Audi AG is a premium luxury German automotive manufacturer. The company was founded in 1909 by August Horch, immediately after he was forced to leave the company he personally founded, the “Horch Werke”. The name “Audi” is a Latin translation of his name – “Listen” in English. They say that August Horch decided this while he listened how the son of one of his partners studied his Latin lesson.

In 1932 both companies united again and almost immediately 2 other automobile companies – DKW und “Wanderer” were integrated with the consortium. This way the group “Auto Union” was build, which took as a badge 4 interlaced rings symbolizing the participants in it.

Audi has been an almost wholly-owned (99.7%) subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) since 1964, when Volkswagen acquired the factory in Ingolstadt and the trademark rights of the Auto Union. After being merged with Neckarsulm car maker NSU Motorenwerke AG the official name was "Audi NSU Auto-Union AG", which was simply shortened to "Audi AG" in 1985.