In 2015, AUDI AG recorded record results: global sales increased by 3.6 percent compared to 2014 and reached 1,803,250 vehicles. Even more impressive is that this result was achieved before the main offensive vehicles of current models, such as new versions of the A4, Q7 and R8, began to be sold in all key regions for the brand. In Europe and China, Audi (www.audimanual.ru/en) has consolidated its position as the most successful premium brand, and in the US sales are growing twice as fast as the market as a whole. In December alone, 158,450 customers chose Audi, up 5.6 percent over the same period last year. Thus, the company continues to grow 72 months without a break.
“With sales of 1.8 million vehicles, we exceeded the target of 1.5 million units that we set in our strategy for 2015 by 300,000 vehicles,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Management Board of AUDI AG. “In 2015, we showed that Audi is in an extremely strong position and that the brand is successfully meeting different challenges.”
Sales Manager Dietmar Vogenreiter explains the region-by-region picture in more detail: “In Asia, we are very flexible and respond in time to declining market dynamics, optimizing our efforts to maintain the best possible position. Strong results in the United States and the start of our massive model rollout in Europe are also a solid foundation for Audi’s continued growth. November 2015 is already present on the European market in its brand new version. This year, the model will enter markets overseas. The new generation Q7 has been available in Europe since the summer of 2015, celebrating its debut in China at the end of the year, and in 2016 the United States will be another important market for it.
In 2015, the entire Audi SUV family posted strong growth again, with sales of various Q models jumping 6.0% to 537,950 vehicles worldwide. The A3 also contributed to Audi’s brilliant results, with sales up 20.3% to 372,750 vehicles. With 29,950 vehicles sold, TT posted a strong growth of 87.0%.
In Europe, the popularity of expensive Audi models continues to grow. Along with the Q7 (+103.8% to 27,050 vehicles), the A6 also saw a big gain of 9.9% to 99,800 vehicles. In Europe as a whole, sales of the brand grew by 4.8 percent and reached a record 799,950 vehicles. In December, the first full month for the new A4, sales in Europe rose 17.5% to 57,650 vehicles. Over the past five years, Audi has increased its sales in Europe by almost a quarter, given that the market is only now able to return to 2010 levels. In 2015, Spain (+16.5% to 44,587 vehicles) and Italy (+10.3% to 54,054 vehicles) lead the ranking of the fastest growing European markets for the brand. With 60,216 sales, France is up 5.2 percent. In Germany (+5.7% to 270,063 vehicles) and the UK (+5. 0% to 166,817 vehicles) Audi is doing better than ever. Conditions in Russia continue to be tough, with sales there down 24.6% to 25,650 vehicles in 2015.
In the United States, for the first time in its history, the company passed the 200,000 vehicle mark, where Audi grew by 11.1% to 202,202 vehicles sold. Thus, within five years, Audi has almost doubled its sales in the US. In December, despite the voluntary suspension of diesel vehicle deliveries, sales rose 6.0% year-over-year to 20,399 vehicles. During the year, the Q5 increased its sales by 22.6 percent to 52,006 vehicles, making the Q-model family of SUVs increasingly popular. 32,119 customers opted not to opt for the A3 sedan (+52.4%), making it one of the most popular compact sedans in the local market. Along with the US, markets such as Canada (+9.1% to 26,754 vehicles),
In China in 2015, Audi achieved a very strong market share and with 570,889 sales, there was a slight decrease compared to 2014 (-1.4%). 60,197 sales in December is the brand’s second best monthly result since its introduction in China; This achievement is only 3.8 percent below the record sales level in December 2014. At the end of 2014, the launch of the A3 sedan, which is produced in an Asian country, managed to create a sensation among Audi dealers. In the coming months, the company will make major generational upgrades of some key models for the local market: by the summer of 2016, it is expected that 60 percent of Audi’s sales in China will come from new models.
