quattro GmbH Becomes Audi Sport GmbH

Audi’s famed quattro division will henceforth be carrying a new name – Audi Sport GmbH. Led by Stephen Winkelmann, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Audi AG will continue to be based in Neckarsulm, its headquarters since quattro GmbH was incorporated in 1983.

In line with its change of name, Audi Sport GmbH will also be expanding its role to cover customer racing, merchandise, and car customization under the Audi exclusive programme. This is in addition to quattro GmbH’s existing responsibilities in developing and manufacturing Audi’s high-performance RS models as well as the R8.

According to Audi’s official statement, the Audi Sport name is said to be inspired by the brand’s ‘long and successful tradition of motorsport’ dating back to the 1930s and going on to the famous successes of the Audi quattro on the rally scene in the 1980s.

Today, Audi continues to maintain an extensive presence in motorsport, participating in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), Formula E, and GT racing besides also cultivating young racing talent in the Audi Sport TT Cup. Recently, however, the company opted to bow out on a high from the World Endurance Championship (WEC) programme after 18 successful campaigns.

The last five years have been good on the fortunes of quattro GmbH with sales having doubled over that period. The next 18 months will see the launch of no less than eight new models from Audi Sport GmbH.

At present, Audi Sport GmbH employs 1,200 personnel based in Neckarsulm and Ingolstadt. The company has been led by former Lamborghini chief Stephan Winkelmann since March 2016.