AUDI AG: Sales growth in every region

AUDI AG is continuing its strong sales growth: the Company sold some 109,400 vehicles worldwide in April – a year-on-year increase of 13.2 percent. During the first four months of this year, customers took delivery of around 422,000 units – 17.0 percent more than during the comparable period in 2010. In Germany, Audi even surpassed its first quarter growth rate with an increase of 16.1 percent in April. Sales also rose once again in Europe as a whole, propelled by particularly impressive growth of 30.1 percent in Eastern Europe. Strong growth in India helped set new records in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Audi clearly continues to grow worldwide. The current order position means we’re well on our way to our target of selling 1.2 million vehicles this year,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. As for the brand’s luxury class initiative, he adds: “We expect to be boosted once more by the recent market launch of the A7 Sportback in the United States. Over its life-cycle, we hope to sell around 25 percent of all A7 Sportbacks to U.S. customers.”

Even before the A7 Sportback and the new A6 Sedan had reached dealerships in many key markets, Audi increased luxury class sales significantly during the last four months. Worldwide growth in this class amounted to 20.6 percent. Deliveries of the Audi Q7 luxury SUV rose by an impressive 48.1 percent. The Audi A8 also notched up robust figures: in Western Europe alone, some 3,400 customers opted for the top model from January through April. The A8 further improved its position in Germany as well, with 1,780 registrations.

In addition to the A8, substantial April growth rates in Germany can be attributed primarily to the Audi A1 and the successful roll-out of the new A6 Sedan: Deliveries of 22,204 vehicles in Germany represented a year-on-year increase of 16.1 percent. High double-digit rates of growth were also reported by many European export markets. In particular, Audi sold 5,535 automobiles in France (up 20.5 percent) and 2,821 units in Russia (up 36.1 percent). In Europe as a whole, the brand boosted sales in April by 10.1 percent to some 63,650 automobiles; from January through April, approximately 250,150 deliveries equated to a year-on-year increase of
13.6 percent.

The Ingolstadt-based manufacturer also stayed on course for growth in the USA. With 10,018 vehicles delivered and growth of 7.5 percent, April proved to be the strongest sales month thus far in 2011. Thanks to year-on-year growth of 16.0 percent for April in Canada, North American sales figures for the first four months of the year amounted to some 43,500 automobiles, an increase of 17.0 percent compared to one year ago.

In April, Audi’s most important sales market was once again China. Sales figures in the Middle Kingdom grew by 21.2 percent compared to 2010 for a total of 23,766 units. Audi thus sold 87,888 vehicles in China in four months – a year-on-year increase of 23.7 percent. Last but not least, the Indian market is playing an increasingly dynamic role in the Asia-Pacific region. Audi India delivered 1,986 premium vehicles to customers during the first four months of 2011 – twice as many as just one year ago.