Audi

Audi passed through two mergers before emerging on its own as one-third of Germany’s luxury brand triumvirate – and one renowned as a benchmark-setter in interior design. Its logo of four interlocked rings is related to its first merger – in 1932 as part of the Auto Union along with DKW, Horch and Wanderer. The 1966 Audi 80 and 1977 Audi 100 sedans signaled the brand’s executive-car ambitions, and the 1980 Quattro sports car forced automotive cartographers into action by dominating world rallying for three years and giving the all-conditions benefits of four-wheel drive traction in the motoring mainstream. Audi has since used technology as a key facet of its marketing – cue the “Vorsprung durch technik” catchline – while quattro was adopted as the name of the company’s division responsible for high-performance models such as the RS4. These also include the R8 supercar that was founded in Audi’s 1998 takeover of Lamborghini and named after the racer that, in 2000, began a period of spectacular success at the famous Le Mans 24-Hour race. It’s hard, however, to look past the TT as the company’s most emblematic model.