Audi is a German automobile company headquartered in Bavaria, Germany. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen. The parent company of Audi, Auto Union, was founded in 1932 by August Horch. It was established under Daimler-Benz. Later in the 1960s, Auto Union was acquired by Volkswagen to expand its portfolio.
In 1965, the company relaunched Audi with Audi F103 series. The current form of Audi was reached when Auto Union was merged with NSU Motorenwerke by Volkswagen in 1969. Interestingly, Audi became the first company to present a production car with left-hand drive, Audi Type K. It established its dominance because it provided a better view of the road.
Audi got its name from the name of its founder, August Horch. In German, Horch means ‘to listen’. In Latin, ‘to listen’ becomes Audi, thus the name. The company currently has 10 divisions across the globe. The countries are Germany, Brussels, Mexico, Hungaria, China, Brazil, India, Slovakia, Spain and Russia.
The iconic four rings, the symbol of the company, denote the four companies that came together to form Audi’s parent company, Auto Union. Its slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ means ‘Being ahead through technology’.
In 2022, the company decided to bring back its flagship sedan, Audi A8, with a refreshed look. It will be launched in India under the name Audi A8 L. It is said to be an ultra-luxurious model of Audi A8. The car can be pre-booked at a price of Rs 10 lakhs. However, it will cost Rs 1.56 crore to Indian buyers.