Company overview
DKW was a German car and motorcycle manufacturer established in 1916. Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen founded the company with the goal of producing steam fittings, and later attempted to build a steam car. The acronym DKW originated from the name of his first toy engine, ‘das kleine Wunder’ (the little wonder). By the late 1920s, DKW became the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. In 1932, DKW merged with Audi, Horch and Wanderer to form Auto Union. Following World War II, DKW moved to West Germany. The company produced a series of inexpensive cars from 1931 to 1942, including the F series, which were among Europe’s first volume-produced cars with front wheel drive. DKW continued to build vehicles under license in Brazil and Argentina until 1967 and 1969, respectively. In 1957, Auto Union acquired DKW, and in 1964, Volkswagen Group purchased Auto Union. The last German-built DKW car was the F102, produced until 1966. After World War II, DKW was rebuilt in East Germany and then assembled under license in Brazil and Argentina. In 1956, DKW began producing the V6 engine, which was later used in the Munga and F102. Production ceased in 1966 with the introduction of the Audi F103. DKW-Vemag produced approximately 109,343 vehicles in Brazil before Volkswagen took over production in 1967. In Denmark, DKW cars were assembled locally by Christian Bohnstedt-Petersen, utilizing imported chassis and bodies. DKW vehicles were also produced in Argentina by IASF S.A., and in Switzerland by Holka AG.
