Audi to Expand Business in the U.S.

Anthony Fontanelle
April 2, 2007

German car makers have been known for their production of luxury cars. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW are known the world over for their production of luxurious vehicles.

In the past, Audi was shadowed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales. This trend though looks to be turning, with Audi now staking its claim as the fastest German luxury car maker.

While the sales of Audi is eclipsed by the thousand of sales of both BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Audi is now set to challenge the two car makers as the best German car maker. In the United States alone, Audi achieved an awesome feat by almost tripling its sales from 1997 to 2006 in 1997, Audi sold 34,160 units in the United States, small in comparison to the 90,116 units it sold in the country last year. The company has also set its sight to expand their lineup in the next eight years.

In that span of time, Audi plans to create 18 new models for their lineup. To increase their market coverage, the company is expected to increase its number of dedicated Audi dealerships. These exclusive Audi dealerships are planned to be set up on major cities in the United States. One of their vehicles to success in the near future is the company’s first ever diesel engined race car.

Aside from their focus in the U.S. luxury car market, the company is also widening its coverage of the global market. The Audi AG reported good sales figures for the first two months of this year which means that they are performing well in the global market. For January and February, Audi AG sold over 144,000 vehicles which is nine percent higher than sales for the first two months of 2006. In February, the car manufacturer sold nine percent more vehicles compared to February 2006 and at the same time posted their best ever February sales.

In the United States, the Audi of America reported 6,609 units sold in the month of February, marking a 37.5 percent increase compared to February of 2006. For the first two months of the year, Audi of America sold 13,008 units which represent a 19.4 percent improvement over sales for the first two months of 2006. While Audi of America posted good sales figures, the country is not the biggest market for the luxury car maker, instead it is China.

In the said country, Audi sold 15,600 vehicles sold for the first two months if 2007. That figure only represents sales in mainland China and sales in Hong Kong are not included. In February alone, Audi sold 7,200 units in China, representing a 29 percent improvement over February 2006 sales. The high performance and the high level of luxury of their vehicles have played a major role in the company’s surge. These vehicles are equipped with luxurious features which can be complemented with advanced safety features and highly efficient brake components like EBC brake rotors.

Source:  Amazines.com