Audi is readying its rival against the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class with an uber-luxurious A8 facelift and for an added flavour, it plans to bring back the moniker ‘Horch’ with it. The name Horch finds its roots in the late 1800s when August Horch, a former production manager for Mercedes-Benz, joined forces with business partner Salli Herz to establish a new company. They set up the Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG in 1904, followed by the August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH in 1909.
August did not possess the rights to ‘Horch’ name and hence renamed the second company. After a suggestion from the son of a business partner, he settled on ‘Audi’. Later on, Horch and Audi merged with DKW and Wanderer to form Auto Union AG in 1932.
Post World War II, the company’s senior managers left for Bavaria to build Auto Union GmbH, which was then acquired later by the Volkswagen Group in 1965, resulting in the Audi as we know it.
Now, Audi is planning to bring back the Horch name with its flagship sedan A8 facelift. According to an Automotive News report, Audi has slated the mid-cycle facelift of the A8 to make its debut in the next two-three years.
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Audi A8 Horch, a plausible rival to Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, will feature more equipment than the A8 L with the same wheelbase like the Mercedes’ range-topper. The report says it will get bespoke alloy wheels and a ‘Horch’ badge either on front fenders or the C-pillar.
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Audi A8 Horch is likely to be powered by a V8 engine and an option of Volkswagen’s twin-turbo 6.0-litre W12 engine, which isn’t currently available in the A8 or its long wheelbase version. While Mercedes plans to take the extend Maybach versions beyond the S-Class, Audi will limit the Horch to A8.
