The marks of German cars Are some of the most famous, reliable and quality in the world. This is because Germany is one of the countries with more tradition of automotive, as it gave the industry different historical impulses with novel creations.
Were Karl Benz Y Nikolaus Otto The creators of the four-stroke internal combustion engine in 1870. This invention completely revolutionized the car, which gained in efficiency. All cars today work with this system, except for electric, which are a modern technology.
The German automotive industry is one of the most developed and important in the world, with more than 6 million cars produced per year. It is the fourth in the world and is one of the main activities in the generation of work within the country, with more than 700 thousand workers.
The history of this industrial branch in Germany goes back to the nineteenth century, when Karl Benz adopted the technologies of the floats existing at the time. But with the Great Depression of 1920, the crisis hit the sector.
Its resurgence came partly during Nazism, with the creation of the Volkswagen Beetle, known as"auto del pueblo"for its robustness and low price. But it was after World War II that the German automotive industry ended up becoming a booming sector of the country's economy and the world.
In addition to having almost 90% of the global premium market, Germany has popular designs that invade the streets of the world and also its drivers are motorsports stars. Michael Schumacher , Sebastian Vettel Y Nico Rosberg , Dominated Formula 1 in the last 20 years.
In this article I will review the best German car brands. Some remain in force, others have been absorbed by larger companies, and a few have disappeared.
List of the 21 Best German Cars
1- Audi
Audi e-tron
Audi was founded in 1909, although its history began much earlier. It was August Horch Who gave life to this brand today recognized worldwide.
Horch was one of the first Germans to dedicate himself to the manufacture of cars in 1899 and launched his first model in 1901. A short time later, this entrepreneur decided to give life to his company.
It was born under the name of August Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG but after a legal battle lost the name and it baptized Audi, that in Spanish translates like"listens".
Currently part of the Volkswagen Group, it is dedicated to the luxury segment and is headquartered in Ingolstadt.
2- Mercedes Benz
It emerged after the merger of Daimler Motorengesellschaft and Benz & Cie. It owes its name to an old distributor of the first who sold the cars with the name of his daughter, Mercedes.
Its logo is the famous three-pointed star, designed by Gottlieb Daimler! . It symbolizes the ability of your engines to use them on land, sea or air.
It is headquartered in Stuttgart and is one of the world's leading luxury car dealers, as well as trucks and buses. In addition, he won the last two Formula 1 titles, both drivers and constructors.
2- BMW
BMW Z8
It began to produce in 1913 with Karl Rapp As leader and had its take off thanks to a new technology in the engines of the airplanes. Industry that was very important during the Second World War.
Some years later, in 1916, Gustav Otto , Son of Nikolaus, who became one of the founders of BMW. These acronyms mean Bayerische Motoren Werke,"Bavarian engine factory".
Headquartered in Munich, it is the leading manufacturer and seller of high-end cars today. Rover, Smart and Maybach, are some of the brands that the company has bought in the last 20 years.
The Z8 model became world famous for its appearance in the film James Bond: The World Is Not Enough .
4- Alpine
He was born as a manufacturer of accessories for other companies and currently is dedicated to remodel with sports style and luxury the models that he buys to BMW. It is based in Buchloe.
5- Porsche
Porsche 911
At present, it is one of the leading high-end sports car brands in the world. Its beginnings were in the creation of the first electric cars of Ferdinand Porsche in the XIX century.
It is based in Stuttgart and is part of the Volkswagen Group. The 911 model is one of the most recognized in the history of the automobile.
6- Opel
He was born as a company that was dedicated to making bicycles and sewing machines until he started importing cars from other companies.
His founder Adam Opel He hated automobiles, but when he died, his children saw in this industry a business opportunity. It is based in Rüsselsheim and is currently a subsidiary of North American General Motors.
7- Volkswagen
Volkswagen Scirocco
It is the most important brand of the group of the same name, which is the largest automobile manufacturer in Germany and the second largest in the world. It is based in Wolfsburg.
Its beginnings go back to the project of Adolf Hitler to construct an efficient and economic car in 1937. The winner of the contest was Ferdinand Porsche with the Beetle that constructed Volkswagen.
8- Borgward
It was a car brand that disappeared in 1961 when the company went bankrupt. It was founded by Carl Borgward And his most recognized model was the Isabella of 1954.
9- Artega
Artega
It was a brand of exclusive luxury sports cars. He produced a single model between 2006 and 2012, when he went bankrupt.
The only vehicle designed by this company was the Artega GT, whose production was stopped when only 130 of the 500 copies were finished.
10- Gumpert
It is a case similar to that of Artega, had a unique model in its history, the Apollo, with which tried to revolutionize the segment of luxury sports cars. It only lasted from 2007 to 2012, with two versions of its design.
After bankruptcy, the company was acquired by Asian capital and since 2016 began to project new models for the future, but have not yet been released.
11- Isdera
Isdera Spyder
For 48 years, Isdera, based in Leonberg, is dedicated to making sports cars on request. One of his models is eligible in the video game Need for Speed II.
12- Lotec
It is one of the most exclusive sports car brands in Germany. Since 1962, it has been producing models with parts from other high-end manufacturers. In 1990 she was hired by a millionaire Arab sheikh to build a special car.
13- Keinath
Keinath GT
This company is dedicated to the replica of models for 35 years and in 2003 began to manufacture its own designs of sports cars convertible.
14- Smart
This brand was born of the union between the companies Swatch and Mercedes-VEC, that they came together to make cars of small size and light, ideal for the urban use. Since 1998, they began to revolutionize the market with these types of models.
Headquartered in Böblingen, it is currently owned by Daimler, and is one of the leaders in the micro-car segment.
15- Maybach
Maybach Exelero
Maybach is part of the Daimler AG group, which started manufacturing cars in the early 20th century but remained out of the market between 1940 and 2002.
Founded by Wilhelm Maybach and his son Karl Maybach In 1909, this company started producing engines for zeppelins. Some years later it was dedicated to luxury cars until, with the Second World War, it was dedicated to military engines.
After being acquired by Daimler in 1969, motorized different brands until it returned to the market in the last decade. It is based in Stuttgart.
The Maybach Exelero is a unique model with a market value of eight million dollars.
Some say the exclusive Exelero model was bought by the rapper Jay Z , While other sources are awarded to the music producer Bryan"Birdman"Williams .
16- Ruf Automobile
Ruf's is an atypical case. Since 1939, it produces models on Porsche chassis but with its own technology and components. He has a great presence in video games of speed cars, for his specialty in sports designs.
Its history has a particular origin, since it began in a garage, where it offered services of mechanics, and began to expand when it acquired a station of fuel, with which it extended its offer.
From then, in 1940, began with the designs. The first that gave it popularity was a tourist bus. This sector is still active within the company but is a separate branch.
Then came the cars, with a big boost in 1970 when they began to modify Porsche models with powerful performance exclusive to demanding customers.
In the last decade, Ruf launched the first version of the Porsche 911 but with a V8 engine.
17- Wiesmann
Wiesmann MF4-S
Another brand that no longer exists. He was born to the brothers Martin and Friedhelm Wiesmann in 1985 in Dülmen. He stood out for his production of cars convertible and sports.
Disappeared in 2014 due to severe financial problems. However, since then several automakers have been interested in the name of the company to continue their exclusive designs.
18- HQM Sachsenring GmbH
It is another case of one of the companies that was born driven by the boom of the German automotive industry during century XX. In the beginning, it manufactured components for other brands until it launched its own family models.
It was founded in 1947 and disappeared in 2013 after some name changes. Its headquarters were in Zwickau.
19- Loyd
Norddeutsche Automobil und Motoren GmbH, better known as Loyd, is a German automaker that produced different models of street cars between 1908 and 1963.
Based in Bremen, this company sold its different designs under the name Hansa - Loyd. Among his models were cars for family use, vans, coupes and convertibles.
twenty- Melkus
Founded by the pilot Heinz Melkus In 1959. Although Melkus specialized in the manufacture of racing cars, he had his moment of glory when he built his only street model: the Melkus RS 1000, of which there are only 101 specimens.
It retired from manufacturing in 1986 and was dedicated to components until it filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
21- Karmann
Karmann Ghia
It is one of the brands that most respect the style of the old classic cars and since 1901 is dedicated to the production of high-end cars and convertibles in its Osnabrück factory.
Its versions are inspired by the models of other companies, but also it has own designs. In 2009 it went into bankruptcy and was acquired by the Volkswagen Group.