The Austrian automotive industry has a rich and unique development history. It combines two main areas: direct automobile production and delivery, and automobile component production. The Austrian automobile industry began with the second-largest company, Laurin & Klement, which produced Austria’s first two cars in 1905.
A peculiarity of the Austrian automobile industry was its export orientation, given the relatively small domestic market. However, the investment-friendly climate and favorable development conditions still make the country particularly attractive for investment. This explains the pace of development of the country’s automotive industry and the locations of facilities here by the world’s largest car manufacturers.
Custoca
In 1966, Gerhard Höller founded a small private company, Custoca, to produce and distribute finished cars. This 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 Huracán and Stratos cars. The company produced 135 Stratos and over 100 Hurricans before closing in 1988. The brand logo is a 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 automobile racer with an engineering background, founded a sports car company of the same name. This was due to the need to create a car that met their requirements. They assembled the first models using components from the Volkswagen Kübelwagen. In 1952, they developed a lightweight chassis, which they used to create the 1300 Serien Super (SS) model in 1957. Today, Wolfgang Denzel AG sells only automobiles. The text logo shows the brand name in lowercase sans-serif font.
Eurostar Automobilwerk GesmbH & Co. KG
Austrian automobile manufacturer Eurostar Automobilwerk GesmbH & Co. KG was a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler Corporation. The company was founded in 1990 as the main manufacturer of Chrysler cars 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 & FZ, and PT Cruiser Cabrio JY & JZ. The company logo mirrors the Chrysler brand logo, highlighting their shared identity. But in the center circle, the name Eurostar is displayed.
A. Felber & Co
Austrian brand A. Felber & Co. is known for producing sidecars. The brand was founded in Vienna, Austria, in 1952. With the Felber Autoroller T 400, a three-wheeled microcar introduced in 1952, the company entered automobile manufacturing. In 1954, the company modified its scooter and produced the Felber Möve coupe. Automobile production was soon shut down. The company logo featured unfolded wings, with a circle at the center bearing the traditional, stylized image of a soaring seagull and the model name. The T 400 logo featured a shield in the center and the brand name in capital letters above it, as if handwritten.
Graf & Stift
A manufacturer of trucks and buses/trolleybuses, the Austrian company Gräf & Stift has been producing cars since 1902. It is a family business founded in 1893 by three brothers, Franz, Heinrich, and Karl Graf, to produce bicycles. The first of these was the unusual Voiturette self-propelled car of 1895. The brand existed until 2001, when MAN acquired it 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 diverged.
KTM AG
Austrian automobile manufacturer KTM AG was founded in 1992 and is based on KTM Sportmotorcycle AG, founded in 1934. Pierer Mobility AG and India’s Bajaj Auto International Holdings BV own the company. The brand’s main product line is motorcycles. But in the late 90s, the company began producing cars, among which a series of sports cars, including the X-Bow, a lightweight two-seater, became especially popular. This model was the world’s first carbon fiber monocoque design. The brand logo is a black, right-slanted three-letter monogram on a bright orange background.
Laurin & Klement
The automobile brand Laurin & Klement was founded in Austria-Hungary in 1895 by Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement. In 1925, the Czech company Akciová společnost, dříve Škodovy závody of Mladá Boleslav acquired it; it later became the well-known Czech company Škoda. Starting with bicycles and motorcycles, the brand produced its first automobile in 1905: the Laurin & Klement A, or Voiturette Type-A. The brand produced mass-produced models B, B2, F, FC, and FF. These included two- and four-seaters, with phaeton, limousine, landau, van, omnibus, and sanitary car bodies. The brand logo sat on the radiator grille and displayed the company name in capital letters.
Ledl
Ledl Ges. mbH is an Austrian company founded by Günter Ledl in 1973 that made a name for itself in the automotive industry by producing buggies. Based in Tattendorf, the company started producing buggies. The first model was the Hippo Racing Ledl. The Siva model brought the brand the greatest fame. In 1981, production of the first Ledl AS series began, but it ended in 1987 because of legislative changes. The buggies were produced until 1994, when the brand switched to car accessories. The company logo is the brand name in bold black capital letters on a bright orange background.
Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH The
Austrian factory Libelle Fahrzeugbau- und Vertriebsgesellschaft GmbH earned a place on the list of domestic automakers thanks to its three-wheeled sidecar and all-weather motor scooter. It was produced from 1952 to 1954. Production was carried out in Innsbruck. Forty vehicles were produced. At this point, the plant ended its connection to the automotive industry. The brand name and emblem were located on the right side of the front end. Made in the form of a handwritten inscription, it was clearly legible and easy to remember.
Magna Steyr AG & Co KG
Austrian automobile manufacturer Magna Steyr AG & Co KG was part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch conglomerate until 2001. It is a subsidiary of Canada’s Magna International. After gaining independence with Frank Stronach’s direct involvement, the brand established its headquarters in Graz, Austria. In 2002, DaimlerChrysler acquired the company. In 2010, Erhard & Söhne was incorporated into the company. In 2016, Telemotive AG acquired the brand. The company logo is a stylized letter MC with a red dot above a black dot, and the full brand name in grey.
ÖAF
Austrian company Österreichische Fiat-Werke Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1907 by the Turner Fiat factory and the Anglo-Osterreichische Bank as a repair shop. The company was based in Wien-Floridsdorf. During its existence, the brand produced cars and trucks. Omnibuses for various purposes were produced. The brand produced passenger cars, the Austro-Fiat 9/32 (1923), trucks like the ÖAF Tornado 16 and ÖAF Tornado 19, the OAF Guzar, and even a wheeled tank. Since 1993, the sale of passenger cars has been transferred to AC Austro-Car. For its logo, the brand chose a mythical lion and an abbreviation of its name from the first three letters.
Puch
Johann Puch founded the Puch automobile company in Graz, Austria, in 1899. As a subsidiary of Steyr-Daimler-Puch, it produced automobiles, bicycles, mopeds, and motorcycles. In 1906, Puch produced the Voiturette automobile, and in 1910, it began producing sedans for the Habsburgs. In the post-war years, the brand produced the Puch 500 and Steyr-Puch Haflingers, small cars, and won the European championship with the 650 TR II. In 1970, Steyr-Puch introduced the Pinzgauer all-terrain vehicle. The logo was designed as a sign: a black circle with the brand name in white lettering at the top. Below was a heraldic shield with a white-and-green checkered pattern.
Rosenbauer Group
Austrian special equipment manufacturer Rosenbauer Group is the world’s largest manufacturer of special equipment, particularly fire trucks. Founded in 1866 and based in Leonding, the company supplies fire engines to fire departments in more than 100 countries. 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’s logo is known worldwide. It is a red sign shaped like the brand name’s capitalized first letter, with the full name in lowercase letters written in black.
Steyr-Daimler-Puch
Austria’s largest automobile conglomerate, Steyr-Daimler-Puch, traces its roots back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1864. Starting with military equipment, airplanes, and weapons, the brand also produced automobiles. The company’s headquarters are located in the city of Steyr. Among the most famous Steyr 120 models are the supercabriolet (1935) and the all-terrain vehicle Pinzgauer 710M 4×4. The Steyr VII (1926), the Steyr XX (1930), and the Steyr 220 (1939) were produced under this brand. The Steyr-Puch 500 DL truck, model 12S18, was especially popular. MAN bought the cargo area. The brand logo combined the Steyr and Puch marks.
Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH
Austrian supercar manufacturer Tushek & Spigel Supercars GmbH is widely known for its logo, a stylized letter T in steel inside a triangle, framed in bright yellow. The Austrian-Slovenian brand (founded in 2012 in Slovenia and later moved to Graz, Austria) resulted from a collaboration between Slovenian racer Alyosha Tushek and Austrian Jakob Karl Spigel. The startup Tushek made a name for itself after presenting the Renovatio T500 at Top Marques Monaco. In 2014, the brand unveiled its new Tushek TS 600, followed by the TS900 in 2018.