Audi Plans to Double Model Lineup by 2015

A7 and smaller SUV confirmed

Just weeks ago at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi officials stated they were feeling bullish after posting their 11th consecutive year of sales records. As a result, they revised their 2015 sales projections with an additional 100,000 to 1.5 million units. In a recent interview with Automobilwoche, Board Member for Technical Development at Audi AG, Michael Dick, said, "We have 22 vehicles in the lineup already and the other 18 in our heads." "Besides the Audi Q5, we will bring out yet another smaller SUV, which has not been named yet." Acknowledging Audi's eagerness to compete with BMW and Mercedes as a luxury brand, Dick also confirmed Audi's plans to introduce a vehicle targeting the four-door coupe design concept innovated by Mercedes with the CLS-Class. Such a vehicle would possibly be named the A7. In a separate Automobilwoche interview, BMW CEO, Norbert Reithofer, responded to the potential of being overtaken by Audi, "If you look at the entire world, not just Europe, Asia and the U.S., then you see that there are just two luxury manufacturers acting globally: Mercedes and BMW." With BMW global sales for 2006 at 1.37 million and aiming for 1.6 million by 2010 while Mercedes-Benz group at 1.26 million in 2006, Audi has made a serious challenge for itself especially with the 1 million unit mark still waiting to be achieved (projected for 2008). 2015 may seem like a long time away but 18 new models including their variants over the course of 8 years averages to be 2.25 models per year. Definitely not an impossibility, especially, with the launching of three major new models: Q7, R8 and A5/S5 within the past year. Source 1: Autonews(Subs. req.)
Source 2: Autonews(Subs. req.)