Before the Second World War, the Auto Union was the number two car manufacturer in Germany - after Opel, the subsidiary of the US industrial giant General Motors. The company was not very old at that time. The Auto Union was founded after large parts of the car industry in the State of Saxony ran into difficulties during the economic crisis in the 1930s. The Zschopauer Motorenwerke (Zschopau Motor Works) of the self-made entrepreneur Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, who manufactured motorcycles and small cars under the DKW brand and whose company empire also included Audi, took over Horch and the Wanderer car division. The new company was given the name Auto Union. When the Red Army entered Germany in 1945, the management staff, who were closely involved with the Nazi regime, fled behind American lines to the West. In the West, in what was later to become the Federal Republic of Germany, the gentlemen of the Auto Union tried to make a fresh start. As a result, a new Auto Union emerged in the Federal Republic of Germany.Horch, Wanderer and Audi were history. The DKW was to be built. The new beginning succeeded in the beginning. As the 1950s progressed, the Auto Union lost traction. In 1958, they came under the ownership of Daimler-Benz. In the 1960s, the Auto Union went into a steep decline. The company was a mere shadow of its former self when Daimler-Benz handed over the reins to Volkswagen. Total disaster. Almost. Then, the Audi brand was brought back to life as a part of the Volkswagen Group - it has become the trademark of successful, high-quality, and sporty cars ever since.In this essay, we explore who or what was responsible for the decline of Auto Union after the Second World War - and, of course, who or what was responsible for the resurgence as Audi. To anticipate the answer: It was who, not what. The management was responsible - people, personalities, individuals in the top positions.
Before the Second World War, the Auto Union was the number two car manufacturer in Germany - after Opel, the subsidiary of the US industrial giant General Motors. The company was not very old at that time. The Auto Union was founded after large parts of the car industry in the State of Saxony ran into difficulties during the economic crisis in the 1930s. The Zschopauer Motorenwerke (Zschopau Motor Works) of the self-made entrepreneur Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen, who manufactured motorcycles and small cars under the DKW brand and whose company empire also included Audi, took over Horch and the Wanderer car division. The new company was given the name Auto Union. When the Red Army entered Germany in 1945, the management staff, who were closely involved with the Nazi regime, fled behind American lines to the West. In the West, in what was later to become the Federal Republic of Germany, the gentlemen of the Auto Union tried to make a fresh start. As a result, a new Auto Union emerged in the Federal Republic of Germany.Horch, Wanderer and Audi were history. The DKW was to be built. The new beginning succeeded in the beginning. As the 1950s progressed, the Auto Union lost traction. In 1958, they came under the ownership of Daimler-Benz. In the 1960s, the Auto Union went into a steep decline. The company was a mere shadow of its former self when Daimler-Benz handed over the reins to Volkswagen. Total disaster. Almost. Then, the Audi brand was brought back to life as a part of the Volkswagen Group - it has become the trademark of successful, high-quality, and sporty cars ever since.In this essay, we explore who or what was responsible for the decline of Auto Union after the Second World War - and, of course, who or what was responsible for the resurgence as Audi. To anticipate the answer: It was who, not what. The management was responsible - people, personalities, individuals in the top positions.
