Audi’s four interlocking rings represent four German car makers — Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer — that merged in 1932 to form Auto Union. The name “Audi” itself has a clever origin: founder August Horch left his first company and was barred from using his own surname, so he chose “Audi”, the Latin translation of horch (“listen!”). After the Second World War, Auto Union was re-established in Ingolstadt, became part of Volkswagen in the mid-1960s, and revived the Audi name for its cars.

At a glance

Ring Company Known for
1 Audi Mid-range cars, founded by August Horch in 1909
2 DKW Motorcycles and small two-stroke cars
3 Horch Luxury cars, founded by August Horch in 1899
4 Wanderer Mid-size cars and motorcycles

August Horch and the name Audi

August Horch founded his first car company, Horch, in 1899. After disputes with his board, he left in 1909 and started a new company — but the Horch name belonged to his old firm. According to company history, the son of a business partner, studying Latin, suggested “Audi”, the Latin imperative of “hear”, the same meaning as the German horch.

Auto Union

During the Great Depression, the Saxon state bank helped merge Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer into Auto Union AG in 1932. Each brand covered a market segment, from DKW’s small cars to Horch’s luxury cars. The four rings symbolized the union.

The Silver Arrows

In the 1930s, Auto Union’s mid-engined Grand Prix cars, designed by Ferdinand Porsche, battled Mercedes-Benz for supremacy. Driver Bernd Rosemeyer became a national hero.

After the war

Auto Union’s factories in Saxony ended up in East Germany. The company was re-founded in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, building DKW cars. Daimler-Benz owned it for a time, then sold it to Volkswagen in the mid-1960s. VW revived the Audi name in 1965, and in 1969 merged Auto Union with NSU. The company became Audi AG in 1985.

Modern Audi

Audi built its image on technology — “Vorsprung durch Technik” — including quattro all-wheel drive and aluminum construction. Read the Audi A8 history. The Horch name has even returned on a luxury A8 in China.