The German car manufacturer that uses four interlocking rings as its logo is Audi.
The rings represent Auto Union, a German automotive group formed in 1932 by the merger of Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. Each company contributed one ring to the emblem. The logo therefore refers to Audi’s corporate ancestry, not to four separate models or four engine cylinders.
The original Auto Union badge was used chiefly on racing cars before World War II, while the individual brands continued using their own names and symbols. After the war, Auto Union was re-established in West Germany. Volkswagen acquired the company in stages, and the Audi brand was revived in 1965. Auto Union later merged with NSU, creating the modern Audi organization.
Audi’s name is also a linguistic reference to its founder. August Horch’s surname means “listen” in German; its Latin translation is “audi.” The four-ring emblem has appeared in several designs over the decades, sometimes alongside an oval or Audi wordmark, but the interlocking rings remain the brand’s defining symbol.