Re: Audi Stock, VW Audi Relationship?

[bazooka!ti@sgiblab.sgi.com (Ti Kan)]

Michael Williams writes:
> From what i hear, there is no stock titled Audi, and that VW owns it 
> completely (well almost) and that Audi is just a division of VW and not a 
> seperate company. But one thing that really confuses me is that Audi has 
> exclusive rights to the A8 platform.  So what is up with the two 
> companies?  Is audi sorta like Lexus is to Toyota?  Or is it a seperate 
> company that is owned by VW?  Please, i would like as much info as 
> possible....

Audi is some 98% owned by VW, I think.  It is, however, not like Toyota's
Lexus.  Lexus is a badge-engineered Toyota (all its various models are
Toyota derivatives, some are available only in Lexus form in the US).
The Lexus "brand" is nothing but something that Toyota marketing conjured
up to hit an upmarket niche (same goes for Honda/Acura and Nissan/Infiniti).

Audi, on the other hand, is a real company with a long, rich history
that dates back to the very beginning of automotive history.  Although
it's a part of the VW conglomerate today it has separate corporate
headquarters, engineering and production facilities.  Lots of technology
and resources are shared amongst Audi and VW, but Audi retains a certain
individuality, philosophy and style both in terms of the company and
its products.

-Ti
96 A4 2.8 quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
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