Josef Kales was born on the twenty-first of March 1901. After completing his engineering studies he became a designer at the Steyr plant, before moving to the Avis aircraft plant.

As an engine specialist Kales participated in the development of innovative ideas for the opposed four-cylinder engine for the NSU prototype.

Between 1932 and 1938 he collaborated on the design for the Auto Union racing car. With his development of the sixteen-cylinder engine for the Auto Union P racing car he achieved a work of genius. Occasionally Porsche employed him in the building of and studies for aircraft engines.

From 1939, as chief engineer, he ran the Volkswagen plant and after the war took charge of running the reconstruction of the design office and the Volkswagen testing department. Shortly before his retirement in his sixty-fifth year Kales was the deputy manager of technical development at the Volkswagen plant and held general power of attorney for the company, as he had done for the preceding twenty-five years.