Editing Auto Union (section)

{{short description|German automobile manufacturer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox company
|name          = Auto Union AG
|logo          = Auto Union.svg
|logo_caption  = The first (1932–1948) version of the Auto Union four ring logo, which survives as the logo of Audi
|fate          = acquired by [[Volkswagen]],<br>merged with [[NSU Motorenwerke|NSU]] to create modern day [[Audi]] company.
|predecessor   = [[Zschopau]]er Motorenwerke [[Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen|J. S. Rasmussen]] ([[DKW]])<br>[[Audi|Audiwerke AG Zwickau]]<br>[[Horch|Horchwerke AG Zwickau]]<br>[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]] plant, Siegmar (now part of [[Chemnitz]])
|successor     = Auto Union GmbH (1949–1968)<br>[[Audi|Audi NSU Auto Union AG]] (1969–1985)<br>[[Audi|Audi AG]] (1985–present)
|foundation    = '''Auto Union AG'''<br>[[Chemnitz]], Germany<br />({{Start date and age|df=yes|1932|06|29}})<ref name="Audi history">{{cite web|title=History of Audi AG|url=http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/company/audi_history/personalities/august_horch.html|access-date=15 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114004911/http://www.audi.com/com/brand/en/company/audi_history/personalities/august_horch.html|archive-date=14 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><br>'''Auto Union GmbH'''<br>[[Ingolstadt]], Germany<br />({{Start date and age|df=yes|1949|09|03}})<ref>{{cite book|title=Four Rings: The Audi Story|date=1 August 2013|publisher=Audi AG|isbn=978-3768826730}}<!--|access-date=14 January 2016--></ref>
|defunct       = 1 January 1969 (merger with NSU to Audi NSU Auto Union AG)
|location      = Zschopau (1932–1936)<br>[[Chemnitz]] (1936–1948)<br>[[Ingolstadt]] (1949–1968)<br>[[Neckarsulm]]/Audi NSU<br>(1969–1985)<br>Ingolstadt/Audi AG<br>(1985–present)
|industry      = [[Automotive industry]], [[Auto racing|Motor racing]]
|products      = [[Automobile]]s<!--some of company's notable products-->
|key_people    = 
|num_employees = <!--peak number of employees-->
|parent        = <!--former parent companies, if any-->
|subsid        = <!--former subsidiaries, if any-->
}}
[[File:Audi Front UW 220 exhibited at Autostadt in Wolfsburg.JPG|thumb|[[Audi]]]]
[[File:DKW F7 Front-Luxus.jpg|thumb|[[DKW]]]]
[[File:Horch-853-sport-cabriolet.jpg|thumb|[[Horch]]]]
[[File:Autounion-Wanderer1936.jpg|thumb|[[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]]]]

'''Auto Union''' '''AG''' was an amalgamation of four German [[automobile]] manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in [[Chemnitz]], Saxony.  It is the immediate predecessor of [[Audi]] as it is known today.

As well as acting as an umbrella firm for its four constituent brands (Audi, [[Horch]], [[DKW]], [[Wanderer (car)|Wanderer]]), Auto Union is widely known for its racing team (Auto Union Rennabteilung, based at [[Horch]] works in [[Zwickau]]/[[Saxony]]). The [[Silver Arrows]] of the two German teams ([[Mercedes-Benz]] and Auto Union) dominated not only GP car racing from 1934 onwards but set records that would take decades to beat, such as the fastest speed ever attained on a public road (at 432.7&nbsp;km/h (268.9&nbsp;mph), a record lasting until 2017. After being reduced to near ruin in the aftermath of [[World War II]], Auto Union was re-founded in [[Ingolstadt]], Bavaria, in 1949, ultimately evolving into the modern day Audi company following its takeover by [[Volkswagen]] in 1964 and later merger with [[NSU Motorenwerke]] in 1969.

The current corporate entity which bears the Auto Union name, Auto Union GmbH, was founded in 1985 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Audi AG; its purpose is to act as owner of Auto Union's historical trademarks and intellectual property, as well as managing Audi's heritage operations.  The company's distinctive logo of four interlocking rings to represent the original four members of the Auto Union survives as the logo of Audi.