'''August Horch''' ([[October 12]], [[1868]] – [[February 3]], [[1951]]) was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing firm that would become [[Audi]].

[[Image:Gedenktafel horch ehrenfeld.jpg|thumb|Memorial plate in [[Cologne, Germany]].]]

He was born in [[Winningen]], [[Moselle]]. He was educated in Mittweida.

He worked for [[Karl Benz]] from [[1896]] before founding ''A. [[Horch]] & Cie'' in November [[1899]] in Ehrenfeld, [[Cologne, Germany]]. The first Horch automobile was built in 1901. The company moved to Reichenbach in [[1902]] and [[Zwickau]] in [[1904]]. Horch left the company in 1909 after a dispute and set up in competition in Zwickau. His new firm was initially called ''Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH'', but following a legal dispute over the ''Horch'' name he was oblidged to change the company name. (The court decided that ''Horch'' was a registered trademark on behalf of August Horch's former partners and August Horch was not entitled to use it any more.) Consequently, Horch renamed his company to ''Audi Automobilwerke GmbH'' in [[1910]], ''Audi'' being the Latinization of Horch.

In August [[1928]] the [[Denmark|Danish]] engineer [[Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen]] of [[DKW]] acquired a majority holding in Audiwerke. In June [[1932]] Audi, DKW, Horch and [[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]] merged to form [[Auto Union]] AG, the new company's logo was four interlinked rings, one for each of the founder companies. [[Horch]] was on the supervisory board of Auto Union.

[[Category:1868 births|Horch, August]]
[[Category:1951 deaths|Horch, August]]
[[Category:Automotive pioneers|Horch, August]]
[[Category:German engineers|Horch, August]]

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