Abt Sportsline – a modern family-run company with tradition

For more than four decades the family-owned company Abt Sportsline is successful in motor sport and in the tuning sector. Innovative designs, the development of new technologies and an extraordinary demand for high quality standards have made Abt Sportsline one of the world-wide leading tuners for all VW group makes. The family-run company based in Kempten is a global player with more than 150 employees and 60 importers all over the world. What once started with just a few vehicles has developed into a significant commercial enterprise. In the headquarters in Kempten more than 2,000 vehicles of all VW group makes are upgraded annually. Also in motor sport the name Abt Sportsline has become a synonym for success. Two championship titles in the most popular German touring car series, the DTM, speak for themselves.

Since three generations, the company Abt is engaged in the automotive industry. It all began with founding a blacksmiths in the year 1896 before the automobile finally replaced horse and cart in the 1920s. Nowadays Hans Jürgen and Christian Abt, the Managing Directors, make sure that Abt Sportsline remains a family-run company; however, one of the special kinds, as long ago the smithy turned into a high-tech enterprise. The product range comprises power upgrades, sport suspension kits, aerodynamic body parts, wheels and exhaust systems as well as complete vehicles with the unmistakeable handwriting of the designers and engineers from Kempten.

Moreover, Abt Sportsline has developed into a centre for technical competence. „In the meantime we have become a real car manufacturer. We have built up a structure in Kempten with which we are able to produce cars ourselves,” explains Hans Jürgen Abt. The complete construction, from the first design to the CAD and manufacturing of nearly all necessary parts can be mastered at Abt Sportsline. Another proof for the outstanding quality and know how of the Bavarians is the fact that Abt Sportsline is official Audi and VW Service Partner. The newly founded company Abt Sportsline Servicecenter GmbH Co.KG offers full servicing for all Audi and VW vehicles.

Special significance is placed on motor tuning. Complete engine conversions as well as power upgrades via optimization of the motor management, so-called chip tuning, are and will continuously be perfected at Abt Sportsline. The engineers have taken on the challenge of more and more demanding new power units. For customers the factor experience is indispensable: Thousands of dates have been collected over the years. Only in this way it is possible to offer chip tuning for every motorization with varying engine type codes. An incomparable achievement.

Motor sport

The motor sport team from Kempten has popularized the name Abt Sportsline all over the world. Among the team’s largest successes are the title in the German Super Touring Car Championship (STW) in 1999 through Christian Abt and, of course, the championship title in Europe’s most popular touring car championship, the DTM. In 2002 Laurent Aiello clinched the title for Abt Sportsline and in the season 2004 Mattias Ekström accomplished the same feat. What is more, by clinching the team championship title as Audi Sport Team Abt for the first time, the Bavarians filled the DTM’s history books. Also in 2005 Abt Sportsline was official Audi works team the DTM and clinched the runner-up title with Mattias Ekström at the end of a thrilling season.

Beside the participation in the DTM with the Audi A4, the team from Kempten also entered three vehicles in the SEAT Leon Supercopa in 2005. With four wins Bastian Kolmsee finished third in the overall standings and was qualified to take part in the European finals of the SEAT Leon Supercopa in Barcelona. Furthermore, on behalf of Volkswagen, Abt Sportsline is responsible for the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup and enters all vehicles.