August Horch was born on October 12, 1868, was a mechanical engineer and founder of the companies Horch and Audi.
When working for Karl Benz in Mannheim, he invented the reverse gear for cars.
After he left Benz, he founded his own company and build his own cars. In order to survive, Horch turned his company into a cooperation but success eluded him. Shareholders demoted him from manager to draftsman.
Unsurprisingly, Horch left and founded his own company in 1909. However, he couldn’t use the name “Horch”. So he named it “Audi” from Latin meaning ‘listen’ or ‘hear’ which in German can also be translated as “horch”.
After a short stint as a chicken farmer after WWI, Horch was back in business when the Nazis took over in 1933.
August Horch died in Münchberg on February 3, 1951.
The four rings of Audi stand for the four companies that merged in 1932: Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer.
Sources and Resources
- Wiki – August Horch
- Video: MDR DOK: August Horch erklärt – Promis der Geschichte
- August Horch Museum Zwickau
