's front-rear weight distribution would remain unchanged as fuel was used – exactly the same location used in modern open-wheel racing cars, and for the same reason. The chassis tubes were initially used as water carriers from the radiator to the engine, but this was eventually abandoned after they often sprung small leaks.

===Racing results===
{{Main|Auto Union racing car}}
The list of drivers for the initial 1934 season was headed by Stuck; he won the [[German Grand Prix|German]], [[Swiss Grand Prix|Swiss]], and [[Czechoslovakian Grand Prix|Czechoslovakian]] events, along with wins in a number of [[Hillclimbing|hill climb]]s, becoming European Mountain Champion.

In 1935, the engine had been enlarged to {{convert|5|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}} displacement, producing {{convert|370|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}. [[Achille Varzi]] joined the team and won the [[Tunis Grand Prix]] and the [[Coppa Acerbo]]. Stuck won the Italian Grand Prix, plus his usual collection of hill-climb wins, again taking the European Mountain Championship. The new sensation, Rosemeyer, won the Czech Grand Prix.
[[File:Streamlined Auto Union.jpg|thumb|left|Hans Stuck Sr. in an aerodynamic Type B in Italy]]

Stuck also managed to break speed records, reaching {{convert|199|mph|km/h|0|abbr=on}} on an Italian ''autostrada'' in a closed-cockpit streamliner.<ref name="Eyston">{{cite book|title=Motor Racing and Record Breaking|author=G.E.T. Eyston|author2=Barré Lyndon|year=1935|author-link=George Eyston|author2-link=Barré Lyndon}}</ref> Lessons learned from this streamlining were later applied to the [[Mercedes-Benz T80|T80]] [[land speed record]] car.
[[File:Auto-union-type-d.jpg|thumb|1939 Type C/D V16 hillclimb car]]

For 1936, the engine had grown to a full {{convert|6|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}}, and was now producing {{convert|520|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}; in the hands of Rosemeyer and his teammates, the Auto Union Type C dominated the racing world. Rosemeyer won the [[Eifelrennen]], German, Swiss, and Italian Grands Prix, as well as the ''Coppa Acerbo''. He was crowned [[European Champion (auto racing)|European Champion]] (Auto Union's only win of the driver's championship), and also took the European Mountain Championship.  Varzi won the Tripoli Grand Prix, while Stuck placed second in the Tripoli and German Grands Prix, and [[Ernst von Delius]] took second in the ''Coppa Acerbo''.

In 1937, the car was basically unchanged and did surprisingly well against the new [[Mercedes-Benz W125]], winning five races to the seven of Mercedes-Benz. Rosemeyer took the Eifel and [[Donington Grand Prix|Donington]] Grands Prix, the Coppa Acerbo, and the [[Vanderbilt Cup]]. [[Rudolf Hasse]] won the [[Belgian Grand Prix]].

In addition to the new {{convert|3|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}} formula, 1938 brought other challenges, principally the death of Rosemeyer early in the year, in an attempt on the land speed record on a German ''autobahn''. [[Tazio Nuvolari]] joined the team, and won the Italian and Donington Grands Prix, in what was otherwise a thin year for the team, other than yet another European Mountain Championship for Stuck.

In 1939, as war clouds gathered over Europe, Nuvolari won the [[1939 Belgrade City Race|Yugoslavia Grand Prix]] in Belgrade, while [[Hermann Paul Müller|Hermann P. Müller]] won the [[1939 French Grand Prix]].

{{Silver Arrows}}

==Second World War==
[[File:SdKfz222.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Sd.Kfz. 222]]]]

The buildup and onset of [[World War II]] encouraged the development and production of special vehicles for military purposes in the 1930s. Auto Union became an important supplier of vehicles to Germany's armed forces.<ref name="chronicle3"/> Following the outbreak of war, civilian production was interrupted in May 1940. After this, the company produced exclusively for military purposes.<ref name="chronicle3"/>

For the production of [[Junkers]] aircraft engine under license, Auto Union founded in 1935 the subsidiary "Mitteldeutsche Motorenwerke" (Central German Motor Works) at [[Taucha]], northeast of [[Leipzig]].

During World War II, Auto Union/Horch supplied the chassis for the [[Sd.Kfz. 222]] armored car. Powered by an {{convert|90|PS|kW hp|0|abbr=on}} Horch [[V8 engine]], it reached a top speed of {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} on the road. The [[Four-wheel drive|all-wheel drive]] ''Kfz. 11'', or Horch/Wanderer Type&nbsp;901, was used as a medium transport vehicle to shuttle German military officials. Horch works also produced the AWD heavy transport vehicle Type&nbsp;801 (both named [[Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht]]).

From the beginning of 1944, Auto Union plants (Horch and Audi plant at Zwickau, Mitteldeutsche Motorenwerke and Siegmar/Wanderer plant at Siegmar-Schönau) were heavily bombed and severely damaged. The U.S. Army occupied Zwickau on 17 April 1945 near the end of WWII. After withdrawal of the U.S. Army on 30 June from Zwickau, all Saxon plants of Auto Union were occupied by the [[Red Army]].

The company exploited slave labor at [[Leitmeritz concentration camp]]. According to a 2014 report commissioned by the company, Auto Union bore "moral responsibility" for the 4,500 deaths that occurred at Leitmeritz.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Le Blond |first1=Josie |title=Slave probe exposes Audi's Nazi past |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20140526/audi-used-forced-labour-under-nazis-in-germany |access-date=9 January 2020 |work=[[The Local]] |date=26 May 2014 |archive-date=28 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628143036/https://www.thelocal.de/20140526/audi-used-forced-labour-under-nazis-in-germany |url-status=live }}</ref>

==East Germany==
Postwar, the Saxon plants of Auto Union were located in the Soviet-occupied zone of communist [[East Germany]].

In 1945, on the orders of the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]], the factories were dismantled as [[war reparations]],<ref name="chronicle4">Audi website {{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1945_1959.html |title=Chronicle 1945–1959 |access-date=27 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204031240/http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1945_1959.html |archive-date=4 February 2009 }}</ref> while the racing cars found stored in a [[colliery]] were returned to Moscow for reverse engineering. Following this, Auto Union AG assets were liquidated without compensation.<ref name="chronicle4"/> On 17 August 1948, Auto Union AG of Chemnitz was deleted from the commercial register.<ref name="chronicle4"/> The remains of Horch and Audi plants of Zwickau became the [[Volkseigener Betrieb|VEB]] (for "People Owned Enterprise") Automobilwerk Zwickau, or AWZ; (Automobile Factory Zwickau).<ref>[[:de:Automobilwerk Zwickau]]</ref>

The former Audi factory in Zwickau, now under East German control, restarted assembly of the pre-war models in 1949. Those models were renamed [[IFA F8]] and [[IFA F9]] and were similar to the new West German DKW versions. In time, a lawsuit compelled the East Germans to cease using the DKW brand. The site became the home of [[HQM Sachsenring GmbH|VEB Sachsenring]] in the 1950s, which manufactured the infamous [[Trabant]].  After the [[reunification of Germany]] in 1990, [[Volkswagen]] took a controlling interest in the old VEB Sachsenring organization, creating the new subsidiary ''Volkswagen Sashsen GmbH'', operating initially out of what were the historic Auto Union sites in Zwickau and Chemnitz, which were both eventually rebuilt – in 1993 a [[Volkswagen Zwickau-Mosel Plant|new factory]] was constructed in Zwickau in nearby [[Mosel (Zwickau)|Mosel]], which in 2021 became the centre of production for the [[Volkswagen Group MEB platform]] vehicles – notably the [[Audi Q4 e-tron]] – making it the first Audi to be manufactured at Zwickau since the pre-war era.

Audi also established the [[August Horch Museum Zwickau|August Horch Museum]] in 2004 within the surviving factory buildings in Zwickau which dated back to the historic Horch and Audi companies of the 1900s.  The museum charts the early histories of Audi, Horch and Auto Union leading up to the company's reestablishment in Ingolstadt after WW2.

==New Auto Union==
[[File:DKW Meisterklasse 1952.JPG|right|thumb|DKW F89]]

With the [[Red Army]] quickly advancing on [[Zwickau]] immediately after the war, and faced with the prospect of trying to salvage what was left of the company, Auto Union's executives had no option but to flee and re-establish the company on the Western side of a now partitioned Germany.  Thus a new Auto Union company was launched in [[Ingolstadt]], Bavaria, with loans from the Bavarian state government and [[Marshall Plan]] aid.<ref name="chronicle5">{{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1945_1959.html|title=Audi Worldwide> Home|publisher=Audi.com|date=15 April 2009|access-date=2009-04-27|archive-date=4 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204031240/http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1945_1959.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Nationale oldtimerdag Zandvoort 2010, 1964 AUTO UNION MUNGA, DH-63-99 , pic3.JPG|thumb|1964 Auto Union / DKW Munga.]]
[[File:DKW Commercial 3=6 (11818594073).jpg|thumb|DKW F800/3 Schnellaster in South Africa]]
The reformed company '''Auto Union GmbH''' was launched on 3 September 1949. The Ingolstadt facility had been run purely as a spare parts operation since 1945, but eventually the directors found the funding to restart production – initially in a converted granary building in the town.  With [[West Germany]] still in the early stages of rebuilding its economy after the war, the demand for cheap transport meant that only the DKW brand would survive into the postwar era.  The luxury focused Audi and Horch brands were placed into dormancy, while Wanderer had been the property of its original parent firm.  Auto Union therefore continued DKW's tradition of producing affordable [[front-wheel drive]] vehicles with [[two-stroke engine]]s.<ref name="chronicle5"/> This included production of the small but sturdy [[DKW RT 125|DKW RT&nbsp;125&nbsp;W]] motorcycle and a delivery van known as [[DKW Schnellaster]]. Many employees of the Saxony factories in Zwickau ([[Audi]] and [[Horch]] factories), [[Chemnitz]] (Siegmar plant, former [[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]]) and [[Zschopau]] ([[MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk|DKW Motorcycle factory]]) came to Ingolstadt and restarted the production.

In 1950, after a former [[Rheinmetall|Rheinmetall-Borsig]] factory in [[Düsseldorf-Derendorf]] was established as a second assembly facility, the company's first postwar car went into production: the [[DKW F89|DKW Meisterklasse F 89 P]], available as a [[Sedan (automobile)|sedan/saloon]], a [[station wagon]] and the four-seater [[convertible]] built by [[Karmann]].<ref name="chronicle4"/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-41760662.html?name=Kleinwagen-Odyssee|title=Spiegel Wissen: Auto Union (german)|newspaper=Der Spiegel|date=11 February 1958|access-date=2008-09-21|archive-date=18 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918014025/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-41760662.html?name=Kleinwagen-Odyssee|url-status=live}}</ref> The F&nbsp;89 were based on the [[DKW F8]] (motor) and the [[DKW F9]] (coachwork) pre-war constructions.
[[File:DKW 3=6 (F93) Heck, Bj. 1955-56 (2007-06-16 Sp).jpg|thumb|1956 DKW 3=6 F93 Sonderklasse, built in Düsseldorf.]]
In March 1953, the [[DKW 3=6|DKW 3=6 'Sonderklasse]] was launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show.  This car proved exceptionally successful in motorsport and was built in Düsseldorf.  The F91 version was soon superseded by the F93 in 1955, and soon joined by the four door F94 and station wagon Universal F94U in 1956 and 1957 respectively.
[[File:2007-06-16 Auto Union 1000 (Frontpartie).jpg|thumb|[[Auto Union 1000]]]]
From 1956 to 1968, about 46,750 [[DKW Munga]] light four-wheel drive military vehicles could be produced, mostly for the German and other militaries.
[[File:Auto Union 1000 S (2012-08-19 Sp).JPG|thumb|1960 Auto Union 1000S Coupe]]
In response to pressure from [[Friedrich Flick]], then its largest single shareholder,{{sfn|Deutsche Autos, Band 2,|2001|page=263}} [[Daimler-Benz]] acquired 87% of Auto Union in April 1958, taking complete control in the following year. In 1958 it saw the return of the Auto Union brand, represented by the [[Auto Union 1000]], a small saloon which enjoyed sporting success. At the same time the [[Auto Union 1000|1000 Sp]], a coupé, was produced for Auto Union by the [[coachbuilder]] [[Karosserie Baur|Baur]] at [[Stuttgart]]. Under Daimler-Benz ownership the company invested heavily in the Ingolstadt plant. Car production at Düsseldorf was ended, and the plant became the centre of production for Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles like the [[Mercedes-Benz L 319]] – a role which it continues to the present day. The DKW and Mercedes brands were able to establish a greater presence in the North American market by an agreement with the [[Studebaker-Packard Corporation]] in 1956 which through 1964 was the only distributor in the United States. Because of SPC's large network of dealers, the Auto Union and Mercedes-Benz brands were able to expand much faster in the US markets. Many dealers today can trace their origin back to being Studebaker-Packard dealerships.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}

[[File:Auto Union 1000 Sp Garmisch-Partenkirchen regnerisch.jpg|right|thumb|[[Auto Union 1000]] Sp 1958 – 1965]]

However, as prosperity began to return to West Germany, and as West German products gained valuable currency through export to the rest of Europe and North America, Daimler became increasingly worried that Auto Union's only market for its two-stroke products, without massive investment, would be impoverished East Germany. Two-stroke engines became less popular towards the middle of the 1960s as customers were more attracted to the more refined [[four-stroke engine]]s. They began selling shares, which with the agreed help of the West German Government, were acquired by [[Volkswagen Group|Volkswagenwerk AG]].

In 1964, Volkswagen acquired the factory in Ingolstadt and the trademark rights of Auto Union, with the exception of the dormant Horch brand which Daimler-Benz retained. A programme that Daimler had initiated at Auto Union created a range of cars that would subsequently provide the basis for [[Volkswagen]]'s line of front-wheel-drive models, such as the [[Audi 80]] and [[Volkswagen Passat]]. At the time a new model, internally designated [[Audi F103|F103]], was under development. This was based on the last DKW model, the [[DKW F102]], with a four-stroke engine implanted and some front and rear styling changes. Volkswagen abandoned the DKW brand because of association with two-stroke engines, effectively leaving Volkswagen with the Audi brand. The new model was launched in September 1965 as simply the "Audi." The name was a model designation rather than the manufacturer, which was still officially Auto Union. As more models were later added to the Audi range, this model was renamed Audi 72.
[[File:MHV DKW F102 01.jpg|left|thumb|Auto Union [[DKW F102]]]]

In 1969, Auto Union merged with [[NSU Motorenwerke AG]], based in [[Neckarsulm]], near [[Stuttgart]]. In the 1950s, NSU had been the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, but had moved on to produce small cars like the [[NSU Prinz]], the TT and TTS versions of which are still popular as vintage race cars. NSU then focused on new rotary engines based on the ideas of [[Felix Wankel]]. In 1967, the new [[NSU Ro 80]] was a space-age car, well ahead of its time in technical details such as aerodynamics, light weight, and safety but teething problems with the rotary engines put an end to the independence of NSU. The mid-sized car NSU had been working on, the [[VW K70|K70]], was intended to slot between the rear-engined Prinz models and the futuristic [[NSU Ro 80]]. However, Volkswagen took the K70 for its own range, spelling the end of NSU as a separate brand.

After being merged with Neckarsulm car maker [[NSU Motorenwerke AG|NSU]], the official name became '''Audi NSU Auto Union AG''', which was simply shortened to '''Audi AG''' in 1985, ending both the Auto Union and NSU brands.  The company's headquarters returned to Ingolstadt; at the same time Audi formed the new companies '''Auto Union GmbH''', and '''NSU GmbH''' as wholly owned subsidiaries whose function was to own and protect the historical trademarks and intellectual property of both Auto Union and NSU.

In May 2009, Porsche gained majority control of Volkswagen Group and proposed a merger of the two companies.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} In August 2009, Volkswagen AG's supervisory board signed the agreement to create an integrated Auto group with Porsche led by Volkswagen.{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} Volkswagen will initially take a 42% stake in Porsche AG by the end of 2009, and see the family{{clarify|date=August 2013}}<!--what family? Porsche?--> shareholders selling the automotive trading business of Porsche Holding Salsburg to Volkswagen. Rumors began to appear in the press the name Auto Union would be revived for the new group holding company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/autocarconfidential/archive/2009/05/15/the-return-of-auto-union.aspx|title=The return of Auto Union|author=Chris Hallett|publisher=[[AutoCar]]|date= 15 May 2009|access-date=2009-06-21| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090518152028/http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/autocarconfidential/archive/2009/05/15/the-return-of-auto-union.aspx| archive-date= 18 May 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

===Logo===
The trademark symbol of Auto Union (and present-day [[Audi]]), the four overlapping rings, symbolized the four [[marque]]s forming Auto Union: [[Audi]], [[DKW]], [[Horch]], and [[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carlogo.info/audi-audi-logo_blog-bid-29.htm|title=Audi Logo|author=Car Logo|access-date=2007-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930100058/http://www.carlogo.info/audi-audi-logo_blog-bid-29.htm|archive-date=30 September 2007|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seriouswheels.com/art-four-rings-1.htm|title=History of the Four Rings-Part 1-Audi Auto Union|publisher=Seriouswheels.com|access-date=2009-04-27|archive-date=10 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210010605/http://www.seriouswheels.com/art-four-rings-1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

There is also a version of the logo that uses both overlapping and interlocking rings.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/audis_typographic_stylings.php |title=Audi's Typographic Stylings |access-date=31 August 2009 |archive-date=20 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220213657/https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/audis_typographic_stylings.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Tribute==
Auto Union was tributed at the 1999 [[Monterey Historic Automobile Races]].<ref>[http://www.audiworld.com/news/99/montereyfirstlook/article.shtml Monterey Historics 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415005201/http://www.audiworld.com/news/99/montereyfirstlook/article.shtml |date=15 April 2021 }}. Audiworld.com (1 September 1999). Retrieved on 16 July 2013.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of German cars]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
<!-- last updated October 2021 -->
{{refbegin}}
*Bruintjes, Jeroen. "Auto Union Type E—The Stillborn 1.5-litre car: Why it (Almost) did Exist"<!--source, publisher, place, & year?-->
* {{Brooklands-AAURT52}}
* {{Deutsche Autos-2 |ref={{sfnref|Deutsche_Autos,_Band_2,2001}} }}
*Snellman, Leif. "The Early Auto Unions, From P-Wagen to A-type"<!--source, publisher, place, & year?-->
* {{cite book |last1=Ward |first1=Rod |title=Auto Union: Audi, Horch, Wanderer, DKW, Framo (and NSU) |series=Auto Review series, no. 112 |date=2015 |publisher=Zeteo Publishing |location=Leeds, UK |oclc=919299525}} <!-- template -->
*Wise, David Burgess. "Rumpler: One Aeroplane which Never Flew", in Northey, Tom, ed. ''World of Automobiles'' (London: Orbis, 1974), Vol. 17, p.&nbsp;1964.
* {{Wood-GMG}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Auto-Union}}
*[http://www.horch-museum.de August-Horch-Museum]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090204030104/http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1930_1944.html Audi History]
*[http://www.autounion1939.com AUTO UNION Sales Brochures 1939]
*[http://www.autounion.org.uk AutoUnion: the cars, the drivers and the history]
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/autounion1965/ Auto Union Historic site]
* {{PM20|FID=co/041635|TEXT=Documents and clippings about|NAME=}}

{{Volkswagen Group brands}}
{{Auto Union (Europe) timeline 1950-1968}}

{{Authority control}}

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