Carl HahnInitiator of modern marketing

Born on March 4, 1894, in Nove Hrady (then Gratzen in Bohemia), Carl Hahn began his professional career in 1922 as the “right-hand man” of J.S. Rasmussen, the proprietor of Zschopauer Motorenwerke/DKW. Within a short time he built up a modern, efficient sales and marketing structure.

When Auto Union AG was established in Chemnitz, Carl Hahn joined the Board of Management and assumed responsibility for Sales. After the Second World War he played a decisive role in the re-establishment of the Auto Union in Ingolstadt and Düsseldorf. On June 30, 1951, he retired from the company for health reasons. He later died in the Belgian seaside resort of Le Zoute, near Knokke, on June 5, 1961.