Currently reading: New Audi Sport dealers to fight BMW M and Mercedes-AMG
Ingolstadt to give enthusiast buyers of its performance models special treatment at dealerships to enhance the success of its RS sub-brand

Audi is to launch a worldwide network of specially branded ‘Audi Sport’ dealers to fight the BMW M and Mercedes-AMG performance car divisions.

The project has been under development for a couple of years and will be rolled out worldwide by the end of this month.

Audi’s intention is to formalise and increase the success of its RS models. The feeling is that its enthusiast buyers need special treatment and haven’t been getting it.

The launch of the new Audi Sport dealer network is being tied in with the new R8. Audi will reorganise and expand its strategy for reveals of sporty and powerful models so there’s roughly one ‘event’ every year.

“In 2013, we had seven new RS models in one year - then nothing,” said sales and marketing boss Luca de Meo. “We won’t be doing that again.”

Some UK dealers are ready to launch Audi Sport premises alongside existing dealerships. “We don’t insist on this,” said de Meo, “but we are very happy if it happens.”

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Steve Cropley

Steve Cropley Autocar
Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business. 

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back. 

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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richard0028 15 September 2015

Couldn't agree more.....

......the only reason I sold my RS4 was the local dealership offered nothing that would imply they saw my $85k+ purchase being important to them. No differentiated effort on any level, never followed up with me at anniversaries to see if I wanted to trade in/up or test drive something new. This was one of, if not the, biggest Audi dealerships in the US. They have a lot to learn in terms of differentiated customer service. If they want a blueprint, they could follow that of the Lexus dealership that looks after my wife's SUV....truly impressive.