More About Audi - Vorsprung durch Technik
Audi was founded over a century ago in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany. Today, the company is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group. Many people wonder how the the company name came about. It is based on a Latin translation of the founder's surname, Horch (listen becomes audi in Latin).
The Four Rings
The four rings of the famous Audi logo represent one of four car companies that banded together to create Audi's predecessor company, Auto Union - Horch, Autowerke, DKW and Wanderer. The company has been through many incarnations since its founding in 1909. It was in 1969 that Volkswagen merged Auto Union with NSU Motor Works creating the present-day company.
Audi is synonymous with high quality sporty vehicles, featuring stylish, progressive design. With Ducati and Lamborghini forming part of the Audi Group, it produces some of the world's most desired vehicles.
As the marque's slogan tells us, technology is at the forefront of Audi's business. The company prides itself on constantly searching for new solutions and meaningful innovations which are sustainable.
Locally, Audi falls under the Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) which is made up of Audi, Volkswagen Passenger Cars and the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brands - a wholly owned German subsidiary.
Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz and BMW are Audi's major competitors and these are seen as the Big Three of luxury German cars. Being part of the Volkswagen Group, which also owns Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti, allows Audi to share many of the components of its cars with these other brands, giving them a competitive edge. The A3, for example, shares some of its platform and powertrains with a VW Golf; the Q7 shares a significant number of parts with the Porsche Cayenne.
The Big 3 compete for sales worldwide, often edging each other out with new releases, but the Audi A4 and Q5 broke records for the marque and continue to be highly popular cars.
Autonomous Driving and the Future
Audi AI is a driver assist feature. Audi intends to offer fully autonomous driving in the near future using this technology. Since 2017, the Audi A8 has been fully self-driving for speeds up to 60 km/h using Audi AI. The Audi A8 became the world's first production car to attain level three autonomous driving. This means that the driver could text or even watch TV!
Technology really is the source of progress with this German manufacturer.