Audi of America's Scott Keogh said the maker plans to continue setting sales records in the U.S.

Audi plans to remain vigilant about not allowing its dazzling sales gains achieved during the last four years slip away anytime soon despite the rising competitive pressures in the luxury segment.

Audi of America President Scott Keogh confirmed Audi expects to set a new annual U.S. record that will exceed 150,000 units this year. By topping that figure, Audi will set its fourth consecutive full-year record and nearly double the 77,917 vehicles sold less than a decade ago.

The maker recently reported that July was its 31st month of record U.S. sales, Keogh said. In addition Audi AG also confirmed that it would record sales of 1.5 million vehicles this year: two years earlier than promised.

Keogh noted Audi is preparing to have important new products ready for the American market early next year and dismissed speculation in Europe that Audi was slipping and was facing difficulties.

Audi has some very consequential introductions on the horizon, including the debut of the new A3 and new Q3, coming up in early 2014.

“These are volume vehicles,” he said.

Keogh also emphasized that the A3 should not be considered a “cheap” version of an Audi sedan. He indicated pricing will begin in the range of $35,000 and the car, while small, will still contain all of the technology, features and luxury that buyers have come to expect from an Audi vehicle.

The new vehicles are expected to help Audi maintain its sales momentum in the months to come, he said, adding that demand for Audi vehicles continues to increase.

During a speech at the Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City, Mich., Keogh compared the business model driving the brand’s U.S. and global momentum to the culture infusing the dominating Audi Sport racing teams.

Audi has a long-standing commitment to motorsports as a proving ground for advanced technologies, engineering refinements and a lean organization approach to developing premium cars for its customers.

(Durheimer in limbo due to Audi management shake up. For more information, Click Here.)

The important role racing has played in Audi traditions extends back to the Silver Arrow Grand Prix racers of the 1930s, includes the Pike’s Peak rally cars of the 1980s, and more recently can be found in the dominance Audi has enjoyed by winning 12 of the past 14 Le Mans 24-hour endurance races.

“If you race, but only race, all you’ve done is define a motorsports team,” Keogh explained. “But if your top priority is to transfer technology and integrate the lessons from racing, then you have defined an entire company. This is why Audi races and it captures our clear view on the value of motorsports.”

(Click Here to read about Audi’s 650-hp Quattro concept.)

Racing also provides the basis of the Audi “challenger” culture, which is constantly looking beyond recent successes to find strategies and innovations that can keep the brand ahead of its leading luxury market rivals. It’s the same approach Audi Sport uses to maintain its edge on the track.