Audi Amazes With Record Sales
Underpinning further indications that the luxury segment is climbing off its death bed, Audi just announced amazing numbers for the first quarter of 2010. Audi just had the best quarter in recorded Audi history. Audi’s worldwide sales climbed by 26 percent in the first three months of 2010, writes Das Autohaus [sub]. In March, the four-ringed daughter of Volkswagen sold 110.400 – never had Audi sold so many cars in a single month. And who’s buying all those Audis?
You guessed it. “Drivers on the growth in March and the first quarter again were China and the complete Asia-Pacific region,” reports Das Autohaus.
Audi’s Q1 sales by region:
Europe up 12 percent
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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In the US, anyway, I'd say it's half design and half branding. While BMW (and to a lesser extent Mercedes) chased home runs with "revolutionary" Bangle style experiments, Audi just kept slugging with classic, restrained designs that appeal to those with the desire and means for a little luxury, but not the desire to flaunt it. At the same time, BMW's prices rose and it became more and more identified with yuppie A-holedom, while buying a Mercedes marked you as a true social climber - especially if you bought a "C-heap" class. If you bought an Audi, particularly in the snow-belt, you could tell yourself you were buying a practical, sporty, rally-derived AWD vehicle that had worked its way upmarket - sort of a Subaru for the professional class.
New Mercedes designs are blocky and ugly. New BMW designs are bland and instantly forgettable. New Audi designs are sexy. Sex sells.
I like Audis well enough- my first car was an A4 and it lasted a good while- but I think they are starting to push it with pricing. It wasn't long ago they offered a compelling product for significantly less than BMW and M-B. The A6 is now similarly priced to the 5 series, and that is a slam dunk for BMW. The A4's 2.0T is a lot better than it used to be but for only a couple grand less than a 328i? And of course there's the FWD issue, for those not interested in Quattro.
Good for Audi - they deserve the success. I'd own an Audi over BMW any day, and did - my S4 was simply awesome. You just can't beat Audio build quality, interiors, design and Quattro. They still have an image problem in the US, i.e. people who want 'expensive' and flashy buy BMW, which hurts them.