Audi Logo: Meaning Behind The Symbolism

Every brand features a logo to define its purpose or motive in the market. The same applies to the automotive industry where every car manufacturer provides a logo. There is a story behind every brand and the logo depicts the same. There is a history of Audi logo as well and knowing how it came to light is pretty interesting.

Being an Audi enthusiast, you can get to know here what made Audi create those four rings as their logo.

Audi logo- understanding the facts
Every brand features a logo to define its purpose or motive (Photo Source: topgear)

Understanding The History Of The Audi Logo

Audi, the German automobile manufacturer is known to produce luxury vehicles in the industry. The premium models come adorned with the ultimate specifications, interiors, and exteriors which can make any automobile devotee fall for Audi.

Just like Audi’s creations, the Audi logo is special too because those four rings are not random and there is a meaning behind them. Digging deeper into history can make you clear about its journey and how Audi established itself.

Four different automakers started their journey on their own. These automakers were Audi, Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (DKW), Horch (from which Audi was born) and Wanderer. All the four companies had started working individually until the Great Depression of 1930 happened. It was a worldwide economic depression that began in the U.S. and affected the entire world.

Due to depression, all four companies faced a lack of resources significantly. To survive, all four automakers decided to unite and they form a union with a four ring car logo.  Hence, because of the four automakers, they started using four rings as their logo on every creation depicting all four brands.

Audi logo- explained
These automakers were Audi, Dampf-Kraft-Wagen (DKW), Horch (from which Audi was born) and Wanderer (Photo Source: audi)

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When Audi was manufacturing the automobiles separately, there was a single ring with a numeric sign “1” built on a circle that was half-covered with an upside-down triangle. The name “Audi” was embossed under this triangle. The logo was used to show the number one servicing of Audi as the brand wanted to establish itself as an authority in the industry.

1. More About It

The depression of 1930 shattered all the economic levels and made these four brands to unite in 1932 to survive. The condition got better, of course, but it was not for very long. The financial aspects were still low and people were out of money. The draught made the matter even worse and made thousands of people lost their lives due to severe temperatures.

With the beginning of World War II, this union got affected further which made other brands passive except Audi. In 1958 Daimler-Benz bought this union, but unfortunately, that too did not survive for long. As a result, in 1965, Daimler-Benz had to sell the union to Volkswagen where it began its journey with the name “Audi.”

Audi logo- the detailed guide
The condition got better, of course, but it was not for very long (Photo Source: audi)

Right after the VW bought Audi, another automaker named NSU joined Audi. In 1969, the brand became Audi NSU because of the union. Later, the brand modified its name to Audi NSU Auto Union AG which further renamed to Audi AG in 1985.

With Volkswagen, Audi flourished and started to gain popularity in the world. By this time, the economic depression was over too and the situations were getting better for everyone. However, the four rings got unaffected of all these ownerships and this way these rings now represent Audi as a brand.

The rings, however, got enhancements in all these years to create a logo that looks more modern. Today, the ring is a premium 3D shape where all four silver circles are interconnected. In case you wonder “what does the Audi logo mean,” it shows perfection and reliability.

The Founder Behind Audi

August Horch was the founder behind Audi, and due to the trademark on his name Horch with his previous company, he could not give his name to this automobile brand. Hence, Horch used the concept of synonyms and given his second company the name Audi. In German, Horch means to listen and Audi holds the same meaning in Latin. Acquire more Industry Knowledge and enlighten yourself with amazing facts.

That is how Horch gave Audi his name and further united with other carmakers. All four brands specializes in manufacturing different vehicles. DKW was a maker of motorcycles and small cars whereas Wanderer used to provide midsize cars. The Audi started its journey from deluxe midsize cars and the Horch was all about high-end luxury vehicles. Together, they formed the union to make use of everyone’s specialty.

Audi logo- the history
All four brands specializes in manufacturing different vehicles (Photo Source: edmunds)

Conclusion

So this is how they finally discover Audi  and today Audi represents itself as a member of the Volkswagen group. The history of Audi is a bit complex. Several factors contributed to making Audi stand where it is now.

The Great Depression of 1930 that failed the economy and the draught in the USA are two major factors however that play an important role in Audi’s history. We hope you now have a clear idea of how they discovered Audi logo  and what it means. Visit our blog regularly and stay updated with similar interesting facts.