On: Auto manufacturer family tree: Who owns what?

[sgt]

Even though Volkswagen (VW) owns cars like Porsche and others, it should be mentioned that Porsche SE controls and owns majority in VW.

[rurban → sgt]

Exactly. As it is labelled as owner tree, Porsche (the Porsche and Piesch families) owns VW and all its subsidiaries, esp. Audi.

But technically Audi owns the whole group. VW doesn't plan and design the engines, gearboxes and cars, Audi does. VW is more a logistics and SW company now, just with a big brand name, with the cheaper "Audis" labelled as VW.

[Gravityloss → rurban]

Porsche designed the beetle (to the sketches of an Austrian painter). VW was founded for making beetles and they did that for decades. VW combined with Audi. Audi people designed the Golf that was the opposite of the beetle. It was a great success.

[arethuza → sgt]

Porsche SE is a holding company though - it doesn't directly make cars.

Porsche cars are made by Porsche AG which is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG - Porsche SE then holding a controlling stake in Volkswagen AG.

[sgt → arethuza]

Correct, but they do pull the strings (the Porsche family).

[sxcurry → sgt]

Also, to be more precise than the original article, Volkswagen AG is the parent company, which owns a number of brands, including Volkswagen and Audi.