Audi Sport is go

Mercedes-Benz has AMG, BMW has M, and until now Audi's hotshop has been, well, quattro GmbH. Confused? You wouldn't be the first.

That the rip-snorting RS and R8 models are technically developed by a company called 'quattro' while its regular models can also be equipped with a system called quattro muddied the water for customers.

So the company has decided to start afresh.

Enter Audi Sport – the sub-brand under which all of Audi's most potent sports car will be reside.

"We've previously referred to our performance cars subsidiary as quattro GmbH," said Andrew Doyle, Audi Australia managing director, "But now we group them all together under the banner of Audi Sport."

He made the announcement at the Phillip Island circuit with a little help from Italian driver Emanuele Pirro (pictured), long-time Audi works driver with five Le Mans 24 Hour wins under his belt, as well as over 30 race starts in Formula One.

The new RS 3 and R8 were also on show, the former expected to account for at least half of all Audi Sport registrations and propel Australia into a podium sales position for high-performance Audi vehicles, Doyle told motoring.com.au.

"On a global basis we could be ranked number three globally in terms of our sales projections for 2016," he said, "and that'll be strongly driven by the Audi RS3 next year."

Audi Australia is currently ranked within the top 10 globally for RS and R8 sales, comprising the RS Q3, TT RS, RS 4 Avant, RS 5 Coupe, RS 6 Avant, RS 7 Sportback and R8 variants at the top of the tree. And the new branding will propel Audi's most formidable vehicles to new highs, says Doyle.

"Audi Sport makes it much more identifiable for our customers and allows us to leverage the strength and the credibility we have from our motorsport activities," he said, highlighting the company's Bathurst 12 Hour wins in 2011 and 2012 and the huge Le Mans 24 Hour success – 13 wins in the last 16 years.

It's part of a concerted push from the German importer – locally and globally – to shine the spotlight on its top-shelf adrenaline-pumping vehicles by emphasising motorsport links at one end, with improved customer service and special events at the other, such as the Audi Drive Experience days.

Australia is a pilot market for Audi Sport but the new brand goes beyond just a naming convention, says Doyle, by offering customers improved pre- and after-sales service.

Dealerships will have a special Audi Sport corner with vehicle specialists on hand, while all owners of RS and R8 models – including the new entry-level $78K Audi RS3 – will get Audicare A+ Platinum coverage which affords emergency accommodation, transport and more on top of the usual roadside assistance, 24/7, 365 days a year.

Two Audi dealerships in Australia have an Audi Sport presence, both in Victoria (Melbourne and Doncaster). Doyle asserts that "by the end of 2015 we'll have 15 Audi Sport dealers nationally".

"It's an important day for us, because it's the official launch of Audi Sport," said Doyle, who declared Audi Sport's growing portfolio will ensure it becomes "one of the best performance car brands there is".