Audi

Audi AG is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the company are complex, dating back to the early 20th century and the initial enterprises (Horch and the Audiwerke) founded by engineer August Horch. Two other manufacturers (DKW and Wanderer) also contributed to the foundation of Auto Union in 1932. The modern Audi era began in the 1960s, when Auto Union was acquired by Volkswagen from Daimler-Benz. Volkswagen relaunched the Audi brand with the 1965 introduction of the Audi F103 series, and merged Auto Union with NSU Motorenwerke in 1969, thus creating the present-day form of the company. The company name is based on the Latin translation of the surname of the founder, August Horch. Horch, meaning 'listen, hark' in German, translates to audi in Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create Audi's predecessor company, Auto Union. Audi's slogan is Vorsprung durch Technik, which is translated as 'Progress through Technology'. Audi became a sister to Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (more commonly known as Porsche AG) following Volkswagen Group's 100% acquisition of the latter in 2012, and along with German brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz, is among the best-selling luxury automobile brands in the world.