AUDI AG: sales target for 2014 raised to 1.7 million
· Around 125,300 deliveries worldwide in August; increase of 5.6 percent
· Sales chief Luca de Meo: “Demand remains on the up despite challenging market conditions”
· Double Digit growth again for the Middle East region
Ingolstadt, September 10, 2014 – Audi again maintained its path of growth worldwide in August: Sales rose 5.6 percent to around 125,300 automobiles. This brings the total number of customers who have chosen an Audi since the start of the year to around 1,138,700, an increase of 10.5 percent. The four rings grew particularly strongly in North America in August, increasing sales by 22.6 percent year on year and the Middle East continued its consistent growth in the region with an 11 percent increase.
“Worldwide demand for our automobiles continues to develop positively even if the economic environment in certain markets remains challenging. Regarding our deliveries total, we are confident of selling 1.7 million cars by the end of the year,” remarked Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Sales at AUDI AG. “As well as the A3 family, the popular A6 derivatives in particular and also the successful Q models are providing steady growth rates.”
In August, most notably the Audi Q3* lifted the sales total with an increase of
40.0 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. There was lively demand for the compact SUV in the United Kingdom (+25.3%) and China, where sales of this model more than doubled. The Q3 has also been available in the U.S. market since the end of August and will further strengthen sales of Audi’s family of SUV models there.
With 17,101 deliveries (+22.1%) in the United States, Audi maintained its successful track record on the North American continent in August. In Canada, the brand with the four rings delivered substantially more cars to customers (+31.7%) than in the prior-year month. In Mexico, deliveries increased by 14.1 percent. Since the start of this year, Audi has therefore handed some 139,850 North American customers the keys to their new car and more than doubled its sales in the region since 2009. Brazil, too, reported rapid growth in August. With 1,172 cars sold and growth of 58.6 percent compared to the prior-year month, Audi reinforced its market presence there.
In Germany, Audi saw sales dip by 26.6 percent compared with a strong figure for August 2013. Since January, 176,340 German customers have now received their new Audi, an increase of 4.1 percent. In Italy the Company sold 29.2 percent more vehicles in August. The sales volume in the United Kingdom also grew by 21.0 percent compared with the same month of the previous year. Sales of the Audi A3 actually rose by 63.5 percent over the same period. 1,676 of the compact model were delivered, making it the country’s best-selling Audi. A total of 100,614 Audi vehicles have been handed over to their new owners in the British market since the start of the year.
Commenting on sales performance, Trevor Hill, Managing Director of Audi Middle East said “ Audi continues to go from strength to strength in the Middle East with consistent double digit growth at 11% year to date and total sales of 7,579 in the region. The Audi R8 has been enthusiastically received in our market with a 100% increase in sales over 2013 and the market leader, the Audi Q7, continues to perform well in the market with an 8% growth.
Audi also improved its sales figures from August 2013 in the Asia-Pacific region by 11.5 percent. There was especially strong growth in deliveries in China (+10.2%), Australia (+21.2%) and South Korea (+49.1%).