Karl Benz, a German automotive engineer and designer, invented the first petrol-driven automobile. Germany has since then gained popularity as an automaker. Today it is renowned for its high performing and technologically innovative cars such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes, and quality sports cars such as Porsche. You can look at car brand reviews at reviewsbird.de and Verbraucherhilfe24. The clients’ reviews will help you select a reputable brand to purchase. German automakers use the function over form principle, enabling them to stress more on quality and functionality. These qualities have made Germany a leader in producing vehicles in Europe and among the top 5 worldwide car manufacturing countries. Some of the German car brands are discussed below.
Mercedes Benz
This automaker is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany and was founded in 1926, making it one of the oldest car manufacturers. Mercedes is known as a manufacturer of some of the best vehicles globally and is famous primarily for its limousines. Since its inception, Mercedes has been a market leader by combining both technology and style. It offers a variety of models such as trucks, luxury cars, vans and limousines. The different Mercedes categories are;
Passenger cars
- GLK
- CLS-Class
- R-Class
- C-Class
- E-Class Wagon
- S-Class
- CLA-Class
- Sports cars
- SLS
- SLK
Luxury cars
- E-Class
- R-Class
- CLS-Class
- S-Class
- SL-Class
- C-Class
- E-Class Wagon
- S-Class Hybrid
- CLA-Class
- CL-Class
Vans and minivans
- Sprinter
SUVs/CROSSOVERS
- M-Class
- G-Class
- GLK
- GL-Class
- M-Class Hybrid
Volkswagen
With its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, Volkswagen was instituted in 1937. At the time of its inception, Volkswagen mainly focused on luxury cars. Today the company has grown to be the people’s car and produces some of the best German cars. It has been able to acquire Bugatti, SEAT, Roll-Royce, Skoda, Lamborghini and Bentley. Of the many Volkswagen models, the most affordable in Europe is the Volkswagen Golf.
Adam Opel AG
Established in the year 1862, Adam Opel AG is headquartered in Rüsselsheim, Hesse, Germany. The company began as a bicycle manufacturer, and after it made its initial bicycle, it shifted to focus on automobiles, and in 1899, Adam Opel AG made its initial car. It is common to see vehicles made by Opel in gangster or mafia movies.
Porsche
With its headquarters in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, Porsche was launched in 1931. The company focuses on making hypercars, sedans, SUVs, sports cars and supercars. While today Porsche isn’t the most popular car maker, in the ’80s and ‘90s, it had quite a great reputation. Some of Porsche models include Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, Cayman and Boxster.
Bitter Cars
Bitter Cars is headquartered in Schwelm, Germany and was founded in 1971 by Erich Bitter, a former driver of race cars. Though Bitter is not much popular, characteristics such as its sporty and luxurious nature have enabled it to be present in the market even up to date.
Alpina
Alpina has been in existence since 1965 to date and has its headquarters in Buchloe, Germany. The company isn’t very popular. It has entered into a partnership with BMW, which has seen a majority of its practices joined with the production line of BMW. In certain areas in Germany, the company is still popular.
Audi
This car manufacturer is famous for having an interior that is driver-oriented and finished such that its quality even goes beyond some premium brands. Audi is also known for incorporating technological developments into its cars. It was founded by engineer August Horch in 1910 and is named after its founder. The founder translated his name Horch into Latin to come up with the name Audi. Audi partnered with other three companies, the wanderer, the original Horch company and DKW, to form the Auto Union, and it is here that they derived their four rings logo. During the second world war, a majority of carmakers in Germany found it challenging to continue with their operations. This was particularly due to the strict regulations that were in place. The scenario forced the Auto union to sift to West Germany to try re-establishing the company. The company would then, in the 60’s get acquired by Volkswagen, which combined all the Auto union four brands into one, naming them Audi. Audi’s popularity came in the 1980s with the success of Audi Quattro in rallying. The company would go-ahead to produce multiple Audi Quattro models that would proceed to set the standard for saloon and luxury hatchbacks.
Keinath
Launched in 1983 and having its headquarters in Reutlingen, Germany, Keinath started manufacturing vehicles by producing a variant of the renowned Opel Monza. It then manufactured GRY, which was known for being extremely powerful, highly stylish and sporty.
In conclusion, Germany is known as a producer of high quality and technologically innovative cars. This article has sought to compile and discuss some of the german auto manufacturers.
