AUDI AG successfully increased its worldwide sales by 4.7 percent in January, handing over a total of approximately 78,700 cars to customers. The brand registered rising sales in Europe and America as well as in the growth regions of Asia.
“The new year has gotten off to a very good start for us with these worldwide growth figures,” said Ralph Weyler, Head of Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “We will reach the million-car mark by the end of this year – and our new, attractive models such as the Audi A3 Cabriolet, for which orders are now being taken, the new RS 6 Avant and the Audi Q5 scheduled for launch in 2008 will additionally stimulate demand in the coming months.”
The Ingolstadt brand sold some 54,800 automobiles in Europe alone in January, an increase of 2.2 percent compared with the same month of last year (2007: 53,664). Sales in Western Europe (excluding Germany) accounted for 37,100 of these cars (up 1.6 percent; 2007: 36,549). The Ingolstadt carmaker sold 10,681 automobiles in Great Britain, the strongest market outside of Germany in January, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.6 percent (2007: 9,009).
In Audi’s home market, the carmaker registered a slight rise of 0.5 percent with 14,117 cars sold (2007: 14,044). In Germany, Audi was the proved once more in January to be the fastest growing premium brand.
In Eastern Europe, Audi increased sales by 17.3 percent to some 3,600 cars (2007: 3,071), with 907 of those sold on the Russian market (up 6.7 percent; 2007: 850). The brand also registered strong growth in Slovakia and Poland; sales climbed by 89.2 percent in Slovakia (333 cars; 2007: 176) and 29.5 percent in Poland (325 cars; 2007: 251).
In America, Audi sold approximately 8,100 cars (up 1.1 percent; 2007: 8,043), with sales on the U.S. market accounting for 6,418 of that number (up 0.3 percent; 2007: 6,399). Canada also develops into a region of strong growth for Audi. Sales were up 25.1 percent in the first month of the year to 573 cars (2007: 458).
The Asia-Pacific region, where Audi has occupied a strong position for many years, saw sales advance by 23.1 percent to some 13,300 cars (2007: 10,836). In China (including Hong Kong), where the brand is the market leader, Audi reported a 25.0 percent increase in sales, handing over 10,579 cars to customers there (2007: 8,461). The brand also registered a rise of 20.2 percent in Japan, with 815 vehicles sold (2007: 678). Audi recorded strong growth in Australia as well, where it sold 1,025 vehicles – 45.4 percent more than in the same month of last year.
