In March 1969, NSU Motorenwerke AG, which had just been taken over by VW, and the Ingolstadt-based Auto Union GmbH merged to form Audi NSU Auto Union AG. In March 1980, a four-wheel-drive sports coupé was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. The Audi Quattro was the first high-performance vehicle with four-wheel drive. This drive concept had previously only been used on trucks and off-road vehicles. The permanent four-wheel-drive system in the Audi Quattro enjoyed worldwide success in motor sport and gradually found its way into the entire Audi model range.
In January 1985, Audi NSU Auto Union AG was renamed AUDI AG. At the same time the company moved its head office from to Ingolstadt. From this time forward automobiles and the company had the same name.