The Audi logo is one of the most recognised car logos around. Those four simple circles first appeared way back in 1932. All the same, it still manages to cause some controversy: there was the move to a flatter Audi logo a few years ago and then the decision to ditch the rings completely for the branding of the German carmaker's EV line.
But do those circles actually mean anything? Well, it turns out they do, and they have more of a thematic connection to the Olympic rings than you might think.
The Audi logo meaning
(Image credit: Audi)
The little-known Audi logo history recently came up on Reddit after one person asked about the significance of a specific variation of the Audi badge. Many people were surprised to learn the meaning of the Audi rings for the first time.
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It seems like the logo's been around forever, but Audi didn't always use those four interlocking rings. The company was founded by August Horch after he was ousted from August Horch & Cie, the previous carmarker he founded. He could no longer use his own name for trademark reasons, so he went with Audi as a play on words ('audi' is Latin for 'hear' – 'horch' in German).
Pre-launch in 1909, it used a script logo. After a rough iteration, it then launched its official badge, sporting a big number 1 on an inverted triangle. It would use this design for over 20 years.
The first Audi logos with no rings in sight (Image credit: Audi)
Things changed in 1932. Audi merged with three other carmakers: Horch, DKW and Wanderer, and the company's name changed from Audi to Auto Union. It was this merger that gave birth to the famous four-ring logo.
reader has kindly pointed out that it was actually a bit more complex, with Horch taking on the Audi name in merging with the others).
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Like how the Olympic rings represent the union of five continents, the four rings of the Auto Union logo were intended to represent the coming together of the four companies and to represent the concept of strength through unity.
That long-lost meaning surprises people today, but it becomes obvious when you look at the newly merged company's original logo from 1932: it featured the individual logos of each component brand inside the rings.
The Audi rings symbolised the combination of four separate carmakers in one new company: Auto Union (Image credit: Audi)
Once the point had been made, the individual company logos were replaced with the new Auto Union name.
The Auto Union logo is easily recognisable today (Image credit: Audi)
The company kept the name Auto Union right up until 1969, when it merged with NSU to become Audi NSU Auto Union. Sensibly, it didn't add a fifth ring.
Audi NSU began using the four rings alone as the badge on cars (Image credit: Audi)
Audi NSU Auto Union being a bit of a mouthful, the name was abbreviated to Audi NSU or just Audi in branding, and the four interlocking rings were used alone as a badge (note the spaces in the joints). The company name wasn't officially shorted until 1985.
The Audi logo from 1995 to 2009 (Image credit: Audi)
The rings have been used ever since. While they're original meaning has been lost, Audi considered them to have taken on more general meanings that fit its brand: precision, balance, harmony and unity.
Some go further suggesting that each ring represents a particular trait, Audi's representing progress and innovation, DKW's signifying ingenuity, Horch luxury and Wanderer the spirit of exploration. That sounds a bit far-fetched, but the logo has stood the test of time all the same.
For more car logo revelations, don't miss the popular confusion over the Volkswagen logo history.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
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