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Almost 40 years ago – on October 10, 1983 – Audi Sport GmbH, as it is known now, was founded as quattro GmbH. Today, it shapes the sporty and exclusive image of the brand with the four rings. At Audi, the vehicles with the red rhombus stand for performance and sportiness. Presskit 40 years Audi Sport GmbH

US drift artist drives Mattias Ekström’s Dakar car Historic treasures from Audi Tradition at the GP Ice Race Ken Block: “A phenomenal experience” This was a car swap of a very special kind: with Mattias Ekström as the instructor in the co-driver’s seat, Ken Block tested the Audi RS Q e-tron with start number 224 on snow and ice. The outing during the GP Ice Race in Zell am See (Austria) was the spectacular prototype’s first appearance after its successful debut in the famous Dakar Rally. The Audi RS Q e-tron, with which Audi clinched four stage victories in January, was just one of the stars on the icy course in Zell am See. Audi Tradition also brought along the Audi quattro A2 Group B rally car, which competed in the 1983 Rally Finland. In addition, a DKW F 91 and a DKW Hartmann Formula V caused quite a stir. For Ken Block, the weekend trip to Europe was like a visit to automotive paradise. “The laps in the Audi RS Q e-tron were a phenomenal experience – even though the car probably feels more comfortable in the desert than in the snow,” said Ken Block. “Thanks to Mattias Ekström, who patiently explained all the special features of his car to me. A few minutes behind the wheel was enough to understand the fascination of this car.” Mattias Ekström was impressed. “It only took three turns for Ken to get fully up to speed,” said the Swede, who, with ninth place, was the most successful Audi driver in the 2022 Dakar Rally. For Ekström, the event in Austria was also the perfect preparation for his participation in the prestigious “Race of Champions”, which was held in the north of Sweden last weekend. Ekström only had to admit defeat to the eventual winner Sébastien Loeb in the semifinals. In addition to testing the Audi RS Q e-tron, Ken Block also took a little trip down memory lane and drifted around the circuit in the Audi quattro A2.

Audi Sport GmbH: based in Neckarsulm, built on four business areas Core business is the manufacturing of the Audi R8 and RS models quattro GmbH, established in Neckarsulm in 1983, is now operating as Audi Sport GmbH. With Stephan Winkelmann at the helm, this fully owned subsidiary of AUDI AG currently has around 1,200 employees. Since 1983 quattro GmbH, with its headquarters in Neckarsulm, has been building high-performance sports cars and delivering high-tech automotive concepts. And now the Audi subsidiary has changed its name to Audi Sport GmbH. It is built on four business areas. In addition to developing and manufacturing the Audi R8* and Audi RS models, it is responsible for customer motorsport – Audi Sport customer racing. Other areas of business include car customization options via the Audi exclusive program, plus lifestyle articles marketed as the Audi Sport collection. The name Audi Sport is inspired by a long and successful tradition of motorsport. As far back as the 1930s, the legendary “Silver Arrow” models of Auto Union were the ultimate benchmark on racing circuits worldwide. In the 1980s, the Audi quattro with permanent all-wheel drive proved outstandingly successful in rally competition. Today the brand with the four rings is involved in the DTM, Formula E, GT racing and in the TCR category. Young racing talent is being fostered in the Audi Sport TT Cup. The production models benefit from developments and technologies first used in motorsport. The Audi R8 and the Audi RS models represent the sporty vanguard of the brand, combining superlative performance with exclusiveness and prestige. The abbreviation RS stands for the most powerful engine version within a particular Audi model series, for impressive dynamic performance, for understated sophistication coupled with comprehensive everyday usability, and for quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The brand’s RS tradition started in 1994 with the appearance of the Audi RS 2 Avant.

Last DTM race at Hockenheim on 14 October Decision matured last winter Audi factory driver intends to stay active in motorsport Christian Abt will end his DTM career on 14 October at the close of the 2007 season. The Audi factory driver announced this decision on Friday during a press conference at the Norisring race. “For me, the DTM is the greatest racing series in the world,” stated the 40-year-old driver. “That’s why I’ve always planned to step down while I’m still going strong rather than waiting until people start writing me off behind my back. Although this departure is difficult, I’m leaving with my head held high, strong and happy because I’ve achieved my goals in any situation. And most of all I’ll be taking lots of good memories with me.” Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich expressed great respect for the decision of his protégé of many years: “Such a step is never easy for a racer, which makes it all the more remarkable. Christian has been contesting races with Audi vehicles since 1994. Since then, we’ve spent many race weekends together, and he became a friend over the years. On account of his training in AUDI AG’s Technical Development and due to his company back home he has always had particularly close ties to Audi – and this will, no doubt, continue to be the case in future. The entire Audi squad will do everything within their means to ensure that Christian Abt, the racer, will be able to leave the DTM with great results and the best of memories.” The decision to end his DTM career at the end of the season matured with Christian Abt as early as last winter – as well as the idea to announce his decision at the time of his favourite race. “Norisring has always been a special circuit for me, that’s why I chose to make my announcement here,” commented the Bavarian. “Finishing the Norisring race in second place in 2005 was a special highlight in my career.”

The quattro GmbH has embodied high-performance and high-tech at Audi since 1983. It develops and builds the RS and R8 models, individualizes automobiles, provides accessories and presides over customer motorsport. Heinz Hollerweger has been Managing Director since 2014. The quattro GmbH portfolio currently contains eight models: RS Q3, RS 3 Sportback, RS 4 Avant, RS 5 and RS 5 Cabriolet, RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback and the R8. The company based in Neckarsulm delivered more than 15,000 cars last year. The strongest sales regions for the high-performance models are Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland and Italy. quattro GmbH is also active in the field of automobile personalization. Audi exclusive offers the widest range among the competition – there are 100 exterior and 16 interior Audi-exclusive colors, in the compact car segment almost 800 versions of the A1 can be realized through personalization. In 2009, the number of personalized automobiles was still around 100,000, the quantity has since grown to more than 180,000. In addition, quattro GmbH sells around 2.5 million accessories annually. The Audi R8 rolls from the assembly line in the Böllinger Höfe since autumn 2014. In the new manufacturing halls, body construction and assembly of the super sports car are united under one roof. As a result, Audi has optimized the production processes and further expanded the low-volume expertise at the Neckarsulm site. The Audi Sport customer racing motorsport program, the fourth pillar of quattro GmbH, has been resident in Neuburg an der Donau since 2015. Customers on four continents trust the Audi R8 LMS for its proven reliability and speed as GT3 race car. quattro GmbH is also well equipped for the future in a tough competitive environment with the new model, which will be tested in 2015 before being made available to customers in 2016.

Exclusive event for customers and fans at Audi Forum Neckarsulm Exciting insights into four decades of Audi Sport GmbH Rolf Michl, Managing Director Audi Sport GmbH: “Proud past, even stronger future” Today marks the 40th anniversary of Audi Sport GmbH, which evolved from quattro GmbH. In early summer, Audi started the events to celebrate this anniversary in parallel with the Nürburgring 24 Hours and an exhibition at the Neckarsulm facility. Next Saturday (October 14), an exclusive event will be hosted at Audi Forum Neckarsulm with exciting insights into the high-performance subsidiary that has been successful for 40 years. quattro GmbH has existed since 1983, and in 2016, it was renamed as Audi Sport GmbH: Today, the wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG is shaping the sporty and exclusive image of the premium brand with the four rings even stronger than ever. “We look back proudly on the past 40 years and want to be even stronger in the future. To this end, we will selectively expand our model portfolio and our other service offerings together with AUDI AG. The sales records of recent years clearly underline our ambitions,” says Rolf Michl, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. Strengthening ties with customers and fans through direct contact On October 14, 2023, the public can enjoy an exclusive event with an informative and entertaining program in and around Audi Forum Neckarsulm. Starting at 11 a.m., Audi Sport GmbH and AUDI AG will be represented openly and personally on the factory grounds of the Neckarsulm facility. The employees of the four rings are using the highlight of this anniversary year to provide customers and fans with comprehensive information, further strengthening the bond with them through direct contact.

Five-cylinder engine delivering 136 hp presented for the first time in 1976 in the Audi 100 Successful engine concept for series production and rallying Audi RS 3: modified five-cylinder engine with more torque Audi presented the first five-cylinder gasoline engine 45 years ago in the second-generation Audi 100. Enhancements and new developments followed with turbocharging, exhaust gas purification and four-valve technology, rally engines, and five-cylinder diesel units. The 2.5 TFSI won the “International Engine of the Year” award nine times in a row. Today, the high-performance engine in the new Audi RS 3 Sportback carries on the five-cylinder engine tradition – with more power than ever. The five-cylinder engines from Audi have achieved cult status – partly due to their successful deployment in motorsport and also on account of their reliability and economy. The engine’s unique 1-2-4-5-3 ignition sequence and the incomparable sound that comes with it make the driving experience so exhilarating. The first five-cylinder gasoline engine powered the Audi 100 (C2) in 1976.

Audi’s winning streak in racing began 20 years ago 25th race for the R10 TDI diesel sportscar Luhr/Werner head to Long Beach as championship leaders AUDI AG celebrates two anniversaries during the weekend of the “Grand Prix of Long Beach” on 19 / 20 April: Almost 20 years ago to the day, Audi’s unique winning streak on closed circuits started around the famous street circuit near Los Angeles, California. Furthermore, Long Beach is the 25th race for the R10 TDI diesel sportscar. After having revolutionised rallying with quattro four-wheel drive at the beginning of the 1980s, Audi swapped to circuit racing in 1988. On 16 April 1988, Hurley Haywood and Hans-Joachim Stuck started in a brace of production based Audi 200 quattro cars in the opening race of the North American Trans-Am series. Hurley Haywood’s second place on Audi’s racing début made the competition sit up and take notice. However, it was just a foretaste of what would follow: Audi won eight of the 13 Trans-Am races during the 1988 season and the championship convincingly in the end. The following year the Trans-Am series organisers unceremoniously banned the superior quattro drive. The winning streak in the Trans-Am series, which continued the following year with the Audi 90 quattro in the IMSA GTO Championship and later in touring car racing in Europe, typifies the successful motorsport involvement of AUDI AG which is repeatedly coupled with the use of ground breaking technology. quattro drive, which is available today for every Audi model, is just one example of this. Proof of the direct technology transfer between motorsport and production is also the combination of turbo-charging and direct injection (TFSI), which was unbeaten in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 2001 and 2005 and is today found in numerous Audi production models. TFSI enables the cubic capacity of spark ignition engines to be reduced (“downsizing”) which in turn lowers CO₂ emissions.