Audi A8L Horch

Audi is reviving the historic Horch brand name after more than 64 years. August Horch founded his own car brand in Cologne in 1899 and moved production to Reichenbach in the Vogtland region in 1901. After the local city council refused to allow an expansion of the factory site, the company moved to Zwickau in 1903. In the period that followed, the young brand developed well and was able to build up a good reputation through numerous victories in motorsports. However, it proved to be a mistake for August Horch to have reorganized his company as a stock corporation. In the opinion of many shareholders and the CFO, he wasn’t leading the brand in the right direction. As a result, the founder was pressured to leave his factory in 1909. Horch then founded August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH in the immediate vicinity. In court, however, he was forbidden to use his own name again for a car brand. Shortly afterwards, he changed the name to the Latin imperative “Audi”, which translates as Horch! into German.

First Horch model in 64 years

In 1932, Horch, Audi, Wanderer and DKW merged to form Auto Union AG. All four brands continued to produce independent automobiles. After World War 2, Horch production was located in the Russian eastern sector. Production of tractors and trucks resumed there in 1948 under the name “VEB Horch Kraftfahrzeug- und Motorenwerke Zwickau”. In 1954, the Sachsenring P 240 was the last automobile on which the Horch brand name could be found, at least temporarily. Now this slumber is over. The Audi A8L Horch made its debut at the Auto Show in Guangzhou, China. The base vehicle is the long-wheelbase version of the fifth-generation A8. This has 130 millimeters more wheelbase, which fully benefits the rear passengers. Overall, the car has a length of 5.45 meters.

Only available in China

From the outside, the A8L Horch, which is only intended for China, can be recognized by various small details. For example, it rolls down the road on 20-inch polished alloy wheels. Special Horch logos and lettering can be found on the front fenders, wheel hubcaps, D-pillars and at the rear. Digital Matrix LED headlights and OLED taillights are standard. Inside, the Horch lettering can be found on the center armrest and the additional seat cushions in the rear. Rear passengers travel on individually adjustable and climate-controlled individual seats separated by a fixed center console. Screens, folding tables and the finest leather turn this area into a high-end office on wheels. Fittingly, the Audi A8L Horch gets a hybrid drive with a three-liter V6 turbo engine and a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The data sheet lists a total output of 253 kW/340 hp and 500 Nm of torque. The power is transmitted to the quattro all-wheel drive via an eight-speed automatic.

Following in Maybach’s footsteps with Horch?

Now, of course, the question might arise as to why Audi is reviving the name of its legendary founder. The answer can be found quickly if you look at one of the main competitors from Swabia. There, an attempt was already made at the beginning of the millennium to re-establish the Maybach brand. Ultimately, the efforts failed and the Mercedes-Maybach brand was incorporated at the luxury end of the Daimler brand world instead. Since then, there have been particularly classy offshoots of the S-Class, G-Class and GLS with the double-M logo. These vehicles have a particularly good sales market in China and Russia. Audi now wants to follow this up with the A8L Horch. However, the choice of a hybrid drive instead of the prestigious W12 engine is interesting. Perhaps a variant will follow here again. It is also still uncertain whether the car will be offered in other countries beyond China.

Images: Audi China