More than 346,000 vehicles sold –Audi AG achieves best quarter in company history

Audi AG is maintaining its growth course. Thanks to some 346,100 vehicles delivered – an increase of 10.8 percent – this past quarter was the best in company history. This strong start to the year was due in part to March figures: around 143,500 units delivered and a 14.1 percent rise in sales. Audi had never sold so many vehicles in a single month. Growth from January through March was fueled in particular by customers in the USA and China, where Audi achieved record sales, as well. The company likewise registered growth in Eastern Europe and in its domestic German market. “We kicked off 2012 very successfully and expect growth to continue in the months to come,” says Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG.

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“Our new A3 will be rolled out from the second half of this year, and we have just introduced the new-generation A6L in China.” The luxury sedan’s long-wheelbase version leads its segment in China. Audi just completed the best quarter ever in China – the company achieved growth of 40.5 percent by selling 25,941 more new Audi models to Chinese customers than in the first quarter of 2011. Of the 31,505 vehicles delivered in March (+37 percent), the largest share was achieved by the locally produced A4L, A6L and Q5 models. 4,674 more people purchased the Audi SUV (+139.9 percent), compared to March 2011.

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Moreover, China remains the most important market for the Audi A8, accounting for over 40 percent of global sales of this luxury sedan. Luxury-class models are giving the four rings an ongoing boost in the USA, too. Almost twice as many customers took delivery of an A6 during the first three months of 2012 than in the prior-year period (+87.3 percent to 3,581 units). All in all, Audi sold 29,470 automobiles in the first quarter, achieving growth of 16.1 percent – also a company record in the United States. Sales rose by a double-digit figure once again in March, by 18 percent to 11,585 vehicles.

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Also, there was double-digit sales growth in other key markets in the Americas. For example, first-quarter sales rose by 23.3 percent in Canada, 37.3 percent in Brazil and 49.3 percent in Argentina. The automobile manufacturer also improved its upward trend in Germany. Audi sold 25,140 units last month for an increase of 4.8 percent. Overall growth for the first three months of 2012 amounted to 3 percent, as 57,976 Audi models were sold in Germany. The A6 family played a key role, as German customers took delivery of 12,448 A6 units in the first quarter (+74 percent). The Avant remains especially popular in Germany, and the latest generation is no exception. Some two-thirds of A6 customers opted for this version. The trend for Europe as a whole is upward for the Ingolstadt-based company, too.Although Audi concluded the first quarter with a slight drop in sales of 0.1 percent, the company’s growth rates have increased in each consecutive month, with growth in March of 7 percent.

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This was due especially to rates of growth in three key countries. March sales rose in the United Kingdom by 8.6 percent to 23,062 units and in Franceby 5.4 percent to 6,219 units. Growth proved especially robust in Russia, where Audi boosted March sales by 99.9 percent to 3,404 units. Sales were particularly impressive for the new generation of the A5 family, the SUV models and the new A6. Growth markets such as India and South Korea also made important contributions to the quarterly sales record. Audi sales in India rose by 40.8 percent to 2,269 vehicles sold during the first quarter. The company also registered year-on-year growth of 41.7 percent in South Korea by selling 3,365 units.