Who better to get across Audi’s “new luxury” message and help promote the youth-targeted A1 premium subcompact than Justin Timberlake. Audi has just announced that the pop star and aspiring actor has been named the luxury German automaker’s official brand ambassador.

In particular, JT will help with an extensive marketing plan that Audi will unveil over the next several months to help promote its new A1 premium subcompact, which will debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March.

“As a superstar he appeals to a young target audience that we’re particularly intent on exciting about the compact and efficient A1,” said Audi board member Peter Schwarzenbauer. And the fact that JT’s image is as clean as it was when he as a mousketeer doesn’t hurt either.

This news also seems to potentially contradict a story we just published, stating that the A1 will not be offered in North America. While JT’s popularity is certainly global, it would seem silly for Audi to not use the superstar’s talent and influence in a market where he is best known.

GALLERY: Audi A1 Sketches and Graffiti Art

Official release after the jump:

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We recently reported that the Audi A4 beat out the BMW 3 Series as the most popular luxury car in Germany for 2008 and now Audi is continuing to rack up the successes by boasting that it was the best-selling brand in all of Western Europe in the month of January.

These figures support news from the Simpson Carpenter market research institute which recently announced that Audi was Germany’s favorite brand.

During a time when sales figures are declining around the world, Audi has posted losses but not to the extent of its competitors. As a result the company managed to grab a total market share of 5.1 percent – compared to just 3.9 percent for the same period a year ago. In terms of units, this amounted to 45,124 vehicles.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG credits the success to the long list of vehicles that Audi has either newly brought to market or completely redesigned. “We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane,” says Schwarzenbauer. “Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans – vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive.”

In 2008 Audi launched 12 new vehicles and in the first half of ’09 the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer will launch another six. “By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models,” says Schwarzenbauer, ” all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development.”

Official release after the jump:

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