Audi of America, which on Feb, 5 will air a commercial in its fifth consecutive Super Bowl, is using the NFL playoffs to launch marketing support for its all-wheel drive Quattro that serves as a prelude to the big game campaign.

The new effort is anchored by a 60-second TV spot, “Ahab,” that will break during the NFL division playoffs this weekend. A 30-second version, as well as related commercials, come with the tagline “The legendary Audi Quattro.”

Audi is planning a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLVI. Audi first big game commercial was in 2008 during Super Bowl XLII.

As happened during the broadcast of Super Bowl XLV in 2011 on Fox, Super Bowl XLVI commercials on NBC will be heavily trafficked by auto and car-related companies. In addition to Audi, they include Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Toyota, Bridgestone and Cars.com.

The initial spot Audi spot for Quattro draws its storyline from Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick. In the commercial, Audi re-envisions the epic struggle between obsessed sea captain Ahab and the elusive white whale as a tow truck driver battling snowdrifts, blizzards and his nemesis, a white Audi Quattro.

“I’ve been out there most of my life,” says grizzled tow truck driver “Ahab,” who resembles shark-chaser Sam Quint from Jaws (which was Steven Spielberg’s own  re-envisioned version of Moby Dick).  “You name it I’ve hooked it.”  We then see him hooking several stranded cars to his tow truck and pulling them to safety.

However, “There’s one that’s always eluded me,” he bemoans. “[It] haunts my dreams.” In several shots, we see a car effortlessly zooming past on snow- and ice-impacted roads. A closing shot shows the white Audi Quattro again speeding by the tow truck guy, who lets out a crazy, frustrated wail, “Quattro! I will find you!” (See the full spot here.)

The storyline is continued in auxiliary 30- and 15- second teaser spots “Trophies,” “The Beast” and “Bad Customer.” Lead agency is Venables, Bell & Partners, San Francisco.

Audi did not indicate whether the Moby Dick theme would continue into its Super Bowl XLVI spot.

During Super Bowl XLV, Audi’s  humorous “Release the Hounds” spot featured the A8 flagship sedan in a scenario in which car owners in a luxury prison under the watchful eye of Kenny G tried to escape from the confines of competitors’ stodgy vehicles.

In 2010, Audi’s Super Bowl XLIV ad used a version of Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police” to support the A3 TDI clean diesel vehicle. Actor Jason Statham starred in Super Bowl XLIII’s ad in a series of high-speed chase scenes in which Audi outlasts its luxury competitors. The brand’s first Super Bowl spot was a parody of the movie The Godfather.

“The Super Bowl continues to be a platform to showcase a brand’s creativity and voice,” Scott Keogh, CMO for Audi of America said in a statement. “We’ve achieved record levels of awareness and showroom traffic with national consideration numbers showing significant spikes post game, and are confident that this year will follow suit.”