Drivers are only just realizing the hidden meaning behind the Audi logo

Audi is, arguably, one of the most recognizable and iconic car brands in the world, thanks in part to its logo.

The German marque has been in continuous existence for over 116 years.

Ever since 1932, it’s maintained its current – and iconic – four-ring logo.

And drivers are only just realizing the hidden meaning behind it.

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Audi: what’s in a name?

The company that you know today as Audi actually has a fascinating origin story.

In 1904, a German automobile pioneer named August Horch founded a car company.

Specifically, he founded the August Horch & Cie. Motorwagenwerke AG, which just rolls off the tongue, right?

Regardless, Horch left his first company after internal issues and established a second company in 1909.

However, he was sued by his former business partners, attempting to stop him from giving his new company the ‘Horch’ name.

The lawsuit was successful, so Horch and his associates, the Fikentscher brothers, needed a new name.

Horch’s son was in the room, studying Latin – and he blurted out an idea.

To put it simply, ‘Horch’ means ‘to hear’, whereas ‘Audi’ means ‘to listen.’

Everybody in the room loved the idea, so the name was very quickly adopted for the new brand.

So, what gives with the brand’s logo?

See, this is the part of the story that most people don’t actually realize.

By August 1928, Audiwerke AG was in pretty deep financial trouble.

Jorgen Rasmussen, the Danish owner of DKW, bought the majority of shares in Audiwerke AG.

Ultimately, Audiwerke and DKW would merge with Horch – the original company – as well as Wanderer.

These four car manufacturing firms would ultimately unite under the name of Auto Union AG.

This is where the story of the brand logo starts to make sense.

The interlocked rings represent the four individual brands that made up the company.

This logo was only used on Auto Union racing cars before the war, with each brand still using its own logo.

However, Auto Union AG was renamed as Audi NSU Auto Union AG on New Years’ Day, 1969.

It’s long been assumed that, due to the similarity, the Audi logo was influenced by the Olympic Rings.

However, that was not, in fact, the case – and now you know the real story.

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