Do all car brands have performance divisions? Most, not all, of them do. Car manufacturers use these divisions to come up with exciting, sporty and more powerful versions of their popular but otherwise, boring safe cars. These performance cars are used as poster boys to showcase what the car manufacturers are capable of.
Here is a look at what the popular car brands in Kenya call their performance divisions
Audi: S and RS
The performance variants of Audi cars are labelled S for Sport or RS for RennSport (racing sport in German). The division started out as quattro, a homage to Audi’s all-wheel-drive car. These cars contain the latest technologies and engineering while retaining the comfort and practicalities of their regular models. The RS is the highest trim in the Audi lineup and therefore their most expensive.
BMW: M
M stands for motorsport. It started out as a racing program for BMW before it was extended to their regular cars. Presently, nearly all BMW cars have M versions. A notable exception to this is the 7 Series, their luxury sedan, which BMW feels is too heavy for sporty performance. Currently, the division has an original M car in the market, the BMW XM. This is a car that has been created from the ground up as an exclusive M car.
Read: Common Automotive Abbreviations And Acronyms
Ford: Ford Performance
Ford Performance was formed in 2015 by merging Ford’s different high performance divisions, namely Ford Racing, Ford TeamRS and Special Vehicle Team. High performance Ford cars have these designations: RS, ST, SVT, Raptor for their offroaders and Shelby Mustang for the Mustang.
Hyundai: N
Hyundai established the N division in 2012 with the first N-branded Hyundai car being launched in 2016. The N is a nod to both the district in South Korea where the division was founded and the Nürburgring in Germany where N models are tested.
Jaguar Land Rover: SVO
SVO stands for Special Vehicle Operations and is Jaguar Land Rover’s performance and R&D division. SVO models are the brand’s most powerful cars, and are also their most luxurious with personalized customizations. These cars have SV designations like SVR, SVAutobiography or simply SV.
Kia: GT
Kia is yet to have a fully fledged performance division like its sister company, Hyundai, but its sporty and performance car versions are branded GT.
Lexus: F
Lexus F (and F-Sport) is the high performance division of Lexus. Like N for Hyundai, F in Lexus has dual meaning: it is short for flagship and a nod to Fuji Speedway in Japan where Lexus tests its F-cars. The Lexus LFA is probably the most famous of F-cars.
Mercedes: AMG
AMG stands for Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach. It started out as an independent company founded by former Mercedes engineers that specializes in tuning Benzes. The company was acquired by Daimler in 1999. Unlike other performance divisions of other car brands, AMG is a subsidiary that enjoys a high degree of autonomy in its operations. AMG is known for its engines, which are hand-built and signed by its 50 or so engine builders. AMG cars are usually badged using two numbers instead of the normal three e.g. S55 instead of S550.
Mitsubishi: Ralliart
Ralliart is the high-performance division of Mitsubishi. The division has been on ice since 2010 although there is speculation the car maker is considering bringing it back to life. If you have ever wondered why all the ralliart cars you see on the road are older models, that is the reason.
Nissan: Nismo and Autech
Nismo stands for Nissan Motorsport International. Together with Autech, they are divisions of Nissan focused on performance cars. The two were initially direct subsidiaries of Nissan; Nismo the motorsport subsidiary and Autech the tuning subsidiary. In 2022, they were merged to form a new subsidiary called Nissan Motorsport & Customizing. The two are now subsidiaries of a subsidiary.
Read: Understanding Toyota Prado J150 Trim Levels
Peugeot: Peugeot Sport Engineered
Peugeot high performance division, Peugeot Sport Engineeed, is a relative newcomer to this list. Launched under the Stellantis label in 2020, the division is focused on creating electrified performance cars. The division’s inaugural car is the 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered; an all-wheel-drive plugin hybrid sedan that is Peugeot most powerful production car.
Subaru: STI
STI stands for Subaru Tecnica International and is Subaru’s motorsport division. The division releases limited edition STI versions of the Impreza, Legacy and Forester models. These cars are designated STI, S-Line or tS which stands for tuned by STI.
Toyota: TRD and GR
TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and GR (Gazoo Racing) are both divisions of Toyota responsible for creating performance cars and supporting their motorsport. GR is the new kid in the block focused mainly on motorsports while TRD is the veteran relegated to tuning Toyota’s SUVs and pickups. Most GR cars are small sport cars such as GR Yaris (although there is a GR-version of their big LC300).
Volvo: Polestar
Polestar is a standalone electric car manufacturer partly owned by Volvo. It also produces Volvo’s high performance models as a successor to Volvo R. Older models have R added to their name while newer ones have Polestar.
VW: R
VW sport or performance car versions are christened R, visible on the grille infront and trunk at the back. Some of their models that have R-versions include the Toureg, Tiguan and Golf. Below R is the R-Line and GT.
Of late, most car manufacturers have introduced performance trim packages in their lineups. This gives regular models that performance cosmetic look minus the engine and gearbox upgrades to make it a genuine high performance car. These cars are more expensive than regular models but cheaper than the performance versions. They tend to have other words added to the performance designation. Here are some examples:
- Mercedes has AMG trim
- BMW has M Sport
- Audi has S-Line
- Hyundai has N Line
- Lexus has F Sport
- Subaru has S-Line
- VW has R-Line
As a side note, Mazda had a sports and performance division called Mazdaspeed but they discontinued it in 2013.
