The Austrian automotive industry has a rich and unique history of development. It is represented by a combination of two main areas – directly the production of cars, their supplies, and the manufacture of components for cars. The era of the Austrian automotive industry was opened by the second most important company – Laurin & Klement, which produced the first two cars in Austria back in 1905.
A feature of the Austrian automotive industry was an export orientation due to a rather small domestic market. But its investment-friendly climate and favorable conditions for development still make the country particularly attractive for investment. This explains the speed of development of the automotive industry in the country and the placement of their capacities here by the world’s largest automakers.
Custoca
In 1966, Gerhard Höller founded the small private company Custoca to produce and distribute complete vehicles. The brand produces several popular sports cars and high-performance dune buggies based on the Volkswagen Beetle, which began production in 1972. The brand is known for its 1971 Hurrycane and Stratos. Before closing in 1988, the company produced 135 Stratos and over 100 Hurrycanes. The brand logo is represented by the text version of the company name—bold sans-serif letters in light yellow, framed by a bold black border.
Denzel
In 1948, Wolfgang Denzel, an Austrian race car driver with an engineering background, founded a company of the same name to manufacture sports cars. This was due to the need to create a car for their requirements. The first models were assembled based on Volkswagen Kübelwagen components. In 1952, their lightweight chassis was developed, based on which, in 1957, the 1300 Serien Super or SS model was developed. Today, Wolfgang Denzel AG only sells cars. The text logo shows the brand name in a lowercase sans-serif font.
Eurostar Automobilwerk GesmbH & Co. KG
Austrian automaker Eurostar Automobilwerk GesmbH & Co. KG was a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. The company was established in 1990 as Chrysler’s main manufacturer in Graz-Liebenau, Austria. In 2002, the brand became part of Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Co. kg. The company’s latest models are the Chrysler Grand Caravan GK & GY, Voyager RG, PT Cruiser FY and FZ, PT Cruiser Cabrio JY, and JZ. The company logo follows the Chrysler brand logo, demonstrating brand commonality. But in the central circle, the name Eurostar is executed.
A. Felber & Co
The Austrian brand A. Felber & Co is known for its production of sidecars. The brand was founded in 1952 in Wien, Austria. Thanks to its 1952 Felber Autoroller T 400 three-wheeled microcar, the company entered the list of automakers. In 1954, the company modified its scooter and launched the Felber Möve coupe. Soon the auto production was closed. Its logo was a sign of unfolded wings in the center of which was a circle with a traditional stylized image of a soaring seagull and the model’s name. The T 400 logo had a shield symbol in the center, and above it, in capital letters, the brand name was applied like a hand lettering.
Graf & Stift
The manufacturer of trucks and buses/trolleybuses, the Austrian company Gräf & Stift, has been manufacturing cars since 1902. It was a family business founded by the three brothers Franz, Heinrich, and Karl Gräf in 1893 to manufacture bicycles. The first was the unusual self-propelled Voiturette of 1895. The brand functioned until 2001 when MAN became its owner and renamed the company. The logo was a stylized obtuse triangle with a curved base. It had a dark red fill and the letter “I” in the central circle, from which stylized wings radiated.
KTM AG
The Austrian automobile manufacturer – the KTM AG brand was founded in 1992 based on the 1934 KTM Sportmotorcycle AG. The company is owned by Pierer Mobility AG and India’s Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV. The main direction of the brand’s products is motorcycles. But in the late 90s, the company added the production of cars, among which the X-Bow sports car series – light two-seater cars gained particular popularity. The model became the world’s first carbon fiber monocoque construction. The brand logo is a monogram of the name of three letters in black with a right slope on a bright orange background.
Laurin & Klement
The car brand Laurin & Klement was founded back in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1895 by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Clement. In 1925, it was acquired by the Czech company Akciová společnost, dříve Škodovy závody from Mlada-Boleslav, later becoming the well-known Czech company Škoda. Starting with the production of bicycles and motorcycles, the brand in 1905 launched its first car – Laurin & Klement A or Voiturette Type-A. The brand produced a mass model B, B2, F, FC, FF. Among them were two and four-seater, with the bodies of a phaeton, a limousine, a landau, a van, an omnibus, and an ambulance. The brand logo was placed on the radiator grille and was the company’s name in capital letters.
Ledl
Ledl Ges. mbH is an Austrian company that made itself known in the automotive industry with the release of a buggy in 1973; Günter Ledl was founded. Based in Tattendorf, the company began manufacturing buggies. The first model was the Hippo Racing Ledl. The Siva model brought the greatest fame to the brand. Since 1981, the brand began production of the first series Ledl AS, which was discontinued in 1987 due to changes in legislation. The buggies were produced until 1994 when the brand switched to auto accessories. The company logo is the brand name in black bold capital letters on a bright orange background.
Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH
The Austrian factory Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH has earned its place in the list of national car manufacturers thanks to its three-wheeled sidecar – an all-weather auto scooter. It was produced from 1952 to 1954. Production was carried out in Innsbruck. Forty cars were produced. On this, the plant’s connection with the auto industry was terminated. The logo – the name of the brand, was located on the right side of the front. Made in the form of an inscription made by hand, it was well-read and easy to remember.
Magna Steyr AG & Co KG
The Austrian car manufacturer Magna Steyr AG & Co KG until 2001 was part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate. It is a subsidiary of the Canadian Magna International. Having gained independence thanks to the direct participation of Frank Stronach, the brand established its headquarters in the Austrian Grace. In 2002 the company bought DaimlerChrysler. Erhard & Söhne was incorporated into the company in 2010. In 2016, the brand was acquired by Telemotive AG. The company logo is represented by a sign in the form of a stylized letter MC with a red dot over the black one, made in black, and the brand’s full name in gray.
ÖAF
The Austrian company Österreichische Fiat-Werke Aktiengesellschaft was founded by the Turner Fiat factory together with the Anglo-Osterreichische Bank in 1907 as a repair shop. The company was located in Wien-Floridsdorf. During its existence, the brand has been producing cars and trucks. It produced omnibus engines for various purposes. Among the brand, models are the passenger car Austro-Fiat 9/32 of 1923, trucks ÖAF Tornado 16, OAF Tornado 19, OAF Guzar, and even a wheeled tank. Since 1993, the sale of cars has been transferred to AC Austro-Car. The brand chose a mythical lion and a text abbreviation of the name from the first three letters as its logo.
Puch
The automotive manufacturing company Puch was founded in 1899 by Johann Puch in Graz, Austria. Being a subsidiary of Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the brand produced cars and bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles. In 1906, the Puch Voiturette was launched, and in 1910 production of sedans for the Habsburg began. In the post-war years, the brand produced the small car Puch 500 and Steyr-Puch Haflingers and won the European Championship – 650 TR II. In 1970, the all-terrain vehicle Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer. As a logo, a sign was developed in the form of a black circle, in which the brand name was applied in white type at the top. Below was a heraldic shield in a white-green checkered pattern.
Rosenbauer Group
The Austrian manufacturer of special vehicles – the Rosenbauer Group, is known as the world’s largest manufacturer of special equipment – in particular, fire trucks. Founded in 1866 and based in Leonding, the company provides firefighters to fire departments in more than 100 countries worldwide. Johann Rosenbauer founded the brand in Linz. The first fire engine left the factory gates in 1918. Among the brand’s most famous models is the 1985 Falcon. The company logo is known all over the world. A red sign in the form of a capital first letter of the brand name, from which the full spelling of the brand name in lowercase letters is written in black.
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
The largest Austrian auto conglomerate – Steyr-Daimler-Puch, traces its history to Austria-Hungary since 1864. Starting with military equipment, aircraft, and weapons, the brand has also included cars in production. The company headquarters is located in Stairs. Among the most famous Steyr 120 models are the super convertible (1935) and the Pinzgauer 710M 4×4 all-terrain vehicle. The brand produced Steyr VII 1926, Steyr XX 1930, Steyr 220 1939. The small car Steyr-Puch 500 DL the Steyr 12S18 truck were especially popular. The load compartment was sold to MAN. The brand logo was a combined sign of the Steyr company and the Puch brand.
Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH
The Austrian supercar manufacturer Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH is widely known, whose logo is represented by a steel stylized letter T inside a triangle in a bright yellow border. Being an Austrian-Slovenian brand (founded in 2012 in Slovenia and moved to the Austrian Graz) resulted from cooperation between the Slovenian racer Aljoša Tushek and the Austrian Jacob Carl Spigel. Startup Tushek made itself known after the presentation of Renovatio T500 at Top Marques Monaco. In 2014, the brand introduced its new model Tushek TS 600, and in 2018 – TS900.
