In 2016, AUDI AG achieved sales of 1,871,350 vehicles, up 3.8 percent from the previous record year of 2015. Thanks to a major lineup renewal, sales growth is observed in all regions: in Europe (+ 7.6%), in North America (+ 5.3%), growth is also observed in the USA (+ 4%) and in Asia (+ 0, 5%). In the brand’s five largest markets, Audi reports the highest sales in the company’s history. The number of Audi cars sold (www.audimanual.ru/en) has been steadily growing since 2009. Compared with 949,729 sales in 2009, today the number of brand buyers has almost doubled. “2016 has been a much better year for Audi than expected, despite the strong headwinds and adverse developments we have had to contend with in many of our important markets. With increased sales in all regions of the world, we have once again proved the strength of our brand,” says Dietmar Vogenreiter, Head of Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. “The positive audience response to our new models clearly shows that our model and technology offensive are on the right track. In the new year, we will continue the massive renewal of the Audi product range and look forward to strong performance in all important markets.”
The new Audi A4 (www.audimanual.ru/en/A4) debuted in foreign markets in 2016 and its global sales grew by 7.6 percent to 337,550 vehicles. In Europe, where the model was available in all months of the year, the A4 posted a 25.7% increase and a total of 164,600 sales, the highest achievement in its market segment. This year, the mid-range refresh at Audi will continue with the new A5 Coupé, which, after its European debut in late 2016, will soon be introduced to the brand’s other markets. 2017 will be the year of the debut of the new A5 Sportback, also for the US market.
The second generation of the high-end Q7 SUV model was introduced to all of the brand’s global markets in 2016, with 102,200 customer deliveries, with a 43.6% increase in sales. Thus, the Q7 achieved a two-fold increase in sales year on year compared to its predecessor and for the first time in the history of the model broke the limit of 100,000 cars sold in a year. The new Q2 expands the brand’s SUV family with four badge rings towards popular urban models. The market premiere in Europe at the end of 2016 attracted strong interest from Audi dealers, and in 2017 the model will enter many new markets. With the new Q5, this year marks the beginning of a generational change for Audi’s best-selling SUV.
Audi Sport GmbH was one of the main drivers of Audi sales growth in 2016. At the top is the launch of the new R8 with a 31.8% increase and a total of 2,890 vehicles sold. The entire R- and RS-model family has an overall sales increase of 18 percent, and the delivery of 20,200 vehicles exceeds the limit of 20,000 units per year for the first time.
Globally, Audi gained the most new customers in Europe in 2016, largely thanks to the new generation of the A4. Despite the political and economic instability in the region, Audi sales rose by 7.6% to 860,600 vehicles. Compared with 762,949 sales in 2014, sales in the Old Continent increased by nearly 100,000 units in two years. In Europe’s four largest markets, Audi achieved the best results: Germany (+8.6% to 293,307 vehicles), the UK (+6.4% to 177,565 vehicles), France (+8.5% to 65,362 vehicles) and Italy (+ 15.5% to 62,430 cars) — these are the best results of the brand with four emblem rings so far. Spain recorded a 16.4 percent increase in sales to 51. With 879 vehicles delivered, the biggest increase in 2016 in key market Audi.
In the United States, Audi again performed well in a generally stagnant market and became the only premium manufacturer with strong sales growth, up 4% to 210,213 units. This is primarily due to the new release of the Q7: after its debut abroad in early 2016, sales of the model in its most important market grew by 60.9% to 30,563 vehicles sold. In total Q-model sales, the share of SUV models increased by 18.9 percent to 100,161 units. Audi Canada (+14.2% to 30,544 vehicles) also recorded significant sales of SUV models, and the country is already in the top ten most important markets for the four-ring brand.
The situation in another key market for the company looks very different — in Brazil, which, after a significant increase last year, is seeing a decline of 29.9% to 12,011 vehicles sold for the whole of 2016. In China, Audi again reported growth, this time up 3.6 percent to 591,554 customer deliveries. With this achievement, the brand continues to be a leader in the premium segment of the Chinese market, holding a strong lead. In 2016, the four-ringed brand in China saw particularly strong growth in sales of premium compact models, with the Audi A3 (www.audimanual.ru/en/A3) up 29.7 percent, representing 89,213 sales. According to the results of the III quarter, 89,779 cars were sold, which is 27.6 percent more than in 2015. Today, Audi is attracting many new customers with these models, after how in 2013 he started production in the local territory and, accordingly, in a very short time he had to organize a sales strategy. Last year, Audi set strong conditions for success in the Chinese market in the future: in 2016, successors or redesigned versions of model families were introduced, which account for more than half of sales in Asia’s largest market. For example, the new A4 L with an extended wheelbase was introduced in autumn. At the end of the year, the Plug-in-Hybrid version of the A6 L e-tron, also manufactured in China, launched a new offensive to increase sales of efficient and environmentally friendly models. Sales of the Q7 e-tron will start this year, but this time as an import model.
