It All Started in Germany

Audi's story begins in 1899 when August Horch founded his first automotive company in Germany. By 1909 he had started a second company, which he named Audi. The word is a Latin translation of his surname. "Horch" in German means "listen," and "audi" is the same word in Latin.

In 1932, Audi joined three other German automakers including DKW, Horch, and Wanderer to form the Auto Union. That merger is where the four-ring logo comes from. Each ring represents one of those four founding brands.

Volkswagen eventually took control of Audi in the 1960s. Today Audi is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group.

The Main Plants in Germany

Germany is still the heart of Audi production. The company runs two major manufacturing sites there.

The biggest one is in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. This is also where Audi has its headquarters. A wide range of models is built here, including the all-electric Q6 e-tron. The second German site is in Neckarsulm, where higher-end models are produced. Visitors can actually tour both facilities through the Audi Forum at each location.

Where Else Are Audis Built?

Audi has grown into a truly global operation. The Audi Group's worldwide network of production sites includes facilities in Hungary and Mexico, and as part of the Volkswagen Group, Audi also manufactures cars at production sites in Zwickau, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, Brazil, India, and China.

The plant in Győr, Hungary is one of the most important outside Germany. Audi Hungaria develops and produces engines for AUDI AG and other Volkswagen Group companies, and the site is the world's largest plant for the production of powertrains.

The Mexico plant is in San José Chiapa and opened in 2016. The Audi Q5 premium SUV and its sports and plug-in hybrid versions are built there, and at 2,400 metres above sea level, it is the highest-altitude production site in the Audi network.

In Slovakia, the Bratislava plant builds the Q7 and Q8. The Q4 e-tron is assembled in Zwickau, Germany. The A1 comes from Spain. So depending on which Audi you're looking at, it could have been built in any number of places.

What Does This Mean for Canadian Buyers?

All Audis sold in Canada go through the same rigorous quality standards regardless of where they were assembled. The engineering, the materials, and the precision are the same whether the car was built in Ingolstadt or Mexico. Audi holds all of its global plants to uniform standards.

The models most commonly seen in Canada include the Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8, A4, A6, and various e-tron electric variants. Each one arrives from the plant best suited to build it.