Horch

Horch was a German car brand manufacturer founded by August Horch & Cie in the early 20th century. It is considered one of the predecessors of the modern-day Audi company, which resulted from the merger of Auto Union AG and NSU Motorenwerke in 1969. Horch was merged with other car brands to form Auto Union AG in 1932. In 2021, Audi revived the Horch name as a top-tier trim level for the Audi A8 in China to compete with the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class.

August Horch and his business partner Salli Herz founded the Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG in Zwickau, Germany in 1904, after having established their first company in Cologne in 1899. The company was later renamed Audi Automobilwerke, with the Audi name being a Latin translation of the German word "horch". In 1932, the company merged with Zschopauer Motorenwerke, which owned the DKW brand, and the Wanderer car-production facilities to become the Auto Union corporation of Saxony. The company was known for producing the Silver Arrow racing cars that were driven by famous racers like Bernd Rosemeyer, Hans Stuck, Tazio Nuvolari, and Ernst von Delius in the 1930s. The company's legacy continues today as part of the Audi brand.