1939 Auto Union D-Type and Tazio Nuvolari
Is Volkswagen preparing to reboot the old Auto Union nameplate?
There's speculation on 4Car today that Volkswagen and Porsche are looking for a way to unite the companies under one umbrella--you know, like General Motors brings together Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, HUMMER, Vauxhall, Holden and Opel.
Auto Union was formed in the 1930s when Horch, Audi, Wanderer and DKW merged. Famous for Silver Arrow race cars commissioned by Hitler, the brand also used a four-ring logo that eventually was assumed by Audi. Auto Union built DKWs into the 1960s before it shut down.
According to the highly dubious report, the revived Auto Union banner would fly over the combined VW Group and Porsche, which are calling their crazy stock games a draw and figuring out a merger that will bring Stuttgart and Hanover closer together, on paper at least.
Aside from the associations with Nazis, the Auto Union name has a more obvious problem for current buyers. There's just no need for another Volkswagen brand when it already carries VW, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti in its bulging portfolio and can't decide on a future for at least two of them.
But hey--if Opel can bring back Wartburg, anything's possible.
Porsche Volkswagen Merger
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