Dixi
Dixi (Also known as Automobilwerk Eisenach)was a German car manufacturer. The company was founded by Heinrich Ehrhardt in 1896 as the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach. This business venture started out producing bicycles and firearms, but after a few years in these trades Ehrhardt began developing his own automotile which he named the Wartburg. Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach, as it was known at the time, was only the third company in Germany to produce cars. Ehrhardt's son, Gustav, eventually took over Automobilwerk Eisenach, which by 1900 employed 1,300 workers, making it among the largest industrial bodies in the region.
As Dixi
In 1903, Automobilwerk Eisenach fell on hard times, and the Ehrhardt family were forced to withdraw from management due to monetary losses, along with losing their license to prodice Decauvilles. After this setback, the factory changed its name to Dixi (Latin for "I have spoken") under chief engineer Willi Seck. The company's top model, type U35, was released to the public in 1907, and was praised across Europe for its performance and reliability, as well as a top speed of 53 mph.) After World War I broke out, Automobilwerk Eisenach diverged slightly from the commercial automobile industry, and began producing trucks and guns to fuel the war effort. With the German defeat and the reparations that followed, the factory suffered greatly from the requisitioning of production apparatus. In 1919, Dixi's auto production recommenced, but the persisting economic hardships forced the company to merge with Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG. The recession also impacted Dixi's output, pushing the company to focus on smaller cars. for example, in 1927 Dixi acquired a license to build the the DA-1 3/15, an inspired off-shoot of the British Austin 7.
BMW and Beyond
In late 1928, BMW acquired the rights to Automobilwerk Eisenach A.G. (Marke "Dixi"), effectively bringing the independent existance of the Dixi make to an end. The original Eisenach factory would later become the home of manufacturing by BMW. Dixi continued as the BMW Dixi for some time, but was renamed when the BMW-Factory Eisenach began making a more modern and improved version of the car, called the BMW 3/15PS. In World War II Automobilwerk Eisenach was called on once again to supply its country with motorcycles for use by the Wehrmacht, and engines for aircraft used by the Luftwaffe. In the post-war era, when much of Germany was under Soviet occupation, the factory became a state-owned stock company. When the Berlin wall came down, the Dixi models were far behind compared to the modern production methods that dominated the market. The factory was ultimately closed in April 1991.