"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.