Audi is Western Europe's Best Selling Luxury Brand in January
We recently reported that the Audi A4 beat out the BMW 3 Series as the most popular luxury car in Germany for 2008 and now Audi is continuing to rack up the successes by boasting that it was the best-selling brand in all of Western Europe in the month of January.
These figures support news from the Simpson Carpenter market research institute which recently announced that Audi was Germany’s favorite brand.
During a time when sales figures are declining around the world, Audi has posted losses but not to the extent of its competitors. As a result the company managed to grab a total market share of 5.1 percent – compared to just 3.9 percent for the same period a year ago. In terms of units, this amounted to 45,124 vehicles.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG credits the success to the long list of vehicles that Audi has either newly brought to market or completely redesigned. “We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane,” says Schwarzenbauer. “Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans – vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive.”
In 2008 Audi launched 12 new vehicles and in the first half of ’09 the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer will launch another six. “By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models,” says Schwarzenbauer, ” all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development.”
Official release after the jump:
Audi is Western Europe’s Top Premium Brand
- Number of newly registered Audi models overtakes that of premium competitors
- Marked rise in Audi’s market shares
- Schwarzenbauer, Head of Sales and Marketing: “Full speed ahead for our product offensive”
In January, Audi surpassed its premium competitors with regard to new-vehicle registrations in Western Europe. The Ingolstadt-based automotive manufacturer sold 45,124 new vehicles in this region in January – far more than either of its key competitors. While the overall market has come under pressure, Audi managed to considerably increase its market shares. The brand with the four rings accounted for 5.1 percent of new Western European vehicle registrations in January 2009. Audi’s market share for the same month last year was 3.9 percent.
These figures demonstrate that AUDI AG has perpetuated the upward trend of recent months. Throughout the last quarter of 2008, the brand with the four rings was consistently at the top of its class with market shares above five percent.
For Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, this triumph is explained primarily by the brand’s young product range. In 2008 alone, the Ingolstadt-based company launched twelve new models. “We have moved our product offensive into the passing lane,” says Schwarzenbauer. “Particularly in economically strained times, it is crucial that we at Audi offer our customers precisely what they want. We must offer appealing and sporty models which stir enthusiasm among Audi fans – vehicles that are also highly energy-efficient and low on consumption. In 2009, we will remain on the offensive.”
During the first half of 2009 alone, six new Audi models are scheduled to hit the market. Schwarzenbauer adds: “By 2015, we expect to offer Audi customers 40 different models, all loaded with forward-thinking technologies. To this end, we invest some two billion euros annually in product development.”
Recent research corroborates just how fruitful Audi’s brand strategy and its model range already are. The market research institute Simpson Carpenter conducted a representative survey to determine which vehicles constitute Germans’ dream cars. As it turns out, Audi has become Germany’s most beloved automotive brand. The German trade journal auto motor und sport published similarly positive opinions about the brand with the four rings. Indeed, 100,000 of its readers selected the Audi A4, Audi A6, and the new Audi Q5 as the best vehicles of 2009.
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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