Although no one in the VW Group is currently talking about specific plant closures, the Audi plant in Necksulm is on the red list along with three others. It is unclear whether the worst will come to pass, but the NSU/Wankel Spider Club has pledged its full support to the approximately 15,000 employees. The club considers such a decision unwise, noting that Neckarsulm is ultimately not only a site steeped in tradition but also one of innovation. After all, the 1971 motto “Vorsprung durch Technik” dates back to the days of Audi NSU Auto Union AG.
The club argues that NSU, in particular, has a tradition spanning more than 150 years; it developed its first motorcycles in Neckarsulm and re-entered the automotive industry in 1958 as the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer. The NSU Prinz and the NSU/Wankel in the RO 80 remain famous to this day. Not least with the K70, NSU showed the VW Group in Wolfsburg the way from the rear-mounted boxer engine to the modern front-mounted inline engine.
Almost at the same time, the NSU Club criticized the renaming of the “German Two-Wheeler and NSU Museum” to the “German Motorcycle Museum” (DEMOMU), a decision made by the municipal council. The museum was founded in 1956 and received its original name in 1986 with the opening of the NSU section, which occupied an entire floor. However, the name was so long that it was often shortened to “Zweirad-Museum.” “The new name is more precise, shorter, and clearer, and strengthens brand identity,” said museum director Natalie Scheerle-Walz, explaining the need to further develop the museum’s public image.
The NSU/Wankel Spider Club has launched a petition against the removal of the “NSU” designation and the allegedly meaningless name “German Motorcycle Museum – DEMOMU.” So far, well over 1,500 signatures have been collected from the NSU and classic car communities in Germany and many other countries
