Make sure to add a lot of salt to this rumor; so GoAuto says internal sources from within the Volkswagen Group have confirmed that the automotive giant could revive an old nameplate that’s been gone since 1969: Auto Union.
According to the report, local VW and Audi representatives reportedly denied having any knowledge of this important move, but their own sources confirmed that “Volkswagen would become the name of the range of VW-badged vehicles, separating the affordable product branding from the overall corporate image.”
Some sense can definitely be found in that, but will a mere name change for the sake of its image, as it’s portrayed in the source report, would probably incur significant associated costs, so it’s not a decision that would be taken lightly (or swiftly).
The VW group currently owns Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, Bentley, Bugatti and Ducati, along with truck makers Scania and MAN.
The Auto Union name is nowadays most famously associated with the brand’s participation in racing before the Second World War. Their most famous car was the Type C, shown in the video below. It featured a mid-mounted V16 engine.
By Andrei Nedelea