How the Germans helped the development of the auto industry? A walk down memory lane

Automobiles have come a long way and evolved in multiple ways since the 1st car was designed back in 1886 by Karl Benz. The industry has been one of the centers for innovations and one such country which has contributed heavily to the auto-sector across the globe is Germany.

Fasten your seatbelts and prepare yourself for a journey which is a blast from the past in a Delorean and see how Germany contributed to this amazing field.

Petrol Engine

It is the year 1876 and Nikolaus August Otto gave the world an engine that ran on petrol. Although Gottlieb Daimler of Germany invented the prototype it is said that Nikolaus August Otto was the man behind the 4-stroke petrol engine patent thus petrol engines are also called as Otto engines.

Had not it been Nikolaus Otto, the world wouldn’t have tasted the fun of VTEC kicked in yooo! (i know its Japanese).

Diesel Engine

Back in 1897, in cooperation with Maschinen - fabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN), Rudolf Diesel built the first working prototype of a combustion engine to be run on inexpensive heavy fuel oil. However, this first diesel engine weighed approximately 4.5 tons and was three meters high.

Thanks to Rudolf Diesel for the Diesel engines else we would not have enjoyed rolling coal and watch a supposed to be school going kid scream “how dare you?”.

Thanks, Rudolf Diesel again, because of you we enjoy the Porsche Panamera 4S Diesel Sport Turismo.

First Car

Yes, it is Germany where the 1st car was designed. It was made by none other than Karl Benz. All this resulted to the birth of Mercedes Benz. We all know that Mercedes Benz is a company which is known for its luxurious S-Class as-well-as the record-shattering cars from the AMG lineup.

Fast highways

Germany is known as petrol heads paradise not just for fast cars but also for its road system. Germany is home to some of the fastest highways found around the globe. We are talking none other than the Autobahn. At Autobahn one can test their cars top-speeds without worrying about speed limits and cops about catching you. At Autobahn running out of fuel is a crime. Wow! That is just amazing.

Fast Cars

Who does not love fast cars? Germany is home to some of the best automakers who know to make cars that break speed records and track records. The same automobile company started during world war by the name Volkswagen, owns companies such as Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley, Audi, Bugatti. Hell yes. Heil Hitler for bringing up Volkswagen.

We all know just how amazing the Porsches are on the Nurburgring tracks (again Germany <3). All thanks to Germany that we are able to witness some epic sibling rivalry between Porsche and Lamborghini.

Does Bugatti need an introduction? I guess not, all thanks to the speed records they hold on to. Who would have thought of incorporating aerospace technology with the automobile industry? Well, the Germans did with the Bugatti Veyron.

Talk of luxury and the two brands that pop up in your mind is Rolls Royce and Bentley. Well, Volkswagen also owns Bentley. Don’t you just love the way the Bentley Bentayga Speed looks?

Technology

Well, let me just break this news to you if you do not know it already. Porsche Taycan has been awarded as the most innovative car of the world. It packs in 27 new ideas in a car and these numbers are huge. Just imagine what would be the contribution.

For reference, the Germans have gone all guns out and placed in rear frontal airbags for the Mercedes Benz S class. That’s something really innovative towards passenger safety.

We all have heard of the company Audi which is yet again a part of the Volkswagen group and we are all familiar with the Audi Quattro. Yes, the sophisticated four-wheel-drive setup from Audi is the best in the business. Audi engineers really know what they are doing in the market. Initially used for rally racing but now Audi has given the Quattro technology for all its cars. Well, Germans I tell you.

Not satisfied? Audi was the first company to use an All-LED headlamp setup to any car. The car which received the honor was none other than the Audi R8. The Audi R8 thou is a Lamborghini under the hood, yet it is one of its kind and has a special place in every petrol head’s heart.

Since we are talking about headlights why not look at BMW’s innovation? LASER LED headlight units. What is this LASER LED headlight? No, it is not that u are directly looking at a LASER beam. Rather What happens with each light is that three blue lasers positioned at the rear of the assembly fire onto a set of mirrors closer to the front. Those mirrors focus the laser energy into a lens filled with yellow phosphorus. The yellow phosphorus, when excited by the blue laser, emits intense white light. That white light shines backward, onto a reflector. The reflector then bounces the more diffused white light forward, shining it out of the front of the headlight casing as a beam that is powerful, yet still able to be gazed upon.

Who would have thought that one day we could look at a LASER beam and not get eyes damaged for good?

Have you ever wondered who designs the ABS units for our vehicles? Its none other than BOSCH which is again German.

For those mileage gang and hardcore pseudo environment activists, companies have started providing cylinders on-demand technology. Well, guess who brought it to play in the market? Yes, it’s the Audi - Volkswagen group. What is Cylinders on demand? In layman’s terms If there is a steady acceleration and at cruising speed the computer decides to shut away from the 8 cylinder setup to just 4 cylinders in the interest of saving fuel.

Conclusion

Germany has contributed more to the automobile industry more than one can imagine and we hope they continue doing it. This is what makes Germany the hub for all the automobile engineers since they can explore whatever they are interested into. Kudos to the engineers who made this possible and helped the automotive market evolve from nothing to this.