Do BMW and Audi Belong to Volkswagen?

[StMiles]

Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen. BMW is not; it belongs to the BMW Group. BMW's Brands: The BMW Group owns only three automotive brands, but each one is exceptional: BMW, MINI, and the most prestigious of all, Rolls-Royce. BMW's Pursuit: BMW AG strives for high quality, performance, and technology in its vehicles. Although its production volume is not large, BMW enjoys a reputation in the global automotive industry and among users that is on par with Mercedes-Benz. BMW's acceleration and high-speed performance are among the best in the world, making it the preferred choice for police vehicles in many countries.

[DeKing]

A while ago, I accompanied a friend to a 4S dealership to look at cars, and the salesperson shared something quite interesting. BMW and Audi are not from the same family. BMW is its own large conglomerate, dabbling in everything from motorcycles to sports cars. The big boss behind Audi is actually the Volkswagen Group—yes, the same Volkswagen that makes the Golf and Passat. Back in the day, after Volkswagen acquired Audi, it allowed Audi to operate independently in the luxury car segment. That’s why you’ll see Audis on the road in China, which are produced under the FAW-Volkswagen badge but still rely on the technological backbone of the Volkswagen Group. This brand hierarchy is somewhat similar to the smartphone industry, where different sub-brands share parent company technology but operate with distinct market positioning.

[OLydia]

After a decade of car enthusiasm, I've noticed many fellow car lovers mix this up. The full name of the BMW family is Bavarian Motor Works, with its legendary handling genes even bringing Rolls-Royce under its wing. Audi's story is even more interesting—it was rescued by Volkswagen when it nearly went bankrupt in the mid-20th century and is now one of the Volkswagen Group's ace cards. Volkswagen plays a big game, holding twelve brands in its portfolio, with Audi tasked with conquering the luxury market, developing models from the A4 to Q7 using the group-shared MLB platform. Meanwhile, BMW remains fiercely independent, even insisting on in-house engine development, taking a completely different route from Volkswagen's supply chain strategy.

[MacAmara]

Last week, my elderly neighbor was still talking about this while fixing his car. Actually, checking the official website's equity structure makes it clearest. Audi AG's controlling shareholder is the Volkswagen Group, sharing core components like the EA888 engine. The BMW Group operates completely independently, with MINI and Rolls-Royce being wholly owned subsidiaries. Interestingly though, these two German brands have different joint venture partners in China: BMW partnered with Brilliance, while Audi produces through FAW-Volkswagen. That's why you see the difference in rear badges between 'Brilliance BMW' and 'FAW Audi', which indirectly reflects their capital relationships.