Positive sales result for the Four Rings for the half year: With around 953,200 units delivered, AUDI AG increased its sales since January by 5.6 percent, growing in all regions. The brand recorded strong growth especially in Europe. Sales in that region increased by 8.4 percent since the beginning of the year, topping 450,000 cars for the first time. Worldwide, especially the new models Audi A4 (+12.3%) and Audi Q7 full size SUV (+73,6%) pushed the sales performance. Deliveries across all models increased by 7.4 percent in June to around 169,000 units with Audi surpassing its performance from the same month last year in all top ten sales markets.
“Despite persisting challenges in key markets, the first half of 2016 was mainly characterized by globally balanced growth. We reinforced our market leadership in Europe and China and are performing better than the overall market in the United States,” says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “In the upcoming months, we will continue to strengthen our model portfolio with new technologies and concepts like the Audi Q7 e-tron*, the A6L e-tron, the SQ7 TDI* and the Q2.”
With the European market launch of the new Audi A5 in the fall and the updated Audi A3 this month, a generation change is in store for the already successful key models.
In June, Audi handed over around 78,700 (+9.8%) cars in Europe across all models. The company thus set new records for deliveries in each of the six months in this region. Cumulatively, sales increased by 8.4 percent to around 455,250 cars. New models, above all, provided a boost in Audi’s largest sales region: Sales of the Audi Q7 full‑size SUV more than doubled, while demand for the new Audi A4 climbed by almost 20 percent. The brand posted significant growth primarily in Germany (+12.4% to 166,154 units), Italy (+14.6% to 32,124 units) and Spain (+14.5% to 28,803 units). The manufacturer also made further gains in its largest European export market, the UK: up 4.1 percent to 89,935 cars. This increase was fueled in particular by strong demand for the Audi TT, which saw a 36 percent increase in deliveries in the United Kingdom. With sales of around 17,650 since January, the Audi TT secured its position as the top‑selling compact sports car in the premium segment.
On the American continent as well, deliveries of the Ingolstadt‑based brand increased in the last six months: up 3.5 percent to around 131,450 units. Of those, 96,934 were sold in the United States, also representing an increase of 3.5 percent. Nearly every second US customer chose an SUV. Cumulative sales of the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 thus climbed by 24 percent to 45,195 cars. Audi continued its successful course in the US market in June. A one percent increase marked the 66th month of growth in a row. Canada once again proved to be an important growth driver in the region. In the first half of the year, the company sold 15,614 units there, 16 percent more than in the same period last year.
Sales continued to develop positively in the Asia‑Pacific region as well. Compared to the deliveries in the first half of 2015, sales increased by 3.9 percent to around 339,300 premium cars sold. In recent months, Audi made gains in China primarily with its compact models: In the first six months, the company handed over 81,083 units of the Audi A3 and Q3 to customers, corresponding to an increase of 21.7 percent. Across all models, sales in China increased by 5.9 percent to 290,126 units. Demand increased by 6.6 percent in June. In addition to China, Australia also showed strong growth in the region: Since the beginning of the year, 12,155 units have entered the Australian market, up 7.2 percent.
JAMAICA’S leading automotive group, ATL Automotive created big waves both on and offline this week after unveiling one of the most creative marketing blitz ever. It featured an Audi Q5 driving 40 feet up the wall of Wyndham Kingston hotel, in the city’s financial district.
The awe-inspiring installation — conceptualised by Chief Executive Officer Adam Stewart with the company’s marketing team — was created to demonstrate the legendary gripping power of ‘quattro’, the all-wheel-drive system perfected by German car makers Audi, and to coincide with the arrival of 2017 Audi Q5 units, Jamaica’s number one premium mid-size SUV. “This strategy was so fitting for Audi. Not only did it show off the greater traction and dynamic ability of Audi’s unique quattro AWD feature, but stayed true to the company’s ethos of progression and creativity in design.
At ATL Automotive, we like to push the boundaries too. Anyone can take a standard billboard, and we do, but the buzz we’ve seen since on the streets and on social media since we executed this has been incredible.
The term ‘raising the bar’ never seemed so appropriate, and I congratulate my marketing team on continuing to disrupt and challenge the norm. Watch what we’ve got up our sleeves next!” said Stewart. “The Audi view is that it doesn’t matter how big the engine is: its power first has to be channelled via the wheels before reaching the road. What quattro does is send power to the wheels that need it the most at any given time. Basically asking the question, why power just two wheels when a car has four?” the CEO continued.
The six-month project saw the ATL team fibreglass an existing Audi Q5, paint and brand it before engaging expert local sign company, Signarama, to build a specially reinforced bracket on the unit itself before fixing it 40 feet up the exterior of the hotel. Over seven million models with quattro® technology have been built to date, making Audi the world’s most successful manufacturer of premium cars with permanent all-wheel drive. From compact cars to saloons to supercars, quattro is synonymous with legendary traction, sure handling and a unique and exclusive brand of driving pleasure. The quattro, permanent, all-wheel-drive system splits drive power between the front and rear wheels to optimum effect.
This enables an Audi fitted with quattro to keep making safe progress with ease in situations where two-wheel drive vehicles no longer have any forward traction, such as on slippery surfaces or loose terrain. “Special mention and thanks must go to the Kevin Hendrickson and his management team at the Wyndham Kington hotel, who immediately bought into what we were trying to achieve and supported us every step of the way,” Stewart added. The latest delivery of 2017 Audi Q5 models is expected to land in Jamaica at the end of May. Starting price $8,795,000.00.
Audi is revealing the new Audi Q2* at the Geneva International Motor Show. The compact SUV is an urban-type vehicle for everyday driving and recreation, uniting a progressive design with a high level of functionality. Connectivity, infotainment and assistance systems are on level of full-size class.
