Horch - Wikicars Horch Search By Model Defunct Horch was the popular name for high-performance luxury motor cars manufactured in Germany by the company, August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century. Founder The company was established by August Horch , a former production manager for Karl Benz , and a partner on November 14, 1899 with a capital of 30,000 Goldmark at Ehrenfeld, near Cologne. Horch was also later the founder of the German automaker, Audi , which is named after the Latin translation of his surname (latin word for the regional Saxon expression, horch, which is the imperative form of “hark” - "listen to me" in German). 1938 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet Initial cars The company initially began producing 5 and 10 hp twin-cylinder engine automobiles near Cologne in 1901. The first Horch had a 4.5 hp engine, with an alloy crankcase, a unique achievement in those days. It had an open-body design, with lighting provided by lanterns with candles in them.

In contrast with the powerful cars of later years, the first Horch could barely reach a top speed of 32 km/h. It was significant at that time because it used a friction clutch, and also had a drive shaft to power the wheels. The firm soon ran into financial troubles, not surprising considering the pioneering nature of the automobile business at that time. Horch had to seek new partners. The company was moved to Reichenbach (Vogtland) in March, 1902, where it produced a 20 hp four-cylinder car with a shaft drive. Horch cars were considered much advanced and superior to those being then built by Mercedes or Benz (who were then separate manufacturers). By 1903, Horch had built a car with a four-cylinder engine. In March of the following year, he introduced his new car at the Frankfurt Fair. In 1904, Horch was forced to convert the firm into a joint-stock company, A. Horch & Cie. Motorwagen-Werke AG, an action that he was to later regret.

On May 10, 1904, he moved the new corporation to Zwickau, a city to the southwest of Chemnitz, in the eastern German state of Saxony. The first six-cylinder Horch appeared in 1907. Audi connection In 1909, the supervisor board (German equivalent of the Board of Directors) of this corporation forced out Horch. Horch went on to found Audi , Audiwerke GmbH, which became effective on 25 April 1910. The name was a solution to the legal dispute with his old company over use of the Horch brand. In 1928, the company was acquired by Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, owner of DKW (which comes from the German word, Dampfkraftwagen), who bought the same year the remains of the US automobile manufacturer, Rickenbacker , including the manufacturing equipment for eight-cylinder engines. Eventually, on 29th June, 1932 Audi merged with Horch, DKW and Wanderer to form the Auto Union . The current Audi four-ring logo is the Auto Union logo.

In the 1930s Horch introduced a new line of smaller and cheaper, but still presentable, V8 automobiles. Auto Union became a major supplier of automobiles to the German armed forces. Civilian production was suspended after March 1940. Trabant connection During the Second World War, the factories suffered heavy bomb damage. Later, the advancing Soviet forces captured the area, and it became part of the Soviet sector of divided Germany in 1945, and later became part of East Germany. The factory was renamed as the Sachsenring factory after the East German firm IFA took it over, and produced the Sachsenring "P-240" in 1955. It produced the initial Trabant "P-50" model from 1957. [1] Rare Collectibles On Saturday, June 24th, 2006, an incredibly rare 1937 Horch 853A Sport Cabriolet in original unrestored, unprepared condition sold at auction in Cortland NY for $299,000 US.

[2] Famous Horch models Some famous Horch automobiles (year introduced): Horch 350/375/400/405 (1928-1931) Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet (1937) Horch 853A Erdmann-Rossi Sport Cabriolet (1937) Horch 853A Voll-Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet (1938) Horch 855 Roadster (1939) Some brand names are results of very thought-out and carefully crafted meaningful words while others are merely chosen because they sound good. Here are 12 names that will always be remembered, no matter how they were created. 1. Audi The German car manufacturer got its name from a Latin translation of its founder’s surname, Horch. August Horch had already founded Horch AG, another car brand, in the late 1800’s. 2. Canon Canon was originally named Seikikōgaku kenkyūsho. Thankfully, it was later shortened to Canon Inc.

after the Buddhist enlightened being, Guanyin, short for Guanshiyin, which means “observing the sounds of the world”, or taking pictures. 3. Ebay Formally known as AuctionWeb (boring), the e-commerce company’s founder Pierre Omidyar brainstormed ideas for a new name when he smelled success after circumstantially selling a broken laser pointer to a broken laser pointer collector. Echo Bay, his computer consulting company, was the name he initially hoped to use, but later shortened to eBay, which it stuck. 4. Samsung The number 3 resonates with energies of optimism, power, and inspiration. Coincidentally, Samsung is the Korean word for “tristar”, or “three stars” whose ‘hanja’ symbol symbolizes “big, numerous, and powerful.” 5. BIC Another namesake brand, Bic was named after its founder Frenchman Marcel Bich. Marcel dropped the “h” in the name to avoid potentially inappropriate pronunciations in English, as you might’ve done so already. 6. Reddit Not necessarily as in the past tense of read it.

Reddit loosely translates to render in Latin, which means to present for consideration, an appropriate name for a site where members submit online content which is voted upon and deemed worthy of being read. 7. Etsy You’d think this eBay spinoff of cute handmade stocking stuffers had an equally quirky origin for its name. Founder Rob Kalin admitted: “I wanted a nonsense word because I wanted to build the brand from scratch. I was watching Fellini’s 8 ½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say ‘etsi’ a lot. It means ‘oh, yes.’ And in Latin, it means ‘and if.'” 8. Sony This clever combo of a name derived from the Latin word sonnus, meaning sound and the English slang word sonny, meaning boy or son. Japanese founders Akio and Masaru considered themselves to be “sonny boys”, a term by Japan that connoted smart and presentable young men. 9. Volkswagen One of the few names without Latin roots, the German word Volkswagen translates to “people’s car”, or a car that is meant to be driven by, and only by, people. 10.

Starbucks “Sundollars” was the runner up when picking a name for the future’s most successful coffeehouse house, but the winner’s story adds a better twist. Co-founder Gordon Bowker explains: “…there was an old mining town called Starbo. As soon as I saw Starbo, I, of course, jumped to Melville’s first mate [named Starbuck] in Moby-Dick. But Moby-Dick didn’t have anything to do with Starbucks directly.” 11. Taco Bell The history of this name isn’t as interesting as how the restaurant itself came to be. Namesake and founder Glen Bell befriended proprietors of a very popular Mexican spot in southern California called the Mitla Cafe by becoming a regular customer. After winning their confidence and invited to visit behind the scenes, Bell learned how their famous tacos were made and used what he learned to open a stand he named Taco-Tia, which later made way for El Taco, and then eventually Taco Bell. Glen made sure people always knew what he was selling. 12.

Amazon Ironically and totally unintentionally at the end of the list, Amazon was the chosen name for the online store because it starts with an”A”, an advantage its founder found preferential due to the high chances of Amazon being at the top of an alphabetized list. Jeff Bezos originally incorporated the site as “Cadabra.com”, but it sounded too much like “cadaver”, so he settled for a name that meant exotic and different, instead of dead body. Audi and Volvo - Latin origin of the car company names - High Names 03.20.13 Posted in Naming blog by christa Let’s get back to the car business. We know a lot of the car companies are named after their founders – the trend was spread worldwide from the earliest electric automobiles. These include Ford (after Henry Ford), Peugeot (after the Peugeot family), also later Bentley (after Walter Owen Bentley), Porsche (after Ferdinand Porsche). The trend is also present in Asia by car manufacturers like Toyota (after Kiichiro Toyoda) and Honda (after Soichiro Honda). However, there are still original company names between the world-wide known brands in the car industry. The naming strategy is often so unique that they cannot be put in categories.

But Audi and Volvo can. Can you guess what the connection between those two famous car companies is in terms of naming? Latin. Volvo – on the different car company names Despite that Volvo is a Swedish company the founders didn’t name the car Viking or Nordic or anything like that. They decided on the Latin word volvere, meaning to roll. It seems a logical word choice since the purpose of working on a Swedish car project was to build cars that could withstand the cold Scandinavian weather and uneven roads – basically a car that rolls. What they did is only conjugate the verb volvere in first person (because unlike in English many other languages use similar but still different words when saying I roll, you roll, etc) and voilà – you have Volvo. It’s like the car speaks to you – I roll. Audi – on the translated car company names The reason for naming the famous car company Audi isn’t that spontaneous compared to Volvo. The truth is that the founder August Horch (and no the AU in Audi doesn’t come from the first two letters of the founder’s name) had originally founded another car company named August Horch & Co. This happened in 1904 when the German engineer had quit working for Karl Benz.

However, after some problems in the company, in 1909 Horch founded a second company – but his family name could not be used again as a name for the company because he didn’t have the rights on the company name. The story says that one of his business partners’ son came up with the name Audi. But this wasn’t a random Latin word that simply starts with the letter A (as you may know by now from our blog posts having a company name that starts with A is great because you get listed early in alphabetically ordered lists). If you speak German you’ll know that horch comes from the infinitive form of horchen and actually has a meaning – to listen (carefully). Now, can you guess what the Latin translation of horchen is? It’s audire – a verb that when conjugated in the same form as horch, becomes audi. The name seemed logical since August Horch could no longer use his own name. And a little more than 100 years later Audi is still one of the most popular names in the car industry. The stories behind car brand names — David Airey · 11 comments Etymology is the study of the history of words.

There’s a collection of company name etymologies on Wikipedia. Here are a few choice picks from the automotive industry. Alfa Romeo – the company was originally known as ALFA, an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. When Nicola Romeo bought ALFA in 1915, his surname was appended. (photo credit) Aston Martin – from the “Aston Hill” races (near Aston Clinton) where the company was founded, and the surname of Lionel Martin, the company’s founder. (photo credit: carpictures1.com) Audi – Latin translation of the German name “Horch.” The founder August Horch left the company after five years, but still wanted to manufacture cars. Since the original “Horch” company was still there, he called his new company Audi, the Latin form of his last name. In English it is “hark.” (photo credit) BMW – Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works). (photo credit) Cadillac – named after the 18th century French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, Michigan. Cadillac is a small town in the South of France.

The company, founded in 1902, was purchased by General Motors in 1909 and survives to this day as a GM brand. (photo credit) Chevrolet – named after company co-founder Louis Chevrolet, a Swiss-born auto racer. The company was merged into General Motors in 1917 and survives only as a brand name. (photo credit) Chrysler – named after the company founder, Walter P. Chrysler. (photo credit) Citroën – named after André-Gustave Citroën (1878–1935), a French entrepreneur of Dutch descent. He was the fifth and last child of the Dutch Jewish diamond merchant Levie Citroën and Mazra Kleinmann (of Warsaw, Poland). (photo credit) Daewoo – company founder Kim Woo Chong called it Daewoo which means “great house” or “great universe” in Korean. (photo credit) Datsun – first called DAT, from the initials of its financiers Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. Soon changed to DATSON to imply a smaller version of their original car, then (as SON can mean “loss” in Japanese) again to DATSUN when they were acquired by Nissan.

(photo credit) Ferrari – from the name of its founder, Enzo Ferrari. (photo credit) Fiat – acronym of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Italian Automobile Factory of Turin). (photo credit) Ford Motor Company – named after its founder, Henry Ford, who introduced automobile mass production in 1914. (photo credit) Honda – from the name of its founder, Soichiro Honda. (photo credit) Hyundai – connotes the sense of “the present age” or “modernity” in Korean. (photo credit) Mercedes – from the first name of the daughter of Emil Jellinek, who distributed cars of the early Daimler company around 1900. (photo credit) Nissan – the company was earlier known by the name Nippon Sangyo which means “Japan Industries.” (photo credit) Porsche – car company named after founder Ferdinand Porsche, an Austrian automotive engineer. The family name may have originated in the Czech name “Boreš” (boresh). (photo credit) Proton – Malaysian car manufacturer, where the name is derived from Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional. (photo credit) Renault – named after the founder Louis Renault.

(photo credit) Rolls-Royce – name used by Rolls-Royce plc and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, among others. In 1884 Frederick Henry Royce started an electrical and mechanical business, making his first car, a Royce, in 1904. He was introduced to Charles Stewart Rolls on 4 May that year. The pair entered into a partnership in which Royce would manufacture cars to be sold exclusively by Rolls, and the cars would be called Rolls-Royce. (photo credit) Saab – founded in 1937 in Sweden as Svenska Aeroplan aktiebolaget (Swedish Aeroplane Company); the last word is typically abbreviated as AB, hence Saab and Saab Automobile AB. (photo credit) SEAT – an acronym from Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo (Spanish Corporation of Touring Cars). (photo credit) Subaru – from the Japanese name for the constellation known to Westerners as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. Subaru’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries, was formed from a merger of six companies, and the constellation is featured on the company’s logo. (photo credit) Toyota – from the name of the founder, Sakichi Toyoda.

Initially called Toyeda, it was changed after a contest for a better-sounding name. The new name was written in katakana with eight strokes, a number that is considered lucky in Japan. (photo credit) Volkswagen – from the German for people’s car. Ferdinand Porsche wanted to produce a car that was affordable for the masses – the Kraft-durch-Freude-Wagen (or “Strength-Through-Joy car,” from a Nazi social organization) later became known, in English, as the Beetle. (photo credit) Volvo – which means “I roll” in Latin, from the infinitive form “volvere.” It was originally a name for a ball bearing being developed by SKF. (photo credit) You can read a ton more company name etymologies on Wikipedia. Additionally, you might find these Logo Design Love blog posts of interest: I had absolutely no idea where any of these names came from — some of the logos actually make sense now. Great collection of photos as well. Meanings of Car Manufacturer Brand Names - CarSpyShots Posts: 3,605 Meanings of Car Manufacturer Brand Names Here is a list of Car Manufacturer names.

I thought it would make an interesting exercise to see if we could all figure out what the origins of their names are and what the names themselves actually stand for. Feel free to add a response and the staff will keep the list updated. Thanks for all the help guys. Here's the List as it stands right now: - AC Cars - A shortening of the name "Autocarrier". "Autocarriers & Accessories Ltd." was the name of the original company which was later renamed "Autocarriers Ltd.", and after WWI was further shortened to AC Cars Ltd. - Acura - Meaningless marketing speak supposed to allude to the concept of "accuracy" or "accurate" or perfection (hence the caliper logo) - Alfa Romeo - An Acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. When the company went into bankruptcy it was bought by Nicola Romeo in 1915, the source of the second name. - Aston Martin - "Martin" is the founder's last name and "Aston" comes from the Aston Clinton Hill climb race where the cars had had great success.

- AUDI - A Latin translation of Horch (the founder, August Horch's, last-name), meaning ÂListen!Â. Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT an acronym for Auto Union. - Avanti - Company named after the Studebaker model of the same name. after Studebaker collapsed the Avanti model was spun into a separate company which continued producing the car under it's own brand name. The name is Italian and it means "ahead" or "forward". - Bentley - Named after the founder's last-name - Bristol - Named it's original parent company, the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was named after the British town it was located in. - BMW - Acronym for the German name "Bayersiche Motoren Werke" (Bavarian Motor Works). Generic industrial name. - Brilliance China Automotive - Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3,605 - Dacia - Named after the ancient european Kingdom (and later Roman province) that occupied most of what is today modern Romania, which is the home country of the modern car company.

- Daewoo - Romanized form of the korean word Daeu, which means "Great Universe." Named after the large Korean conglomerate Daewoo Industrial, of which the car division was a former part of, and which was the company's second corporate parent. Interestingly the company's founding corporate parent was General Motors. Financial difficulties led to the purchase of most of Daewoo Motors assets (after very troubled bidding) to General Motors, who renamed the part it purchased, GM-Daewoo. - Daihatsu - - Damlier Chrysler - compound name derived from Damiler-benz and Chrysler. - Dodge - Named after the founder's last-name - Dongfeng - Romanized spelling of Mandarin Chinese meaning "Wind from the east" or "East Wind". Dong Feng is also a reference to a famous slogan used during Mao ZedongÂs Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: ÂThe wind from the East prevails over the WestÂ (Communism prevailing over Capitalism and China emerging as a power on the world stage).

The slogan originates from the following excerpt from MaoÂs ÂLittle Red BookÂ: There are two winds in the world today, the East Wind and the West Wind. There is a Chinese saying, 'Either the East Wind prevails over the West Wind or the West Wind prevails over the East Wind.' I believe it is the characteristic of the situation today that the East Wind is prevailing over the West Wind. That is to say, the forces of socialism have become overwhelmingly superior to the forces of imperialism." The slogan has been used to adorn other products, the most famous of which are all of ChinaÂs intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and the modern car company. - Ferrari - Named after the founder's last-name - Fiat - Acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino - First Auto Works - - Ford - Named after the founder's last-name - Gaz-Volga - Gaz is an acronym for Gorkiy Automobile Factory (in Russian and Named after the writer Maxim Gorkiy). The Volga part is named after the largest river in Russia. - Geely - - GM - Acronym for General Motors.

Generic industrial name - GMC - In the early 1900's there was a man named Max Grabowski who established a company called the "Rapid Motor Vehicle Company", which developed some of the earliest commercial trucks ever designed. In 1909 the company was purchased by General Motors and was renamed the "General Motors Truck Company". A year later the marque "GMC Truck" was first shown at the New York Auto Show. In 1996 GM dropped the word TRUCK from the GMC Truck name, thus creating the GMC name as we know it today. There never was a Grabowski Motor Company or a Grabowski Motor Corp. GMC is a rearranged acronym for "General Motors Truck Company" (with the word Truck removed). - Holden - Named after a late 19th century saddler's shop in Adelaide, South Australia called the "Holden & Frost Company" that worked at repairing and building horse-drawn carriages and coaches (Holden being the last-name of one of the founders of that business). Though not the founder of the Holden we know today, one of this company's corporate descendants became the a body supplier to GM, and eventually joined with GM to form the company we know today.

- Honda - Named after the founder's last-name - Hummer - Named after the nickname of the impossible to pronounce HMMWV military vehicle (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle) - Hyundai - Romanization of the Korean word Hyeondae, which means (more or less) "Modern Times" or "Modernize". Named after former corporate parent. - Infiniti - Meaningless marketing speak supposed to allude to the concepts of Infinity and luxury. - Isuzu - Named after the Isuzu River in Japan that runs next to Japan's oldest shrine, Ise - Jaguar - Named after a model produced by SS Cars during WWII. The name SS was not exactly popular with the British at the time so the company adopted the name of it's Jaguar model. - Jeep - Not really known, but it's widely believed to be a mispronunciation of GP, which is an acronym for General Purpose [vehicle] - Kia - A compound name claimed by the company to originate from two Chinese words (they do not specify which variant of Chinese). The fist syllable stems from the Chinese word "ki", which means "to arise or come out of".

The second syllable stems from the Chinese word "a", which is supposed to be a reference to Asia. The combined word is supposed to mean to "arise or come out of Asia." Modified by Santeno at 11:41 AM 1/11/2005 Santeno - Koenigsegg - Named after the founder's last-name - Lada - Russian female name - Lamborghini - Named after the founder's last-name - Lancia - Named after the founder's last-name - Land Rover - Named after a Rover Cars model line. The Land is meant to allude to the model's attributes on the land (off-road) as opposed to on the road. Ford turned the model name into a brand name when it acquired Rover's SUV's from BMW. - Lexus - Meaningless marketing speak supposed to allude to the concepts luxury - Lincoln - Named after Abraham Lincoln, whom Henry Leland (the company's founder) voted for in the first presidential election he was able to vote on. The company was made to compete directly against Cadillac, a company Leland also founded but left over disagreements with GM management. - Lotus - Origin Unknown, though it is believed that the source of the name was Colin Chapman's wife.

- Marcos - An acronym formed by the first three letters of the founders' last-names (Jem Marsh and Frank Costin) - Maserati - Named after the founders' last-name - Maybach - Former car line by Mercedes-Benz. Named after chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach in the 1890's. Maybach became CEO when Daimler died - Mazda - Named after the Zoroastrian god of light - Mercedes-Benz - Mercedes was a pseudonym (named after his daughter) under which Emil Jellinek used to race Damlier cars. Jellinek became so successful in racing his "Mercedes" cars and in selling them to European aristocrats, that eventually he convinced the company to change the company name to Daimler-Mercedes. During the economic recession that followed WWI, Damlier and their competitor Benz & Cie formed a syndicate in order to jointly streamline their backroom, design and production operations. 2 years later the companies merged. The resulting company used the compound name Damlier-Benz, and their products were renamed Mercedes-Benz.

- McLaren - Named in Honor of Bruce McLaren, the founder of the F1 team now owned by the founder of the Car company - Mercury - Named after the Romanized version of the fastest of the ancient Greek gods, Hermes (the god of thieves and commerce, and Zeus' messenger). - MG - Acronym for Morris Garages - Mini - Named after the size of the vehicle - Mitsubishi - Japanese term meaning "three diamonds" - Morgan - Named after the founder's last-name - Mosler - Named after the founder's last-name - Nissan - Named after the founder's last-name - Oldsmobile - Named after the founder's last-name (Olds) and part of the word automobile. - Opel - Named after the founder's last-name - Pagani - Named after the founder's last-name - Panoz - Named after the founder's last-name - Perodua - Acronym for the Malaysian name "Perusahaan Otomobil kedua", which literally means "Second [Malaysian] Automobile Manufacturer" (the first one being Proton).

Modified by Santeno at 2:25 PM 12/27/2004 Santeno - Peugeot - Named after the founder's last-name - Pininfarina - Named after the founder's nickname - Plymouth - Named after Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, the supposed original site of disembarkation of the Mayflower pilgrims who founded Plymouth colony (They actually first landed at Provincetown not Plymouth). The colony and the name Plymouth have deep recognition amongst Americans, and the reason for it's founding if seen as an example of the ideals this country is founded upon and what it means to be an American. When Chrysler sought to introduce a good all around inexpensive car in 1928 that would appeal to the masses, they picked a name that already carried a distinct meaning and recognition that they hoped to make synonymous with their new brand. They picked the name Plymouth. Interestingly however, that name was already used by a truck manufacturing company called the Plymouth truck company, which built truck in 1909 (and one car), and named itself and it's cars after the town of Plymouth, Ohio. The company never produced many vehicles and instead focused on the production of locomotives and clay machinery.

The worldwide depression of 1929 almost killed the locomotive business and in order to avoid gong under the company switched to production of a line of small tractors they called Plymouth. The tractors proved very popular and Chrysler took notice. In 1934, Chrysler objected to what they saw as the use of their brand name in a line of lowly farm tractors, so they sued. The courts ruled that the name actually belonged not to Chrysler but to the old truck manufacturer (who remember had built 1 car branded as a Plymouth 20 years before Chrysler used it - and before Chrysler Corp even existed). In order to save their brand Chrysler was forced to buy the name from the truck manufacturer. So you see in reality The Plymouth brand is named after a little town in Ohio. - Pontiac - Directly or indirectly named after the 18th century Ottawa indian chief Pontiac, who led a rebellion against the British and eventually surrendered in what is today Detroit.

- Porsche - Named after the founder's last-name - Proton - Supposed acronym for "Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Berhad" - Renault - Named after the founder's last-name - Rolls-Royce - Named after the founders' last-names - Rover - Named after the company's 19th century predecessor the Rover Cycle Co Ltd (a bicycle manufacturer), whose products (Rover Bicycles) where named after the freedom they gave their users to wander and explore (i.e Rove). - SAAB - Acronym for the Swedish name of the founding corporate parent, Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (the "Swedish Aeroplane Company"). - SAIC - Acronym for "Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation" - Saleen - Named after the founder's last-name - Samsung - Korean word meaning literally "three stars".

Named after the predecessor of it's original corporate parent (a small family trade export business that primarily sold dried Korean fish, vegetables, and fruit to china during the late 1930's) - Saturn - Named for the planet - Scion - English word meaning "offspring of" [Toyota] - Seat - Acronym for "Sociedad EspaÂola de Automoviles de Turismo" (Spanish Society of Tourism Automobiles) - Shelby - Named after the founder's last-name - Skoda - Named after the founder's last-name - Smart - Acronym for "Swatch-Mercedes-ART". The name is also supposed to allude to the obvious attributes of the vehicle's characteristics and their owners. - Spijker - Named after the founders' last-names - SsangYong - Ssangyong means "twin dragons" - hence the double "s" at the start of the name. It refers to a legend in which two dragons waited 1000 years to fly to dragon heaven.

Finally, a single cintamani (In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, it is a magical jewel that is believed to possess the power to grant every wish, hence an epithet of God - or in the case of Buddhism, an attribute of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, hence a symbol of a mind that has attained its proper desire), which was necessary for the journey was released. Each dragon encouraged the other to take it and make the trip until both missed the opportunity. The king of heaven was so touched that he released a second cintamani and thus the two dragons entered heaven together. - Subaru - Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Also a Japanese word meaning "unite". Named after the union of 5 Japanese companies into Fuji Heavy Industries (the car company's corporate parent). - Suzuki - Named after the founder's last-name - Tata - Named after the founder's last-name - Toyota - Named after the founder's last-name (Toyoda) - TVR - Made-up abbreviation for "Trevor" [Wilkinson], the company's founder. - Vauxhall - Named after the company's founding corporate parent.

The name is a phonetic corruption of the name of the original site that housed the company in London, a medieval knight's (Fulk le Breant) house called "Fulk's Hall". The company is NOT named after the Vauxhall section of Liverpool. - Venturi - - Volkswagen - German for People's Car - Volvo - A derivative (not a translation) of the Latin for "I roll", which was supposed to create connotations of bearings in action. Modified by Santeno at 1:21 PM 8/3/2005 Santeno Quote, originally posted by Hornbag_1 » Just a thing on Holden, i think you should menton they started out essembling Fords! They might have done so at some point, but they started out assembling GM vehicles, not fords. Quote, originally posted by Monkey » One note on Jeep. There is also a belief that military Jeeps were named for Eugene the Jeep from Popeye. Eugene could pass through walls and go anywhere. I also read somewhere that the word Jeep was used for many different military vehicles at the time, and just stuck to the one we know, due to its post-war popularity. Awesome. I had never heard that before.

Can you point me to a source which can shed further light on what you said. I'd like to look into it further and add it to the list. Thanks. Guys please contribute any info on any brands we might not have listed, and on any brands listed which we don't have info for. Santeno Re: (Monkey) Quote, originally posted by Monkey » One note on Jeep. There is also a belief that military Jeeps were named for Eugene the Jeep from Popeye. Eugene could pass through walls and go anywhere. I also read somewhere that the word Jeep was used for many different military vehicles at the time, and just stuck to the one we know, due to its post-war popularity. Jeep was a common word in the militery but it wasn't written "Jeep" but "JP". I forgot was JP stood for but it meant all military vehicles. They just started to call them jeeps because it's easier to say. __________________ The origins of car manufacturers' names - AOL Cars UK The origins of car manufacturers' names Jul 15th 2016 03:13 AM - Customers in the market for a new car are currently spoilt for choice.

Where we once had forecourts stuffed with brown Rovers and beige Vauxhalls, we now have an increasingly diverse array of attractive metal filling the glass halls of local dealers. The exotic selection of metal often comes with an equally colourful brand name, but have you ever wondered where these names come from? We've had a search through the history books to find out the etymology behind the world's most famous car manufacturers. Volkswagen During the 1940s, Adolf Hitler commissioned Ferdinand Porsche (of Porsche notoriety) to create a fun, affordable vehicle that could be enjoyed by the inhabitants of Germany. Volkswagen – aka The People's Car or 'car of the people' - was soon fashioned and Mr Porsche unveiled the VW Type 1, which went on to be affectionately known as The Beetle after WW2. Nissan The marque currently storming the UK sales charts with its increasingly popular SUV models takes its name from an amalgamation of Nippon and Sangyo, which translates into Japanese Industry. As for its popular SUVs, the Qashqai is named after a clan or tribe of people found in Persia, Turkey and some Arab states.

Mercedes-Benz A number of manufacturers take their names from the company's respective founders but the story behind Mercedes-Benz is slightly more complicated. Karl Benz invented the Benz Patent Motorwagon in 1885. By the 1900s, a company called DMG (Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft) also invented a car called the Mercedes – named after the daughter of board member Emil Jellinek. Soon after, the two companies joined forces and the name Mercedes-Benz must have been considered catchier than Daimler-Benz because it stuck. Jeep The origins of the word 'Jeep' are a little hazy but it is commonly believed that it is a slurring of the acronym G.P, which stood for General Purpose or Government Purpose vehicle during World War 2. Jeep quickly became a common name given to any four-wheel-drive vehicle used by the military but Willys-Overland – the original producers of military-spec off-road vehicles - were granted the privilege of owning the word 'Jeep' as a trademark in the 1950s.

Audi If August Horch wasn't squeezed out of his original car company in the early 1900s, flash Harrys would be driving around in Horch R8s and Horch TTs today. Following a dispute, August Horch left his original company and ventured off alone, opting to call his new company Audi, or the Latin for 'listen', which in turn is similar to the German word 'to hear' - 'horcher'. Alfa Romeo Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili makes up the Alfa part and Nicola Romeo loaned his surname to create the beautiful brand that is now synonymous with a pure Italian driving experience. Funnily enough, Fiat now owns Alfa Romeo and the marque derives its name from another acronym - Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino – or loosely translated to 'Italian car manufacturers of Torino', the place where it all started. Take a trip through history in the gallery below Horch | Autopedia | Fandom powered by Wikia Search By Model Defunct Horch was the popular name for high-performance luxury motor cars manufactured in Germany by the company, August Horch & Cie, at the beginning of the 20th century.

Founder The company was established by August Horch , a former production manager for Karl Benz , and a partner on November 14, 1899 with a capital of 30,000 Goldmark at Ehrenfeld, near Cologne. Horch was also later the founder of the German automaker, Audi , which is named after the Latin translation of his surname (latin word for the regional Saxon expression, horch, which is the imperative form of “hark” - "listen to me" in German). 1938 Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet Initial cars The company initially began producing 5 and 10 hp twin-cylinder engine automobiles near Cologne in 1901. The first Horch had a 4.5 hp engine, with an alloy crankcase, a unique achievement in those days. It had an open-body design, with lighting provided by lanterns with candles in them. In contrast with the powerful cars of later years, the first Horch could barely reach a top speed of 32 km/h. It was significant at that time because it used a friction clutch, and also had a drive shaft to power the wheels.

The firm soon ran into financial troubles, not surprising considering the pioneering nature of the automobile business at that time. Horch had to seek new partners. The company was moved to Reichenbach (Vogtland) in March, 1902, where it produced a 20 hp four-cylinder car with a shaft drive. Horch cars were considered much advanced and superior to those being then built by Mercedes or Benz (who were then separate manufacturers). By 1903, Horch had built a car with a four-cylinder engine. In March of the following year, he introduced his new car at the Frankfurt Fair. In 1904, Horch was forced to convert the firm into a joint-stock company, A. Horch & Cie. Motorwagen-Werke AG, an action that he was to later regret. On May 10, 1904, he moved the new corporation to Zwickau, a city to the southwest of Chemnitz, in the eastern German state of Saxony. The first six-cylinder Horch appeared in 1907.

Audi connection In 1909, the supervisor board (German equivalent of the Board of Directors) of this corporation forced out Horch. Horch went on to found Audi , Audiwerke GmbH, which became effective on 25 April 1910. The name was a solution to the legal dispute with his old company over use of the Horch brand. In 1928, the company was acquired by Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, owner of DKW (which comes from the German word, Dampfkraftwagen), who bought the same year the remains of the US automobile manufacturer, Rickenbacker , including the manufacturing equipment for eight-cylinder engines. Eventually, on 29th June, 1932 Audi merged with Horch, DKW and Wanderer to form the Auto Union . The current Audi four-ring logo is the Auto Union logo. In the 1930s Horch introduced a new line of smaller and cheaper, but still presentable, V8 automobiles. Auto Union became a major supplier of automobiles to the German armed forces. Civilian production was suspended after March 1940.

Trabant connection During the Second World War, the factories suffered heavy bomb damage. Later, the advancing Soviet forces captured the area, and it became part of the Soviet sector of divided Germany in 1945, and later became part of East Germany. The factory was renamed as the Sachsenring factory after the East German firm IFA took it over, and produced the Sachsenring "P-240" in 1955. It produced the initial Trabant "P-50" model from 1957. [1] Rare Collectibles On Saturday, June 24th, 2006, an incredibly rare 1937 Horch 853A Sport Cabriolet in original unrestored, unprepared condition sold at auction in Cortland NY for $299,000 US.

[2] Famous Horch models Some famous Horch automobiles (year introduced): Horch 350/375/400/405 (1928-1931) Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet (1937) Horch 853A Erdmann-Rossi Sport Cabriolet (1937) Horch 853A Voll-Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet (1938) Horch 855 Roadster (1939) August Horch and Audi > Companies and brands > History > AUDI AG August Horch and Audi August Horch and Audi AUDI AG is able to look back on an exciting and varied past – its tradition of car and engine manufacturing extends back into the 19th century. It all began with August Horch, one of Germany's pioneering personalities automobile engineers. After graduating from the Technical University in Mittweida, Saxony, Horch’s first job was with Carl Benz in Mannheim, initially in the Engine Manufacturing Department and later as Head of the Motor Vehicle Construction Department.

He set up business on his own in 1899, establishing Horch & Cie. Motorwagen Werke in Cologne on November 14 of that year. Horch moved to Saxony in 1902, first to Reichenbach then in 1904 to Zwickau, where the company was transformed into a joint-stock corporation. Following differences of opinion with the Board of Management and Supervisory Board, August Horch left the company in 1909 and immediately established a second car company in Zwickau. Because his surname was already in use and was protected by trademark, he chose its Latin translation for the new company. So "horch!" – or "hark" – became "audi!". The idea of using the Latin imperative form came from the son of one of August Horch's business partners; the boy, well-versed in Latin, had overheard the discussion about the search for a new company name. In subsequent correspondence, August Horch even signed his letters with the words "Kind regards – Audi-Horch". Audi Automobilwerke GmbH itself became a joint-stock company in December 1914.

The Audi brand established a tradition of sporting achievement from the very outset. Thanks to his victorious involvement in the Austrian Alpine Runs between 1911 and 1914, August Horch succeeded in making Audi internationally known within just a few years. The notably successful Audi Type C 14/35 hp even acquired the nickname "Alpine Conqueror". After the First World War August Horch withdrew from the company and moved to Berlin to work as an independent automotive expert. Audi Social Web Audi History | Classic Audi Models | Audi USA Audi history A symbol of progressive engineeringThe four rings It's one of the most multi-faceted stories ever told in the history of the automobile. The Audi emblem with its four rings identifies one of Germany’s oldest-established automobile manufacturers. It symbolizes the amalgamation in 1932 of four previously independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. These companies form the roots of what is today AUDI AG. Pioneering Audi visionaryAugust Horch The story of Audi began in 1899 August Horch founded Horch & Cie. in Cologne. It was there that he helped build his first car.

After differences of opinion with the board, August Horch left the company and formed a second car company. Because his surname was already in use and was protected by trademark, he chose its Latin translation for the new company. So "horch!" – or "hark" – became "audi!". It was a brilliant idea that came from the son of one of August Horch's business partners. Thanks to his victorious involvement in the Austrian Alpine Runs, August Horch succeeded in making Audi internationally known in just a few years. After the First World War, August Horch withdrew from the company and moved to Berlin to work as an independent automotive expert. A legend, condensedAudi highlights Take a trip through the storied past of Audi and learn about everything from the production of the first left hand drive vehicle to the invention of legendary Audi quattro® all-wheel drive. Soon, you'll understand why Audi is one of the most hallowed names in any industry. 1939 Horch 853A - Conceptcarz conceptcarz Cabriolet By 1938 the top model produced by the Horch Company was the Horch 853A.

It was a more powerful version of the 853 fitted with a 120 bhp version of the 5-litre Horch straight eight. Many bodies on the shorter 853 A chassis were highly regarded, and the sporty cabriolets were among the most beautifully styled cars of their era. Over 350 cars were built between 1938 and 1939 and although expensive, they were cheaper than their Mercedes-Benz rival the 540K. This car was bought in Munich by a US airman in 1951 and shipped to the US. Sadly he died before he was able to enjoy the car and it was sold for the price of $10! Since then it has been fully restored and shown at many events including the Audi 80th anniversary. August Horch began producing vehicles with Karl Benz prior to 1899, after which he began building vehicles under his own name, August Horch & Cie. In 1909, after disputes with shareholders, he departed from his company and founded Audi, which is the Latin translation of his surname. The production of the Horch automobile continued without their founder using his name.

In the early part of the 20th century, the automobiles began to appear less like horseless carriages and more like automobiles. The tiller steering and high buggy wheels became a thing of the past and the engine found its way to the front of the vehicle. In 1926, a new model was introduced powered by a straight eight engine. This engine was used by the company for many years. Over the years it displacement size grew as did the horsepower rating. This engine was instrumental in providing the power-plant necessary to propel the luxurious Horch automobiles to quick speeds while maintaining a competitive price. As was the case with most early automotive manufacturers, Horch would either build the entire vehicle or merely supply the chassis for a coachbuilder to outfit the vehicle. Horch was instrumental in continuing the growth of Audi as a company and on the race track. During World War I, the direction of Audi switched to producing vehicles for the military. As was the case for most automotive companies, times were changing and becoming increasingly difficult to stay competitive and stay in business. In 1932, due to financial problems, August sold Audi. It became part of Auto Union.

Auto Union was comprised of Horch, Das Kleine Wunder, Audi, and Wanderer. The Union was essential a way to continue production of automobiles while providing financial support necessary to fuel automotive racing and technology. The Horch Series 850 featured the 100 horsepower straight eight engine, luxury, style and sophistication. The Model 853 was fitted to a shorter wheelbase and used a DeDion axle rear suspension. In an effort to stay competitive, The Model 853A became available in 1937 and featured a 120 horsepower straight eight engine. When World War II began, production of the Horch Automobiles ceased. By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2008

Question: Which car manufacturer is named after the Latin translation of the founder’s surname, Horch?
Answer: Audi