AUDI AG Neckarsulm Site

1873
Christian Schmidt establishes a factory for knitting machines in Riedlingen on the Danube.

1880
The company relocates to Neckarsulm.

1886
Start of bicycle production.

1900
Production of motorcycles in Germany’s first motorcycle factory.

1906
Start of production of own automobiles with the “Original Neckarsulm Motorcar”.

1929
Automobile production is discontinued due to the world economic crisis.

1945
The plant is completely destroyed in the Second World War; production is gradually resumed in mid-1945.

1955
NSU Werke AG is the world’s largest bicycle factory.

1958
Resumption of automobile production with the NSU Prinz I to III.

1964
Start of production of the NSU Wankel Spider, the world’s first series-produced car with a rotary engine.

1967
Series start of the NSU Ro 80, which is voted “Car of the Year 1967” due to its futuristic design and rotary engine.

1969
Merger with AUTO UNION GmbH of Ingolstadt to form AUDI NSU AUTO UNION AG; Volkswagen AG is the majority shareholder.

1974/75
The site is threatened with closure during the oil crisis. Employees fight successfully to save the site in the legendary “March to Heilbronn.”

1975
To achieve better capacity utilization, the plant produces the Porsche 924 as contract work, soon followed by the Porsche 944.

1982
The Audi 100 achieves a CW value of 0.30 – a world record.

1985
Introduction of the fully galvanized car body in the Audi 100 and Audi 200.

1985
The company is renamed as “AUDI AG” and the headquarters are transferred to Ingolstadt.

1988
AUDI AG enters the large-sedan class with the Audi V8.

1989
Introduction in cars of the turbo diesel engine with direct fuel injection.

1990
First victory for Audi in the DTM with an Audi V8.

1994
Start of production of the Audi A8, the world’s first series-produced automobile with an entire body made of aluminum (ASF).

2000
Start of production of the Audi A2, the first aluminum car in a large series.

2001
Victory in Le Mans with the newly developed FSI direct fuel injection.

2005
Opening of the Audi Forum Neckarsulm.

2006
German premiere of the Audi R8 sports car.
First victory in the 24-Hours of Le Mans with a diesel engine developed in Neckarsulm.

2007
Introduction of parallel production at the plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm with the start of production of the Audi A4 Sedan.

2008
Inauguration of the new toolmaking division.

2011
Audi acquires 23 hectares of land in the Böllinger Höfe industrial park in Heilbronn.

2012
Inauguration of the technical center for carbon-fiber reinforced plastics and of the new engine testing center.

2013
Audi Neckarsulm receives the J. D. Power award as “Best Production Plant in Europe.”

2014
Inauguration of Audi Böllinger Höfe (logistics center and R8 production)