The Volkswagen Group used its manufacturing and engineering skills to acquire a 50% interest in Audi in 1964. Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche, and Bentley are just a few of the high-performance automakers owned by the Volkswagen group today.
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Is VW the sole owner of Audi?
The two companies first interacted in 1964 when VW acquired a 50% stake in Auto Union, which had recently opened a new factory in the German city of Ingolstadt.
The ownership structure of VW and Audi has fared well throughout history. Ferdinand Pich left Porsche after being fired, went to Audi, and transformed it into a technologically cutting-edge automaker that has driven a significant portion of the VW Group’s revenues over the past ten years.
In order to gain access to Audi’s profits and reinvest them into the R&D of the larger VW Group, VW has gradually increased its ownership of the company over time. VW has been unable to fully possess the property for a while, but the problem is now being rectified.
In order to boost its existing 99.64 percent holding in Audi to 100%, the VW Group has said that it will pay a 48 percent premium for shares and buy out minority shareholders.
“Volkswagen AG declared and stated that the cash settlement amount to be paid to the minority shareholders in exchange for the transfer of their shares had been fixed at 1 551.53 euros per Audi AG share. The cost of the deal will be R4.6 billion, and it will involve VW acquiring the final 152 749 shares of Audi that it does not already own.
Why did the Volkswagen Group decide to go 100% now? Although there are benefits to 100 percent ownership, minority shareholders did not object to any management choices.
With the German law’s frequently time-consuming requirement for shareholder input and notification, the VW Group will now be able to make decisions considerably more quickly. Perhaps this decreased administrative friction served as the impetus for VW AG to acquire complete control of Audi.
What led Volkswagen to purchase Audi?
Volkswagen AG is a global automotive behemoth with extensive global influence. The German car manufacturer offers a wide range of brands, some of which are well-known and others which are less well-known. It might be difficult for many readers to name them all.
Naturally, many of them have German roots, starting with the well-known Volkswagen brand, which is marketed in vast quantities all over the world, as well as the upscale Audi brand and the legendary Porsche. However, Volkswagen has owned the Czech brand koda since 2000 and the Spanish brand SEAT since 1990. In 1998, the business added the then-dormant French brand Bugatti to its portfolio, together with the British brand Bentley and the Italian brand Lamborghini.
Volkswagen experimented with its own sub-brand, JETTA, in 2019, but only in China. JETTA had its own dealer network.
The Volkswagen Group’s main office is in Wolfsburg, Germany, however many of its brands have regional offices that report back to the parent company. Volkswagen Group is most known for producing passenger cars, but it also owns Ducati motorbikes, which are owned by Audi through Lamborghini, and the heavy truck brands MAN and Scania. Scania was formerly a part of the corporation that also produced Saab cars.
Here is a list of the automakers currently included in the Volkswagen Group.
Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Group, headquartered in Wolfsburg and best known for the Beetle, has Volkswagen as its major, high-volume brand.
Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, ordered the German Labour Front to form VW in Berlin in 1937 because he desired a reasonably priced “people’s automobile,” or Volkswagen. Hitler, who loved cars but couldn’t drive, is reported to have insisted on the air-cooled engine and the ability for the car to go at its highest speed of 62 mph on the autobahn while carrying two adults and three children.
At the 1938 Berlin Motor Show, Hitler personally introduced the vehicle, which was given the official name KdF-Wagen. Moreover, despite the fact that thousands of Germans had pre-ordered and paid for one, fewer than 200 civilian versions were completed before World War II interrupted construction.
The car’s manufacture had resumed in December 1945 under the supervision of a British Army officer, Major Ivan Hirst, and many automakers, including Ford, were given the chance to take over after the war. All of them rejected the Beetle, so in 1948 Hirst hired a German engineer, Heinz Nordhoff, to run the factory on his own.
With just two units sold in its debut year, the Volkswagen brand entered the American market in 1949. However, the Beetle’s simple handling, high quality, and reliabilityall of which had been significantly enhanced under Nordhoff’s directionquickly transformed a cult following into mass market appeal. The Beetle’s popularity encouraged Detroit’s Big Three to start producing their own inexpensive compacts in the late 1950s.
Before the water-cooled, front-drive Golf took off in the 1970s, VW battled for years to find a replacement for the Beetle. A lot of other VW models failed to impress in the US because they provided too few amenities at a higher price point than competitors, despite the fact that the Golf became VW’s heartland vehicle and is still the segment benchmark in its eighth iteration. There were moments when it seemed the Volkswagen brand might completely leave the market.
The VW Golf, Jetta, Passat, and Arteon, as well as the VW Tiguan, Atlas, and Atlas Cross Sport crossovers, fill out the current roster of vehicles. Future attention will be on electric vehicles, beginning with the Volkswagen ID4 in 2021.
Audi
One of VW’s high-end brands, Audi, has a headquarters in Germany’s Ingolstadt and functions somewhat independently of its parent company.
The name Audi was first registered by German engineer August Horch in 1910. Horch, which in German means “listen,” was the founder of an automobile manufacturer under his own name in 1904. Audi, Hord, DKW, and Wanderer were the four automakers that combined to form Auto Union in 1932, and their names are represented by the logo’s four rings.
After Volkswagen purchased Auto Union from Daimler-Benz in 1965, the brand was revived with the release of the Audi F103 series and the restoration of the Audi name after a 25-year absence.
At first, Volkswagen was only interested in the capability of the Ingolstadt plant; it had no desire for Auto Union to function independently. The first Audi 100 was created by Auto Union engineers undercover, and it wowed VW brass before being released in 1968. A year later, Auto Union amalgamated with NSU Motorenwerke, a manufacturer of rotary engines, motorbikes, and compact vehicles. On January 1st, 1969, the new business, Audi NSU Auto Union AG, was established with Audi as a distinct brand.
In 1970, Volkswagen launched the Audi nameplate on the American market. The firm was renamed Audi AG in 1986, and its headquarters were once again in Ingolstadt.
Despite the positive reception to the debut of quattro all-wheel drive
Recalls for allegations of rapid unplanned acceleration, promoted by a false 60 Minutes piece, nearly ruined the brand in North America in the 1980s. The 1980 Audi quattro Coupe utilized an all-wheel drive system derived from the Volkswagen Iltis military vehicle.
When it was decided in 1972 that no member of the Porsche family (he was the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche) should be involved in the day-to-day operations of the German sports car manufacturer, Ferdinand Piech joined Audi from Porsche. While initially providing Volkswagen with engineering skills it lacked in-house, Audi’s impact on the company turned out to be far greater.
In 1993, Piech was appointed chairman of the Volkswagen Group. Since then, he has played a key role in the company’s aggressive brand acquisition strategy and the creation of iconic cars like the Golf 4, Audi R8, Bentley Continental, and Bugatti Veyron.
Despite being hit by scandal once more in 2015 as a result of the bigger Volkswagen emissions testing affair, Audi is now a reputable and well-known manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles and SUVs. Audi is moving into the electric car market, starting with the Audi E-Tron, in accordance with the general direction set for the Volkswagen Group.
Porsche
Porsche is a name that is closely associated with fast sports automobiles. The Volkswagen Group owns the German company, which has its headquarters in Stuttgart.
Ferdinand Porsche established Porsche in 1931, originally working on other people’s cars like the Volkswagen Beetle. The 356, which shared many design cues with the original Beetle, including its rear-mounted air-cooled four-cylinder engine, was the first Porsche vehicle built under its own brand following World War II. The rear-mounted air-cooled 911, which was created as a roomier, more powerful, and more comfortable replacement for the 356, debuted in 1963 and over the course of eight generations has grown to become one of the most recognizable sports cars in the entire world.
The Porsche and Pich families’ voting-share ownership has made the corporate structure somewhat of a soap opera over the years, which was made worse when Porsche and Volkswagen both attempted to acquire one other in the early 2000s. There were intricate arrangements over who controlled what at various corporate levels, and a resolution was reached to consolidate their manufacturing divisions, but in the end, Porsche AG was owned and run by Volkswagen AG in 2012.
Porsche’s lineup of vehicles also includes the Boxster, Cayman, and Panamera performance sedan in addition to the legendary 911. With the 2002 release of the Cayenne and the 2014 debut of the more compact Macan, the brand entered the SUV market. With the Taycan’s introduction last year, Porsche has also entered the market for high-performance electric automobiles.
Lamborghini
Italian company luscious Lamborghini is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in Germany.
Ferruccio Lamborghini established Lamborghini in 1963 in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy, to take on Ferrari. It is renowned for its low-slung, rear-wheel-drive, unusual mid-engine vehicles. With the release of the Lamborghini Urus, a sports crossover with a twin-turbo V-8, it has progressed from sports cars to luxury sport crossovers as well.
Since 1973, the company has experienced three ownership changes and one bankruptcy. Ferruccio sold the business to two investors in 1974 after he retired, but they were compelled to declare bankruptcy two years later. In 1984, the receivers purchased it. Later, Chrysler purchased Lamborghini in 1987 but sold it to investment companies in Malaysia and Indonesia in 1994. In 1998, they sold Lamborghini to the Volkswagen Group, who incorporated the company under its Audi business.
In 2010 and 2012, the Volkswagen Group acquired the bulk of shares in the renowned Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati through Lamborghini, as well as the Italian design studio Italdesign Giugiaro.
VW purchased Bentley when?
- Full ownership of Bentley Motors Ltd. [3] On July 28, 1998, Volkswagen acquired Rolls-Royce & Bentley from Vickers[75], but the deal excluded the Rolls-Royce Plc-controlled license to use the Rolls-Royce trademark on automobiles. [76] BMW outwitted Volkswagen and was able to secure the right to use the Rolls-Royce trademark on cars. According to a contract with BMW, the Bentley division sold vehicles under the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands from July 1998 to December 2002. BMW continued to provide engines for the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph during that time. Bentley Ltd. merged into the Audi group in January 2022. [77]
Does VW own BMW?
The major automakers with present presences in the United States are listed below, along with the brands they sell.
BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce are all owned by BMW Group. Smart and Mercedes-Benz are owned by Daimler AG. Lincoln and Ford are owned by Ford Motor Co. Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac all belong to General Motors. Hummer is back as a GMC subsidiary brand. In order to co-develop EVs, GM and Honda have an official collaboration. Acura and Honda are owned by Honda Motor Co. It collaborates with GM. Sony Honda Mobility is the name of the electric vehicle firm they founded with Sony. Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia are all owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Mazda is owned by Mazda Motor Corp. Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Infiniti are all owned by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Following the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A., a new company called Stellantis was created. According to the explanation, the word is derived from the Latin verb “stello,” which means “to dazzle with stars.” Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram are now under Stellantis and are FCA brands that are offered in the United States. Other Stellantis automobile brands include Citroen, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall. Subaru is owned by Subaru Corp. Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Tata Motors. Owned by Tesla. Lexus and Toyota are owned by Toyota Motor Corp. Additionally, it owns stock in Suzuki and Subaru. The automotive brand VinFast, along with VinHomes, VinBigData, VinBioCare, and VinBrain, are all owned by VinGroup. Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scout, and Volkswagen are all brands owned by Volkswagen AG. Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus are all brands owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH).
Who owns Rolls-Royce, VW?
The Volkswagen Group acquired Rolls-Royce in 1998, but shamefully failed to secure the rights to the Rolls-Royce moniker. In the same year, BMW acquired those rights, and in 2003, it began producing Rolls-Royce automobiles.
Who constructs Aston Martin?
Aston Martin models have been produced by the Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC for 104 years since it was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bramford. However, in 1987 Ford took a major ownership position in Aston Martin. However, Mercedes-Benz took over as the company’s largest shareholder in 2020, boosting their ownership to 20%.
VW purchased Porsche when?
In 2011, Volkswagen acquired Porsche. Porsche was once considered a division of Volkswagen AG (interestingly, besides being the Porsche parent company, VW also owns Audi, Bugatti, and Lamborghini). In that sense, Volkswagen AG is the business that owns Porsche.
Does Audi utilize VW motors?
Through 2010, the 3.2-liter VR6 engine was a choice for the Audi TT as well, according to Car & Driver. According to Automobile, it served as the Porsche Cayenne’s base engine from 2003 to 2007 until being replaced with a 3.6-liter model in 2008. According to MotorReviewer, that engine was carried over into the second-generation 2011-2018 Cayenne and is maybe more dependable than the 3.2-liter model.
However, as we just mentioned, technology sharing is reciprocal. Volkswagen utilized the 4.2-liter V8 engine from Audi while Audi received the VR6 engine. The 20042009 S4, the 20082012 S5 Coupe, the 20022012 A8, the 20102014 Q7, the 20052010 A6, the 20062014 R8, the 20072008 and the 20132014 RS 4 are all Audi models that have it. Additionally, it is present in the VW Phaeton and the Touareg from 2003 to 2018.
Why do Volkswagens resemble Audi vehicles?
Although they differ in terms of grilles, features, and unquestionably pricing, there is frequently something about their shapes that resembles one another. That’s because the Volkswagen Group, a sizable conglomerate that owns the luxury brand Audi in addition to several other luxury brands Bentley and Lamborghini are also owned by VW.
Which Automaker Owns Acura?
Honda’s luxury automobile business is called Acura. The Integra and Legend, which used Honda’s first V-6, were the two vehicles that the Japanese carmaker offered when it initially introduced Acura in 1986. The brand would expand to include a variety of models, such as the short-lived ZDX coupe SUV and everything from the MDX and RDX SUVs to the NSX exotic sports car.
Which Automaker Owns Alfa Romeo?
One of the many brands owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is Alfa Romeo, which left the United States for over 20 years before making a significant comeback in the middle of 2014 with the 4C, a low-volume sports vehicle. A few years later, the Giulia, Alfa’s first popular sedan, was released. The upscale company currently has an SUV nearby.
Which Automaker Owns Aston Martin?
There isn’t a bigger automaker that owns Aston Martin. For an estimated $925 million, Ford sold the British exotic car maker to a group of investors in 2007. But that doesn’t imply it’s totally apart from other automakers: Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, owns 5%.
Which Automaker Owns Audi?
Luxury automaker Audi is a part of the Volkswagen Group. In 1965, VW acquired Audi, which had been formed by the amalgamation of four Saxony-based companies. In late 1968, the Audi 100, a pivotal vehicle for the company, made its appearance. The rest is history: Audi offers a whole portfolio of vehicles today, ranging from the A3 subcompact to the R8 supercar.
Which Automaker Owns Bentley?
Bentley has been a part of the Volkswagen Group since 1998, when it bought the British ultra-luxury company. The carmaker, whose divisions include its namesake brand as well as Audi and many others, entirely owns Bentley. That explains how the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga have similar underpinnings. But don’t worrythe Bentayga’s inside is entirely Bentley.
Which Automaker Owns Bugatti?
The Volkswagen Group is well-versed in luxury, as it also owns Bugatti, the French supercar manufacturer, which it did in 1998. Most people are familiar with Bugatti’s 1,001-horsepower, $1 million+ Veyron, which was eventually upgraded to 1,200 hp in the Veyron Super Sport. Oh, and the 1,500-hp Chiron, a luxury vehicle that Bugatti now produces, is said to cost about $3 million at the present exchange rate.
Which Automaker Owns BMW?
The BMW Group, a German carmaker that also produces the Mini and Rolls-Royce, is named after its flagship brand, BMW. Mini was reintroduced by the BMW Group in 2001, and Rolls-Royce production started in early 2003.
Which Automaker Owns Cadillac?
General Motors has a division called Cadillac. The other three GM brands in the United States are Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC. Over the years, the partnership has produced some dreadful products. However, today’s Cadillac sedans are built on performance-oriented underpinnings that are also used by a smaller number of other GM cars.
Which Automaker Owns Ferrari?
Ferrari operates on its own. The Italian exotic automobile manufacturer, which was formerly a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, was spun off to form its own business in early 2016. Despite this, given that FCA and Ferrari share the same CEO, Ferrari automobiles nevertheless bear a lot of FCA’s signature.
Which Automaker Owns Genesis?
Hyundai’s newest luxury division is called Genesis. It all started off as a single model that Hyundai unveiled in the beginning of 2008. In late 2015, the Korean carmaker introduced Genesis as a distinct luxury brand, redesigning the more expensive Equus and second-generation Genesis sedans as the Genesis G80 and G90, respectively. Although Genesis does not yet have its own stores, Hyundai continues to sell the G80 and G90 through its dealership network.
Which Automaker Owns Infiniti?
Nissan’s luxury division is called Infiniti. In 1989, the Japanese carmaker introduced Infiniti with the Q45 sedan and M30 coupe along with a small number of dealerships. Infiniti currently offers a variety of sedans and SUVs with the Q (sedan or coupe) and QX (SUV) designations.
Which Automaker Owns Jaguar?
Jaguar is owned by Indian carmaker Tata Motors. In 2008, Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata, who had previously owned both brands. Since then, Jaguar has produced an SUV, the F-Pace, as well as a specialized roadster, the F-Type. Despite its association with Land Rover, the F-Pace is not based on a modern Rover.
Which Automaker Owns Lamborghini?
One of the many brands owned by the Volkswagen Group is Lamborghini. Since VW acquired the Italian supercar manufacturer in 1998, the company’s product selection has remained modest. Lamborghini only produces the Huracan and Aventador nowadays, along with a few one-off vehicles that go to a select few lucky (and extremely expensive) owners.
Which Automaker Owns Land Rover?
Land Rover is owned by the Indian carmaker Tata Motors. In 2008, Tata acquired the British SUV marque and Jaguar, its sister company, from Ford, which had previously owned both companies. Since then, Jaguar has introduced an SUV, but don’t anticipate Land Rover to begin producing sports cars anytime soon.
Which Automaker Owns Lincoln?
Lincoln is Ford’s high-end label. Ford has owned Lincoln for almost 100 years; it acquired the carmaker in 1922; nonetheless, Lincoln has never been a prominent factor in terms of sales among luxury divisions at major automakers. However, the constant influx of new SUVs may change that.
Which Automaker Owns Lexus?
The upscale brand of Toyota is Lexus. The mid-size ES and premier LS cars were the Japanese automaker’s first two Lexus models. Today, Lexus competes with BMW and Mercedes-Benz for top sales popularity among luxury brands in the United States with a lineup of SUVs, sedans, and coupes.
Which Automaker Owns Maserati?
One of the many brands owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is Maserati. In its pre-FCA era, Fiat bought Maserati from Ferrari, in which it already had a controlling stake, assuming full ownership of the Italian automaker in 2005.
Which Automaker Owns Mercedes-Benz?
A division of Daimler, which also produces Smart and a few commercial car brands, is Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes once had international affiliates since, from 1998 to 2007, it was joined with Chrysler as part of the later-merged DaimlerChrysler.
Which Automaker Owns Porsche?
One of the brands owned by the Volkswagen Group is Porsche. After Porsche’s failed takeover attempt of its larger German rival, VW purchased Porsche in 2012. Porsche is still mostly known for its high-performance sports cars, but two SUVsthe Macan and Cayennehave recently added to its lineup and increased sales.
Which Automaker Owns Range Rover?
The premium SUV range from Land Rover, which is owned by Tata Motors in India, is known as Range Rover. The Range Rover is the company’s primary large SUV, but it also comes in the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque tiny trim levels.
Which Automaker Owns Rolls-Royce?
Rolls-Royce has been a part of the BMW Group for more than a decade. At the end of 2002, BMW fully purchased the British ultra-luxury brand after acquiring the name’s rights in 1998. Models like the Ghost sedan have some BMW inspirations, but don’t worryRolls trademarks are still all over the vehicle.