Audi A7 Sportback Concept
Audi sold 45,124 cars in Western Europe in January, topping its fellow German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz
Audi continues on the warpath and its strategy of matching and exceeding its fellow German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz in sales seems to be working.
For the first time, Audi reported sales figures for January 2009 which topped its premium brand competitors. The automaker, part of the VW Group, sold 45,124 new vehicles in Western Europe, beating both Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
It seems Audi's market share is benefiting from the slump in auto sales currently hitting the market not only in Western Europe but all over the world. For January, its market share in the region was 5.1 percent, compared with a 3.9 percent share in January 2008.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, who heads Sales and Marketing at Audi AG, believes that the age of the brand's product range is what is helping the automaker gain share in the market. Audi has one of the youngest fleets in the premium segment. Last year, it released 12 new models and for the first half of 2009 there will be 6 more.
A lead in monthly sales has been a long time coming for the Ingolstadt-based premium automaker, which has spent the past two decades creating a brand name that can match the more established ones of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Whether the image of an Audi has caught up with the prestige of either of those brands is still an open question and one difficult to quantify. But sales figures, one cannot argue against.
Source: Audi
Press Release (Click to expand)
* Number of newly registered Audi models overtakes that of premium competitors
* Marked rise in Audi's market shares
* Schwarzenbauer, Head of Sales and Marketing: "Full speed ahead for our product offensive"
In January, Audi surpassed its premium competitors with regard to new-vehicle registrations in Western Europe. The Ingolstadt-based automotive manufacturer sold 45,124 new vehicles in this region in January - far more than either of its key competitors. While the overall market has come under pressure, Audi managed to considerably increase its market shares. The brand with the four rings accounted for 5.1 percent of new Western European vehicle registrations in January 2009. Audi's market share for the same month last year was 3.9 percent.
These figures demonstrate that AUDI AG has perpetuated the upward trend of recent months. Throughout the last quarter of 2008, the brand with the four rings was consistently at the top of its class with market shares above five percent.
For Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, this triumph is explained primarily by the brand's young product range. In 2008 alone, the Ingolstadt-based company launched twelve new models. "We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane," says Schwarzenbauer. "Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans - vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive."
During the first half of 2009 alone, six new Audi models are scheduled to hit the market. Schwarzenbauer adds: "By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models, all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development."
Recent research corroborates just how fruitful Audi's brand strategy and its model range already are. The market research institute Simpson Carpenter conducted a representative survey to determine which vehicles constitute Germans' dream cars. As it turns out, Audi has become Germany's most beloved automotive brand. The German trade journal auto motor und sport published similarly positive opinions about the brand with the four rings. Indeed, 100,000 of its readers selected the Audi A4, Audi A6, and the new Audi Q5 as the best vehicles of 2009.
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nendor
February 16, 2009 10:38 PM
