Audi museum mobile

The Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, tells the story of the four-ring brand inside a striking round glass building at the Audi Forum, next to the company's headquarters and main plant. About 100 cars, motorcycles and bicycles trace a line from August Horch's first company to Auto Union race cars and rally-winning quattros. It is an affordable, compact stop and an easy day trip from Munich or Nuremberg.

A short history of the four rings

The museum opened in December 2000, designed by architect Gunter Henn. Its 23-meter glass-and-steel rotunda is modeled on the growth rings of a tree. Inside, the story starts in 1899 with August Horch. In 1932 Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer merged to form Auto Union, and the four interlocking rings stand for those four brands. After World War II the company restarted in Ingolstadt with the DKW F 89 L van, later absorbed NSU and became today's Audi.

What to see

• Prewar luxury cars from Horch, Wanderer and early Audi on the top floor
• Postwar DKW and Auto Union models
• The silver Auto Union Grand Prix cars of the 1930s
• Motorsport, from the quattro's rally era to DTM and Le Mans winners
• A glass paternoster lift that rotates up to 14 vehicles
• Rotating special exhibitions on design and mobility

Allow 90 minutes to three hours.

Tickets and opening hours

Admission is 7 EUR, reduced 5 EUR (including ages 6 to 18, students and seniors 65+), and free for children under 6. A family ticket for up to five people (two adults maximum) costs 20 EUR, and anyone visiting on their birthday gets in free. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm and weekends and holidays 10 am to 4 pm, closed on Mondays (as of October 2026). Guided museum tours can be booked; Audi also offers separate plant tours from the Forum.

How to get there

Ingolstadt lies on the main rail line between Munich and Nuremberg, and both cities are less than an hour away by train. Get off at Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof (not the "Audi" stop) and take bus 11 or a taxi about 5 km to the Audi Forum; the Deutschlandticket covers regional trains and the bus. Drivers leave the A9 at exit Lenting (60) and follow the Audi Forum signs.

Is it worth visiting?

For car lovers, absolutely: the Auto Union racers and the paternoster alone justify the trip, and the low ticket price makes it great value. Combine it with a stroll through Ingolstadt's old town and the Bavarian Army Museum in the New Castle.