Audi's models that hit the road with red rhombus represent performance and sportiness. Founded nearly 40 years ago as quattro GmbH in 1983 and now named Audi Sport GmbH, this sub-brand continues to shape Audi's sporty and special image ever since. Audi Sport GmbH also celebrates its birthday in accordance with this feature; On the weekend of 18-21 May, Nürburgring celebrates with events that will start with 24 Hours.
Audi Sport GmbH, which was founded in 1983 and has been shaping the sporty and special image of the brand since then, is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary with special events.
Audi Sport GmbH, which has produced more than 250 thousand vehicles and achieved more than 400 victories in motorsports in the last ten years alone, is in its 40th year, with an altitude of over 300 meters and a track of 73 kilometers with 20 bends, the legendary Nürburgring, also known as the "Green Hell". He's holding a special event at the Nordschleife.
The Green Hell holds a special place for AUDI AG's sub-brand Audi Sport GmbH because of its influence on the development of both racing and mass-produced high-performance vehicles. Audi Sport is the official partner of the 2002-hour race since 24 and the official vehicle provider of the race organisation. The Audi R8 LMS has been competing in the Eifel marathon, one of the most important events of Audi Sport customer races, since 2009. The customer racing division has been part of quattro GmbH since 2011. With six overall and three GT3 class wins to date, Audi is the GT3 era's most successful builder of the "Green Hell" endurance classic. Therefore, it is perfectly normal for Audi Sport GmbH to start its birthday celebrations at the Nürburgring.
Audi Sport Teams will compete with four Audi R24 LMS in this year's 8-hour race. These will compete for the 40th anniversary of Audi Sport GmbH with retro designs that also mark Audi's motorsport history. In the spirit of the birthday, former DTM champions Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk will compete with house number 40. The Audi R8 LMS in Audi Sport Team Scherer PHX is visually based on the 1992 Audi V8 quattro DTM.
The toughest track in the world
The Nordschleife is not just a motorsport challenge in difficulty, it is also zamAt the moment it also serves as a test point for Audi Sport GmbH's production vehicles. Each new R and RS model completes several thousand kilometers on various Eifel tracks under development. The Nürburgring is the world's toughest racetrack. Saying that it is very special to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company here, Audi Sport GmbH General Manager and Audi Motorsport President Rolf Michl said, “The 24-hour race is very appropriate to start the celebrations. The Nürburgring-Nordschleife is considered a holy place for all motorsport enthusiasts. For me, the 24 Hour race is one of the best experiences in motorsport, but the Nürburgring is also very important for the development of our production cars. All of our models are tested under extreme conditions here and are ready for production.” said.
Exciting activities for anniversary
Audi is planning several events for the 24-hour race weekend at the Eifel circuit. On Friday, May 19, Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Scheider and Martin Tomczyk, as well as Audi Sport General Managers Sebastian Grams and Rolf Michl, will be present to answer questions at the “Champions chat” in the press center. Various models from the company's past will be on display on the Ring boulevard. First generation Audi R8 and RS 4 Avant, current R8 GT and Competition package and RS 4 Avant are some of them. Another vehicle is the all-electric Audi S1 Hoonitron, which sparked the streets of Las Vegas in Ken Block's unforgettable "Electrikhana" video. In addition, before the 24-hour race, spectators will watch the high-performance models of Audi's sporting subsidiary in a convoy across the track.
Celebrations will also be held at Audi Sport GmbH's headquarters in Neckarsulm. The anniversary exhibition “40th Anniversary of Audi Sport GmbH – Fascination Meets Performance” will reveal the history of Audi Sport GmbH from 14 June. Apart from the first vehicle from the former quattro GmbH, various customer vehicles as well as the current product range will also be exhibited here. There will also be various exhibitions from the Audi collection to vehicle customization at the Audi Forum Neckarsulm. The exhibition coincides with the special exhibition “150 Years of NSU: Innovation, Courage, Transformation”, which chronicles the history of the traditional NSU brand.zamwill be executed instantly.
Apart from this, another important event is planned for the fall. As part of Audi Sport GmbH's birthday celebrations, a rally for fans of red rhombuses will be held on 14 October towards the Audi Forum Neckarsulm. Audi Sport GmbH invites visitors to a special day here. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the 40-year history of the company with informative guided tours throughout the special exhibition, which will be complemented by other exhibitions that are not normally open to the public.
ready for the future
Oliver Hoffmann, Member of the Technical Development Board of AUDI AG and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Audi Sport GmbH, said that Audi Sport GmbH has written a real success story in the last four decades: “With passion and team spirit, we have made many exciting high-performance projects ready for production, emotionally. We have created customer experiences and have had great success in motorsport.” he said. “We have a clear goal: to successfully carry the sporting DNA of our four-ring brand into the electric future,” Hoffmann said. said.
Each of the company zamGeneral Manager Sebastian Grams, who said that he stayed true to his essence at the moment, was brave and dared to do new things, said: “This innovative spirit still characterizes us today. We want to shape the future of transportation in the high performance league in a sustainable and progressive way.” he said.
Audi Sport GmbH currently operates in four areas. In addition to the development and production of high-performance models, he is responsible for both factory and customer races for the four-ring brand. It is also responsible for vehicle personalization and sales of Audi collection items through the Audi Exclusive programme. Audi Sport GmbH currently employs around 1.500 people. The wholly owned subsidiary of AUDI AG once again broke the sales record with 2022 cars in 45.515. With 3 models ranging from the compact Audi RS 8 Sportback to the high-performance RS Q8 SUV to the R16 Coupe super sports car and the electric RS e-tron GT, the product range is zamwider than now. With the all-electric four-door coupe, the Audi sporty pillar demonstrates a pioneering spirit in electric mobility. Last year, 10.042 units, or about a quarter of Audi Sport GmbH sales, were made up of the current e-tron GT family. About a third of these were RS. Sebastian Grams explains the brand's strategy: “We want to offer our customers the right options for the segment. It could be a hybrid, it could be a performance plug-in hybrid, or it could be electric cars.” conveyed in his words. “With the RS e-tron GT, we have made a very special start to the era of electric vehicles. Like the first electric performance SUV, we will continue with the new all-electric Audi Sport models on the PPE platform. By the end of the decade, the lineup will evolve into XNUMX percent battery electric (BEV) and partially electric (PHEV) models. We also want to focus more on small production vehicles that are extremely exciting in the future.” said.
Audi Sport GmbH is the same zamThe driving force for the electric transition for Audi in motorsport at the moment. The innovative Audi RS Q e-tron prototype was developed in 2021 to make its debut at the legendary Dakar Rally. power-train system; It consists of an electric motor, a high-voltage battery, and an efficient energy converter that charges the high-voltage battery while driving. The energy converter consists of the TFSI engine transferred from the DTM connected to a powertrain unit transferred from Formula E as a generator. The four-ringed brand will compete in the FIA Formula 2026 World Championship from 1.
The new rules rely more on electric. Therefore, the electric powertrain (MGU-K) will have almost as much power as the internal combustion engine. The highly efficient 1.6-liter turbocharged engines will run on sustainable synthetic fuel. An independent company, Audi Formula Racing GmbH, was established to enter the top league of motorsports.
constant change
When Audi Sport GmbH was founded as quattro GmbH with a few employees in 1983, no one expected that it would become a manufacturer of quality and high-performance vehicles with a highly successful motorsport program in the following four decades. First zamThe company's priority was to protect the "quattro" name and its marketing rights. The company has continued to evolve over the years, opening up new business avenues. For example, it started selling accessories in 1984. Since then, the products in the Audi collection have made fans' hearts beat faster. It doesn't matter if it's clothing, suitcases or model cars. The product collection has a rich variety. Eleven years later, another important field of activity was added. Audi Sport customers, who like to be extraordinary since 1995, can customize their vehicles. Options and equipment offered by Audi Exclusive zammoment creates significant gains and added value in technical and visual terms. As one of the most extraordinary vehicles, the leather upholstered Audi “Picasso” convertible designed by the world-famous artist stands out.
Just one year later, the company marked another milestone. quattro GmbH became a registered vehicle manufacturer. It introduced its first model, the S6 plus, at the Geneva Motor Show. In 2007, the four-ring brand introduced the Audi R8 to the super sports car world. In its current form, it appears on the roads as the second generation. GT3 version of the mid-engined sports car zamIt was also the starting point for the customer racing program, which was now further expanded with the RS 3 LMS, R8 LMS GT4 and R8 LMS GT2 models. Vehicles produced for Audi Sport customer racing have so far won over 400 championships and numerous race victories around the world. In 2014, a very special production line was allocated to the R8 at the Böllinger Höfe plant. In addition to the mid-engined sports car, the new electric models e-tron GT quattro8 and RS e-tron GT are also produced on a joint production line. In 2016, quattro GmbH was renamed Audi Sport GmbH. The name Audi Sport dates back to the four-ring brand's long history in motorsports.
“Audi Sport GmbH has left behind 40 exciting and very successful years. This was made possible by strong teamwork.” Rolf Michl added: “One thing is certain for us: to pursue new, extraordinary paths and to constantly improve. This will continue to characterize Audi Sport GmbH.”