The German automotive industry has always been at the forefront. Machines from Germany compete with European, Asian and North American vehicles. Despite the high competition in the market, German cars are still popular. Every year, more than 10 million cars roll off the assembly lines of factories. German-made machines are the epitome of quality, reliability and elegance. Let's get acquainted in more detail with the history of auto brands in this country.
Car brands created in Germany
This European country can be called the center of the automotive industry. Germany is the birthplace of such famous car brands:
- Mercedes-Benz;
- Audi;
- BMW;
- Opel;
- Porsche;
- Volkswagen.
Under each of the listed brands, more than a dozen car models in different classes are produced. The range is so wide that it is able to satisfy the needs of both a modest buyer and a billionaire.
A Brief History of the Formation of the German Automotive Industry
The history of Mercedes-Benz began in the city of Mannheim (Mannheim). In 1885, K. Benz designed and manufactured a motor trolley or Motorwagen. This unit had a 0.9 hp gasoline engine. The car was imperfect and could only accelerate to 16 km / h.
At the same time, G. Daimler and his assistant W. Maybach worked on a similar technique. These designers created a car with two seats and an engine in the front. The fruit of the creation of Daimler and Maybach was named Mercedes.
The merger of the enterprises founded by K. Benz ("Benz & Cie") and G. Daimler ("DMG") took place in 1926. The reason for the merger was the financial crisis. The combined firm was originally called "Daimler-Benz AG". Later, the company was named "Mercedes-Benz". Today, such well-known models as the Mercedes G55 / 63 AMG and other equally popular cars in 16 classes descend from the assembly line of this company.
The birthplace of the Opel brand is the city of Rüsselsheim (Hesse). In 1863, the Opel brothers created a company that specialized in the manufacture of bicycles. In 1899, Adam Opel AG mastered the production of cars. At the very beginning, Opel cars were assembled using engines and chassis from the French manufacturer Darracq. Subsequently, the company set up production from its units and assemblies.
The Porsche company was created by the famous inventor F. Porsche in Stuttgart in 1931. Initially, this company was a design bureau that designed cars for other automakers. It was this bureau that developed the legendary Beetle for Volkswagen in 1935. Today, elite SUVs and supercars are produced under the Porsche brand.
Engineer August Horch is the creator of the company "A. Horch & Cie" (1909). He later left and founded the Audi company. But it was not yet the firm that we know today.
In 1932 Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer became one company. The result of the reunion is "Auto Union UG". The emblem of this enterprise is the familiar 4 rings. "Auto Union UG" became part of "Volkswagen" in 1966. This brand offers many popular models, such as Audi Q7, Audi A8 and others.
BMW is the brainchild of Franz Popp, who founded the Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke in 1916 in Bavaria (Munich). At first, this company carried out the manufacture of aircraft engines, but later it was decided to begin the production of engines for cars. In 1929, the company began producing cars under the BMW brand. Since then, BMW cars have been constantly improving and are not inferior to the leading positions in the world market.
One of the largest automotive companies in Germany "Volkswagen" was created by F. Porsche. This happened in 1937 in Wolfsburg. From the very beginning, this company specialized in affordable cars for many people. And today, the brand's lineup includes cars such as the Volkswagen Golf VII, the Polo model, several variations of the Passat and some other cars.
The availability of cars of this brand provided a good profit. Therefore, Volkswagen was able to buy Skoda, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Seat and other enterprises. The popularity of cars of this brand is characterized by the fact that every fiftieth citizen of Germany owns one of the VW models.
The most iconic cars from different German manufacturers
Each automaker from Germany has the most popular and sometimes legendary cars in its lineup. For example, in the Mercedes family, the 190E Cosworth model can be noted. This car was produced in 1983, but even today it can be seen on the roads of Ukraine and other countries. This car is highly reliable.
Mercedes-Benz created the iconic Mercedes Vito Tourer station wagon, which is also popular today in our country and abroad due to its technical characteristics and elegant appearance. The following models can be included in the number of iconic cars of this brand:
- 600 Series Pullman;
- SLS-AMG;
- CLS.
The range of cars from the Volkswagen brand also contains famous models. Among them is the Volkswagen Golf, which is considered almost the most popular car. It is worth noting such cars of this brand as the Beetle, which are now produced in South America. Volkswagen Polo and Passat of different versions are no less popular.
In the line of the Audi brand, one can note the models A3, A8, Audi 80 and 100. The last two have been used in Ukraine for many years and are distinguished by their reliability.
BMW has a lot of significant cars. Here are some of these models:
- 1500 (1962);
- E24 (1976);
- M3 (1986);
- Z1 (1989);
- X5 (1999).
Iconic models in the Porsche family include the 918, Cayenne, Cayman, Panamera and Macan. Opel produced the famous Opel Kadett E model. Daewoo Racer and Daewoo Nexia were created on its basis.
Summing up
The German auto industry is one of the strongest in the world market. Cars of German brands are distinguished by good quality, reliability, durability, as well as ease of maintenance and operation.
In some cases, there is no need to buy a car. In NarsCars you can rent various cars, including German ones. Renting allows you to join a quality car without a big investment. In Kiev, Lvov, Kharkov, Odessa and other cities of Ukraine, you can rent such models of German cars in NarsCars as: Audi Q7, Volkswagen Golf VII and Polo, Mercedes Vito Tourer and Mercedes G55/63 AMG.
