Audi is owned by Volkswagen Group (Germany, XETRA: VOW3), which acquired the brand in 1966.[1][2] Audi was founded in 1909 in Ingolstadt and was independent until 1966.
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Annual Report 2025, Volkswagen AG. Last checked .
Audi's four rings represent the four companies that merged to form Auto Union in 1932, and its name is a Latin translation of its founder's surname Horch, which means listen. Its quattro all-wheel drive system transformed rallying in the 1980s.
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Volkswagen Group ownership tree →
See the full Volkswagen Group brand portfolio (11) →
Volkswagen Group controls 11 brands on Brandtree, 9 of them in automotive.
Volkswagen Group has more brands in luxury cars on Brandtree than any other owner: 2 of 19.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| BMW | BMW Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Denza | BYD | 🇨🇳 China |
| Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-Benz Group | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Jaguar | Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles | 🇮🇳 India |
| Lincoln | Ford | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Hyptec | GAC Group | 🇨🇳 China |
| Volvo Cars | Geely | 🇨🇳 China |
| Cadillac | General Motors | 🇺🇸 United States |
Volkswagen Group is a publicly listed company headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, founded in 1937. Brandtree records 11 brands under its control, and it is listed as XETRA: VOW3.
Volkswagen Group is the largest carmaker in Europe and owns more distinct marques than any rival, from Škoda at the bottom to Bentley and Lamborghini at the top. The state of Lower Saxony holds a blocking stake, and the Porsche and Piëch families control the majority of voting rights.
Volkswagen Group: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 252 brands that began in Germany. 93 of them (37%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Audi is not one of them.
Volkswagen acquired Auto Union from Daimler-Benz in stages through the mid-1960s, and revived the Audi name that had been dormant since before the war. The four rings represent the four companies that merged to form Auto Union in 1932. Only the year is documented here.
The parent company of Audi is Volkswagen Group, a publicly listed company headquartered in Germany.
Yes. Audi originated in Germany in 1909 and its owner, Volkswagen Group, is also headquartered in Germany.
Volkswagen Group completed its acquisition of Audi in 1966, after announcing the deal in 1966. The price was not disclosed.
Audi was an independent company from its founding in 1909 in Ingolstadt until Volkswagen Group acquired it in 1966.
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Audi is still owned by Volkswagen Group. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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