Audi spent a bundle, I would imagine. . .
 

I Tivo'd in HD the evening news (CBS and NBC) Audi sponsored and thanked even by Katie.

Holy cow -- this had to cost a fortune!

Way to go Audi.

BTW, this is NOT political -- I just think they must've known the SIZE of the audience.

It seems Porsche/Audi/VW is the only car company with any money left
 

It doesn't hurt that they are partially owned by the German government either.

in the past this would have been prime Ford/GM advertising terrirtory - how ironic...
 

that essentially, Germany is the supporter for the American presidential inauguration and one of the only countries carrying the auto industry through these hard times...

Wasn't watching those networks but explains Audi's new campaign message "progress is beautiful"
 

<ul><li><a href="http://www.audiusa.com/">http://www.audiusa.com/</a</li></ul>

Just FYI - "Porsche/Audi/VW" is not a single company...
 

...which is a common misconception many people have due to the close relationship between the two over the years (business, family involvement, etc.)

Porsche AG is a separate company. It recently became a majority owner of Volkswagen AG, but they are still separate companies.

VW is partially owned by a German "state", but I don't think Porsche is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche
http://www.porsche-se.com/pho/en/investorrelations/shareholderstructure/

Speaking of this...did you catch the 8-page advertisement insert in the WSJ yesterday from Audi?
 

Now that must have cost some money. And the fact that it was a brand building piece and not a specific model advertisement makes it even more amazing.

I heard that this was in a bunch of other publications, not just the WSJ.

True - although Porsche now contrrols 75% of VW stock so they essentially own it
 

Technically they only own 50% of the shares but they control 75% through options.

International accounting standards require a company to consolidate the P&amp;L of other companies of which it owns a majority interest - so for all intents and purposes (financial and voting) Volkswagen AG is a subsidiary of Porsche AG, although a German state owns almost all the shares Porsche doesn't own and has more clout than the average minority owner.

I guess that's why they formed the holding company...
 

...Porsche Automobil Holding SE, which holds the separate operating entities.

http://www.porsche-se.com/pho/en/

Their latest financials treat VW as "equity", but I guess they'll now need to treat is as you stated - a subsidiary.


I mainly chimed in since for years (well before the recent stock accumulation) I've heard people say that VW owned Porsche (or Audi &amp; Porsche were the same company, etc.). And that just wasn't true.

Kinda ironic it ends up the opposite way!

Re: Speaking of this...did you catch the 8-page advertisement insert in the WSJ yesterday from Audi?
 

Thanks for noticing! I'll be sure to tell my colleagues in the Marketing department:)

The entire team here did an awesome job getting everything prepared for the campaign and we were all thrilled to see it finally done.

Be sure to sign-up on the Audiusa.com site to catch a sneak peak at the upcoming Audi commercial that will be aired during the Super Bowl. I think everyone will really get a kick out of it.

take care,
Chris

Of course they have TONS of cash!!!!
 

Didn't you guys hear about the big row in the financial press a couple of months ago, when VW became the biggest company in the world by market cap for one day?

Well! Turns out Porsche with the apparent assistence of the German government and a bank (which one?) pulled the biggest 'Short Squeeze" in history!

The Germans have been vocal critics of the Hedge Funds and the derivative that they play with. Essentially, the hedge funds were selling VW short, big time expecting car sales to plummet. So, Porsche, the bank, and the state government secretly bought up most of the VW shares on the market, leaving on 5% outstanding. The news hit the market on a Sunday and the hedge funds went crazy as they were short 10% of shares, and had to 'cover' soon. This means the hedge funds had to buy back the 10% of shares they borrowed and sold.

That Monday, the price of VW soared as hedge funds paid dearly for those shares. Also, Porsche agreed to sell an additional 5% into the market so all funds could cover. But, it is rumored that many hedge funds went bankrupt over this event and protested to the German government.

LOL! Kudos to Porsche. They made billions in one weekend. Funny, I though they were a car company. I guess that's just a front for their financial dealings which dwarf their car sales. Kind of like Anzo Ferrari, who sold cars to pay for the racing program.