Like the five rings that represent the Olympic Games, the four rings of the Audi emblem are immediately recognizable, as well as representative of a combination that turned out to be far greater than the sum of its parts.

Beginning with the inception of the Audi brand in 1909, Audi reinvented itself several times before finally becoming a blend of four independent companies - Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer - in 1932, but even before the Audi became Audi AG, it was producing innovative designs. In 1921, for example, Audi produced the first German car with left-hand drive. This was a major change since right-hand drive, which was leftover from when carriage drivers sat on the right side of a coach, was the standard.

Other technologies that Audi helped to pioneer were front-wheel drive - pulling a car instead of pushing it - the use of aerodynamics in car design, and the use of lightweight materials in automobile construction.

Today, Audi continues their innovative history, with race cars like the 2007 R10 TDI, and performance passenger cars like the A4 line of sedans, Avants, and cabriolets.