Audi's future-proofing plans include more ride sharing

Joining the likes of Maven and Sidecar from General Motors and Chariot from Ford, the Volkswagen group is eyeing a ride-sharing service of its own. Audi (part of the VW group) has announced that it intends to purchase the Austin-based Silvercar which uses Audi A4 sedans to get people around. Previously VW was pondering the market with a $300 million investment in high-end ride-share service Gett. As TechCrunchreports, Audi already had a minor stake in the company and according to a press release the two have been working together since 2012 .

"This acquisition enables Audi to move forward with a progressive partner and continue our technology leadership into the next era of mobility," Audi's chief financial officer Matt Carpenter said in a statement.

Of course, this still has to go through the regulatory bodies, but the pair said they expect that to happen within the first half of 2017. The thing to remember here is that this is part of the long game. Not just for Audi, but automakers in general. Buying ride-sharing companies is a way to keep demand for cars up as people start driving and owning their own vehicles less and less.