Editing Auto Union (section)

==Formation==
Auto Union was formed in Germany in 1932<ref>{{cite web|title=Porsche Designs: From Racetrack to Battlefield|date=27 January 2012|url=http://ranwhenparked.net/2012/01/27/porsche-designs-from-racetrack-to-battlefield/|publisher=Ran When Parked|access-date=3 February 2012|archive-date=5 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205150550/http://ranwhenparked.net/2012/01/27/porsche-designs-from-racetrack-to-battlefield/|url-status=live}}</ref> merging:
*Zschopauer Motorenwerke J. S. Rasmussen (brand [[DKW]] – steam-driven car) founded by Danish engineer [[Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen]] in 1916, it branched out into motorcycles, and then front-drive two-stroke cars built at Audi works in [[Zwickau]] since 1931.
*[[Horch]] – founded 1904 by [[August Horch]] in Zwickau. It built cars starting from [[straight-twin engine]]s to luxury models with [[V8 engine|V8-]] and [[V12 engine]]s.<ref>Peter Kirchberg, Juergen Poenisch: ''HORCH – Types * Technics * Models'', Edition Audi Tradition, published by Delius Klasing Germany, {{ISBN|978-3-7688-1775-2}}.</ref>
*[[Audi]] – because of disputes with the CFO, August Horch in 1909 left his [[Horch|namesake enterprise]] and founded Audi across town, building [[Inline-four engine|inline-four]]-, [[Inline-six engine|six]]- and [[Straight-eight engine|eight]]-cylinder-engined cars. In 1928 Audi became a subsidiary of Zschopauer Motorenwerke.
*[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]] (car division only) – founded in 1911, with small four-cylinder cars and later a more luxurious straight-6 built in Siegmar (now [[Chemnitz]])

In August 1928, Rasmussen, the owner of DKW, acquired a majority ownership of Audiwerke AG.<ref name="chronicle3">Audi website {{cite web|url=http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1930_1944.html |title=Chronicle 1930–1944 |access-date=4 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204030104/http://www.audi.com/audi/com/en2/about_audi_ag/history/chronicle/chronicle_1930_1944.html |archive-date=4 February 2009 }}</ref> In the same year, Rasmussen bought the remains of the US [[automobile manufacturer]] [[Rickenbacker (car)|Rickenbacker]], including the manufacturing equipment for eight- and six-cylinder engines. These engines were used in [[Audi Type SS|''Audi Zwickau'']], [[Audi Type R|''Audi Imperator'']] and [[Audi Type T|''Audi Dresden'']] models. At the same time, six-cylinder and four-cylinder (licensed from [[Peugeot]]) models were manufactured.

In 1930 the Saxony Regional Bank, which had financed Rasmussen's business expansion in the 1920s, installed [[Richard Bruhn]] on the board of [[Audi|Audiwerke AG]], and there followed a brutal pruning and rationalization of the various auto-businesses that Rasmussen had accumulated. The outcome was the founding in Summer 1932 of Auto Union AG with just four component businesses, being Zschopauer Motorenwerke with its brand DKW, Audi, Horch and the car producing piece of Wanderer,{{sfn|Deutsche Autos, Band 2,|2001|page=85}} brought together under the umbrella of single [[shareholder]] company '''Auto Union.''' Although all four brands continued to sell cars under their own names and brands, the technological development became more centralized, with some Audi models employing engines by Horch or Wanderer.