Is Volkswagen the Owner of the Audi Car Brand?

Ownership in the automotive industry comes with a complicated relationship. Car brands are continuously buying, selling, and everything in between. Some of the brands that have gotten mangled in the buying and selling going on within brands are Volkswagen and Audi. They are both well-known German car companies.

However, it’s been rumoured that Volkswagen owns Audi. The question in many people’s minds becomes: does Volkswagen Automotive Group own Audi? In this article, we share what you should know about Volkswagen’s connection to Audi.

Is Volkswagen Automotive Group a German Car Company?

Let’s check out a little history of these two German brands. What is the relationship between the two? Here’s a brief background of both Volkswagen and Audi and their history together.

Volkswagen Automotive Group began in 1937 on German soil. According to Brittanica, the German government founded Volkswagen in order to create a German brand that “mass-produced a low-priced ‘people’s car.” In fact, the Volkswagen Wikipedia page confirms that the name actually means “people’s car.”

The birth of Volkswagen meant bringing good, quality cars to the people of Germany and the rest of Europe. The first design for such a car was done by Ferdinand Porsche, an automotive engineer that the German Labor Front (the Volkswagen Automotive Group precursor) hired in 1934.

Before this mass production commenced, however, World War II broke out in 1939. By the end of the war, the factory was in shambles. It had been a military target due to the fact that it was repurposed in order to produce equipment and vehicles for the military. However, when the war was over British supervisors oversaw the rebuild of the original Volkswagen factory.

After that, the first mass-produced Volkswagens were introduced in 1946. It was not long before over half the drivers in Germany drove a Volkswagen. Gradually, the sales of the German brand, picked up globally starting from the United States of America in 1955. It soon saw the birth of the iconic rear-engine Volkswagen Beetle rise to the top of imported sales.

Does Volkswagen own Audi?

According to Consumer Reports, Volkswagen does in fact own Audi. On Consumer Reports’ list of which companies own what car brands, we see that Audi is a part of the Volkswagen Auto Group. But when did that happen?

According to Audi’s page on the Volkswagen Automotive Group website, it acquired Audi back in 1965. Audi has long been a producer of premium vehicles with performance at its core. Audi continues as an asset to the Volkswagen Auto Group. The luxury brand keeps releasing new electrified models––the fully-electric Audi E-Tron SUV, for example.

Where are They Headquartered?

The global headquarters for Volkswagen Auto Group are in Wolfsburg, Germany. This German car company doesn’t just oversee Audi and Volkswagen. Volkswagen Auto Group, located in Wolfsburg, is a global conglomerate that owns 12 brands worldwide.

The brands under Volkswagen’s corporate umbrella include some pretty epic names like Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley, and Bugatti are all part of the global fleet. 

Conclusion

Then there are some other less popular brands like Scania, Skoda, SEAT, and Man, a commercial truck brand. Volkswagen Auto Group owns the German car companies Audi and Volkswagen, but it owns several others too. The auto group has shown resilience and willingness to learn as it goes to produce some of the finest cars on earth.