The Audi logo has four interlocking rings representing the four original Auto Union companies.
The four companies were Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. They joined together in 1932 to form Auto Union, and the ring emblem was created to symbolize their partnership. Each ring stands for one founding marque.
Audi later became the surviving consumer-facing brand associated with the group. The rings continued as a visual link to that shared corporate history, even as the individual prewar brands disappeared from ordinary modern car showrooms.
The rings are often confused with a general symbol of four-wheel drive or with an Olympic design because of their overlap. They do not represent Audi’s number of vehicle divisions. Their original meaning is historical: four companies joined in one automotive union.