Audi targets Asian, European markets

DESPITE the global financial crisis, Audi is optimistic that it will experience growth in major European and Asian auto markets.

With around 91,200 cars, Audi increased its global sales by 1.3 per cent last month, compared to June 2008 when it sold 90,025, according to a statement released by TCY Motors Sdn Bhd, the representative of Audi in Brunei Darussalam.

Over the first six months, the brand narrowed the gap to the previous year's record sales to minus 9.7 per cent, with around 466,000 vehicles delivered as compared to 2008 with 516,219 vehicles, said the statement.

The main driving forces behind the sales success in June were record unit sales in China and Germany. Likewise, Audi's business performance in the United States and Western Europe was much better than that of its competitors.

Over the first six months of this year, Audi was the strongest premium brand in Western Europe.

"Our sales success particularly in difficult markets such as Western Europe and the United States shows that Audi currently presents the best choice in the premium segment — offering the freshest product range in the industry," said Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the board of management for Marketing and Sales.

"The new Audi Q5 is enjoying greater success worldwide than its core competitors. The locally built long-wheelbase version of the Audi A4 is proving capable of meeting the special requirements of the Chinese market. And our Audi A6 was the world's best-selling business sedan in the first half of the year."

For the full year, Schwarzenbauer confirmed the forecast made by Audi at the start of the year. "We will finish on target — achieving our sales forecast of 900,000 cars in 2009. We have been right on track over the first six months, and the current level of incoming orders serves to confirm our prognosis."

Audi had already anticipated a year-on-year downturn in vehicle deliveries of around 10 per cent at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

In Germany, Audi also benefited from the market stimulus provided by the scrappage bonus — as reflected in the high sales figures for the A3 and A4 model families.

The expiry of the motor vehicle tax exemption likewise prompted a rise in car registrations for Audi in June — to the record tally of 27,679 registrations, the highest figure in the history of the company (+18.4 per cent; 2008: 23,369). Between January and June, figures of newly registered Audis on the German market climbed 1.4 per cent to 125,157 cars (2008: 123,429).

In Western Europe the sales figures for June were down 1.7 per cent on the prior-year figure (2008: 59,481) at around 58,500 cars. Growth in major markets in the region, such as Italy (5,545 cars; +3.6 per cent), Belgium (2,690 cars; +5.2 per cent) and Sweden (1,461 cars; up 3.5 per cent) as well as significantly higher sales in smaller markets such as Turkey (805 cars; up 49.1 per cent) and Greece (882 cars; up 28.8 per cent) meant that June sales were not far off the record figure from 2008, said Ausi in its statement.

Over the first six months of the year, Audi sold around 301,750 cars in Western Europe, 12.3 per cent fewer than in the first half of 2008. With this total, the manufacturer substantially improved its market share compared with its competitors — to 4.6 per cent as against 4.3 per cent in the prior-year period. Thus, Audi was Western Europe's most successful premium brand in the first half of the year.

In the United States, Audi of America made further headway in the market. With a comparatively modest downturn of 8.3 per cent on the prior-year month (7,524 cars; 2008: 8,203), the company increased its market share within the premium market by 1.3 per centage points to 9.1 per cent.

Over the first six months, sales were still 15.9 per cent down on the previous year at 37,845 units in a market that continued to contract sharply.

In Canada the brand enjoyed a 51.7 per cent rise in sales (1,106 cars; 2008: 729); cumulatively, vehicle sales of 5,432 cars were 17.4 per cent up on the previous year.

Audi again posted record figures in China (including Hong Kong). In June, 13,265 Chinese customers purchased an Audi, 28.4 per cent more than in June 2008 (2008: 10,329).

Over the first six months of the year, Audi registered sales of 66,866 cars — 10.5 per cent more than in the record-breaking year of 2008 (2008: 60,509).

Audi achieved strong growth in many other markets in the Asia-Pacific region. June was a record month in both Australia and India.

In Australia sales climbed 23.4 per cent to 1,118 cars (2008: 906); in India, Audi sold 204 cars last month, a rise of 164.9 per cent (2008: 77).

Over the first half as a whole, Audi consequently sold 5,612 cars in Australia (+10 per cent; 2008: 5,103) and 821 cars in India (+74.7 per cent; 2008: 470).

Sales by the brand in Japan rose 10 per cent in June to 1,875 units (2008: 1,704). Cumulatively, sales were still 4 per cent down on the previous year (7,579 cars; 2008: 7,893).

The healthy sales figures for individual markets are also reflected in the overall sales in the Asia-Pacific region: Audi sold around 17,500 vehicles in June, an increase of 26.1 per cent (2008: 13,889).

The Brunei Times