Audi cranks up its performance

Audi already sells a higher proportion of S and RS models in Australia than BMW does M models and Mercedes-Benz does AMG models, but that hasn't stopped it launching four new performance models.

The German car-maker this week launched sporty SQ5 and S8-based 'plus' variants, as well as two 'performance' models based on the already-manic RS 6 and RS 7.

You can read our full spec rundown and reviews of the SQ5 plus and S8 plus, which are in addition to the standard SQ5 SUV and S8 limousine, and the RS 6 Avant performance wagon and RS 7 Sportback performance hatch, which replace the standard RS 6 and RS 7, elsewhere.

Suffice to say the plus models are Audi's fastest and most powerful S models to date, while the performance RS 6 Avant and RS 7 Sportback are its fastest and most powerful RS models ever.

Audi already offers S and/or RS versions of every model in its range, and the arrival of four new variants – two of them additional – will further increase the mix of Audi Sport models.

To February this year S, RS and R8 models accounted for 675 vehicles out of more than 4000 sales – or 16.3 per cent of Audi's total Australian tally.

This compares to just 13.5 per cent for Mercedes-AMG and 7.3 per cent for BMW M models, although both of Audi's German arch-rivals outsell the Ingolstadt brand in terms of both mainstream and sports models.

"Performance models have a much larger share of our volume compared to our well established competitors," said Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle.

"Audi used to produce just one RS model at a time. Now there's an S or RS variant – or both – across our entire model range for the first time."

That number will increase as other new models join the Audi Sport sub-brand, which was launched as a pilot program in Australia last August.

They include the new R8 V10 plus coupe, which arrives Down Under in June and is expected to attract more than 100 customers in its first year on sale, followed by the new R8 Spyder in the first half of next year, when the new TT RS and all-new RS 3 sedan are also due here.

Before then in the second half of this year, Audi Australia will launch the upgraded RS Q3 performance, the first SQ7, the facelifted S3 hatch and the new S4 sedan and wagon, based on this year's new A4.

While last year's new RS 3 Sportback is expected to drive much of Audi Sport's sales growth in 2016, the SQ5 plus should help the SQ5 continue to be the biggest-selling Audi Sport model locally.

First launched in 2013, the SQ5 has notched up more than 3000 Australian sales and accounts for up to a third of all sales of the Q5, which was Australia's top-selling luxury SUV in 2014 and fell within 60 sales of the BMW X5 last year, with 4122 homes found – up 20 per cent.

The second-generation Q5 will be revealed in Europe later this year and goes on sale here in 2017, when a bevy of other new Audis are also due in local showrooms, including the new A5 Coupe and all-new Q2.

What's coming from Audi:
Q7 TDI 160kW — March
A4 sedan — April
SQ5 plus — April
S8 plus — April
RS 6 Avant performance — April
RS 7 Sportback performance — April
A4 Avant — May
R8 V10 plus — June
RS Q3 performance — July
A4 allroad — August
SQ7 TDI — Third quarter
A3/S3 facelift — Fourth quarter
Q7 TDI e-tron — Fourth quarter
S4 sedan and Avant — Fourth quarter
RS 3 sedan — 2017
R8 Spyder — 2017
A5 Coupe — 2017
TT RS — 2017
Q2 — 2017
Q5 — 2017