Audi sales dip in February

Audi of America, Inc. sold 4,806 vehicles for the month of February. This is a decrease from the 5,256 vehicles sold in February 2005. For the second month in a row, sales for the A8 model line were up. The 391 A8 models sold represented a 15.7% increase over February 2005 sales figures of 338.

*click on graphic to expand

For the year, Audi sales figures are up by 5.4%. Strong sales of the A3 premium compact, A6 sedan and Avant, and A8 models have spurred the increase for 2006. With the upcoming launches of the Audi Q7 performance SUV, the next generation A4 and S4 Cabriolets, and the S6 and S8 performance sedans, Audi is looking towards another record-breaking sales year for 2006.

ContiRoane - 3/1/2006 8:40:18 PM

+1 Boost

Why is it that certain ones on this site (CommonSense, Byung) are always acting like schoolgirls.

I'm behind MNAudi when it comes to thoughtful discussions.

All the two of you guys ever do is bitch and moan.

I'm biased towards BMW, AUDI and BENZ.

Who cares. Everyone on this site is biased towards one car or another. What gives you two the right to bash others like youre in charge.

I can remember 10 different times that Byung changed his tune after acting like a rude little brat.

And CommonSense seems to go around this site looking for trouble.

Ladies......Grow Up

JUGNU - 3/2/2006 5:57:05 AM

+1 Boost

First of all i am an AUDI FAN and owner too.But not very happy with their current offerings.

Secondly well said Byang and commonsense,search for him MN-AUDI and also that 001 buster and Contimath(Mathew/Contiroane)and teach them some lessons.

(JUST Imagine if Lexus were here instead of AUDI,WHAT this ignorants would have done)

Do you guys remeber there was a blog in autospies saying "WHO R THE BEST PREDICTORS HERE"
and many gave there prediction for 2006.
I only said among all that Audi's sales will take a dip in 2006 along with many other predictions (Many proving right now).

What else,i think they took a dip only becuase of there wrong strategies,

1)ugly touches to the good handsome designs like ugly and big front fascia and some very angular designs rather than sleeker(like BMW, MB, LEXUS),

2)Very similar engines or Fewer number of engines available across their whole line-up.

3)A4 is very near to A6 and A6 is very near to A8.

4)Cars moreover looks like a modified or good VW's.
(And AUDI/VW don't even think for a second that u r LEXUS/TOYOTA,there theme,strategy r totally different from u.I am not saying they r better but successful)

5)Overprice Vehicles.

But i hope them a very good luck for 2006.

JUGNU

JUGNU - 3/2/2006 5:57:05 AM

+1 Boost

ContiRoane - 3/2/2006 1:28:09 PM

+1 Boost

You just proved my point.

Dont give me that Marine stronger than thou bullsh*t.
Dont call me boy. Youre not my Commander. Youre not in charge. Take your head out of the war because you obviously have lost it.

My point is....All you ever do is pick fights.

Countless ones....With everyone.

And now youre fishing for me to join.

You rarely have an actual discussion about cars that doesnt turn into what you just showed us.

Scared little marine thinks he's a bad-as*

Typical

ContiRoane - 3/2/2006 6:07:00 PM

+1 Boost

Byung, youre not even worth it.

CommonSense....Are you talking about the same Jugnu that for months called Lexus the "King of the World" and ended each post with....

JUGNU------CARMAN.

For months on end he entered any random car blog bringing up Lexus and polluted many good discussions.

How he is your blog role model is beyond me.

ContiRoane - 3/2/2006 9:53:35 PM

+1 Boost

Byung, Why cant you do anything but act like a little
girl?

So I change my name here ???? Why would I do that??

Just who am I hiding from? You ?? I think not.

I could care less what anyone like yourself thinks of me, so please explain why I would hide and from what?

I have only posted on this site like 50 times over the course of a year and dont feel the need to jump in every frickin fight like you. (This one excluded)

And what kind of little childish response is that?

You have nothing to say, so you resort to claiming I'm not who I say I am.

Okay Buddy. Nice one.

If thinking I'm "NateFake" makes you feel better, than so be it.

But next time, try harder. I'm sure you could come up with something better than that.

JUGNU - 3/3/2006 8:45:58 AM

+1 Boost

Thanks Byang_USA and Commonsense,u r the only senseble guys i have seen so far in blogs.
Tottaly unbiassed.
And also thanks for knowing me and about my vast knowledge and love for cars.

Secondly i was and still an AUDI FAN and OWNER.BUT not very happy with their current offerings.(AS i mentioned earlier)

Infact i had a 2004 AUDI RS6 ABT SPORTSLINE 505HP (A VERY REAR AUDI)Which i recently replaced with a 2006 M5.

This also partly shows my love towards Audi and it's great performance.

And natefate and MN_AUDI, Don't ever tell me that i hate or bash AUDI,I loveeee their A8 and A6 Avant over anything,Because i know they r way ahead of their competiotrs.(Great ONES)
Other than this 2 models i think All MB's and BMW's r better than AUdi's in their respective categories.

I and not biassed toward any specific company and speak the truth everytime because i am a WORLDCARFAN unlike many of u GERMANCARFANS.
I say good to a car which is good and say bad which i think is bad,i don't care the dam which nation it belongs to, whether it's Asian or European or AMerican. AUDI or LEXUS.VW or TOYOTA.

AND CommonSense i do think that FX is the most stylish mid-size SUV ever.Great car.

ANd Can anyone do me a favour,i am not able to attach a pic along with my comment.
Can anyone explain me how to do that.

JUGNU---->THE CARMAN

JUGNU - 3/3/2006 8:45:58 AM

+1 Boost

MercBasher - 3/3/2006 3:32:26 PM

+1 Boost

The answer is simple folks - its not rocket science. . .

MB is dumping vehicles in the US with extraordinary lease deals - because it can't move the iron in Europe - if you're in the market for a new vehicle buy MB because the very best deals are incredible, and MB is probably not recovering its average cost per vehicle.

The informed know that in January in Europe (Feb figures not yet released) Mercedes was down 9%, Audi was up 11% and actually outsold Mercedes, BMW was up 13% and almost caught Mercedes, and Lexus [from a pathetically small base] grew 124%.

Just as Lexus is underrepresented in Europe, so Audi is underrepresented in the US. Over time both of these brands will do better in their smaller markets - meanwhile look for MB total Worldwide sales to splutter - yes one month MB may do better in one region, but globally it will continue to lose share as its brand reputation is shattered and its marketing messages become confused with such a broad line-up of vehicles.

Audiose - 3/3/2006 6:07:40 PM

+1 Boost

All the name calling, chest pounding, and misinformation aside, many of you don't seem to be able to see the forest for the trees.

Why on earth would you equate total vehicles sold with which vehicle is superior? If that is the case, then a pickup truck is obviously the best vehicle on the planet since Ford sells more of those than all MBs, BMWs, and Audis combined. Surely you wouldn't say that makes an F150 top of the heap.

Also, to show how irrelevant Sales statistics can be, even Fiat outsells Lexus in Europe. Would you then say Fiats are superior to Lexus' based on that?

Other factors affecting sales numbers include manufacturing capacity fluctuations, currency exchange rates, new model introductions, labor/union disputes, press coverage, etc... And keep in mind that sales numbers are SELF-REPORTED by the manufacturers, so there is no guarantee that they aren't innaccurate or slanted.

So as you can see, Sales numbers are extremely poor predictors of vehicle superiority. Get it?

One interesting thing to note is that Audi has outsold BMW and Mercedes for years in Germany. I would think that, as a group, no one would know more about German cars than the Germans. So that would seem to say more than any specific sales figures in whatever other part of the world you might pick.

So to be honest, I hope Audi's US sales don't go through the roof; it'll make my next car cost more due to the demand.

P.S. Jugnu, unless you've either won the lottery or are independantly wealthy, I have my doubts that you own or have owned all the very late model, very expensive, somewhat rare cars you have claimed. I believe you have mentioned, in various posts, owning new or nearly new RS6, M5, whatever the top of the line Subaru is, and others. Given the state of automobile depreciation, that would mean that you have lost about 100 grand over the last couple years. Are you sure you're being honest?

Audiose - 3/3/2006 9:33:06 PM

+1 Boost

To Commonsense's comment of "you dont even want me to remind you what a 2003 e55 will do to any of your Audi's, with 515 lb feet of torque, it will shred any v10 that audi will throw at it". 
 
Why don't you compare apples to apples. Audi has consistently said since word of the S6 leaked out that it was not a direct competitor to the M5 or E55, but simply another A6 model choice. The direct competitor will be the RS6 that comes out a few months later. 
 
That car will have more than enough horspower and torque to dispatch either the BMW or the Benz. 
 
So in the future, let's try to compare like to like, okay?

Anim8or - 3/4/2006 12:03:30 AM

+1 Boost

Yeah, February is typically a slow month for Audi in the US, with the expiration of its New Year incentives for the A4 and A6. Throw in the canceling of all TT inventory in California and New York, and the retiring of the Allroad, and you have a pretty soft month.

Expect March to be another slow month as American luxury car buyers hold off for the following models to debut in showrooms this year:

- Q7
- All-new TT
- A4 cabriolet redesign
- S4 Cabriolet redesign
- S6
- S6 Avant
- S8
- RS4
- S3
- All-new Allroad

There's not really any cause for concern of course. Audi is continuing its remarkable rise in global market share during February at a rate faster than any other mass-market luxury car maker.

Expect Audi's American sales to take off in the spring and spike during the fall, when the new TT and Q7 shipments peek.

Last year saw Audi dropping in relative sales for a couple of months as well, but the company still handily broke new records, selling better than it has done in over a decade. 2007 should be no different, and should easily surpass all sales records once again.

And of course, let’s not forget that Audi now routinely beats both BMW and Merc in direct model sales (such as the A6’s superior European sales over the BMW 5 Series).

Audi is without a doubt the hottest car company of the moment, and stands a strong chance of becoming the #1 international luxury car company by the end of the decade.

Very impressive indeed.

JUGNU - 3/4/2006 6:39:46 AM

+1 Boost

I am a private showroom owner.I got it from my Father.At present my showroom have near 40-45 cars in stock for sale. My showroom have all the cars ranging from a VW Polo to Lamborghini Gallardo.Both used and New.

So all of the cars are mine,i drive them(only used ones) untill they r sold.(So there is nothing like Loss there)When i get a coustomer,i sell them.

But i also buy some cars(atleast one per year) for my private use, like now i have a 2006 M5,2006 Subaru Legacy 3.0R.(Which i am not going to sell atleat this year)

I had 2005 Lexus LX470,2004 Audi RS6 ABT...etc which were before my personal cars but i sold them when i got a proper coustomer paying according to my demand.

I visit many countries and places to buy cars.When i get them i import them to my place.
Thatswhy i know about all the cars and in all the countries.

That's what my business is.It has a lot of advantages,benifits and profits too.
1)Big profits.
2)Get oppertunity to take the taste of all cars.
3)It increases my knowledge about cars.
4)Fullfil one of my "BASIC" requirement.A CAR.
And also one of my "WANT".A New and Many Cars.

JUGNU

JUGNU - 3/4/2006 6:39:46 AM

+1 Boost

Anim8or - 3/4/2006 6:58:09 PM

+1 Boost

The historic facts.

Here is the overall picture.

Just over a decade ago, 60 Minutes broadcast a slanderous article about 'sudden acceleration' on Audi cars. The article was never proven, and has since been considered an unfortunate example of yellow journalism. The producers of the program apologized to Audi for the mistake, but it came too late. Audi sales plumited in the USA (but not in the rest of the world). Thousands were laid off. it was a disaster, especially since the US was Audi's largest market.

Audi spent the last decade slowly re-building its brand in the US.

Cut to present day. US Audi sales have steadily risen ten-fold over the past ten years. The company is currently in the middle of an extraordinary expansion that will be completed in 2015, when Audi completes its projected 40 model lineup. Audi has inverted 10 Billion Euro for the next 5 years to complete the majority of this model expansion.

Internationally Audi boasts overall sales that now approach 1 million units. What makes this extraordinary is that Audi is achieving 70-80% of of the business that BMW and Merc enjoy, but with 60% of a model lineup. Model-by-model, Audi is on average outselling BMW or Merc internationally.

According to BusinesWeek's latest '100 Top Companies', Audi is the fastest growing luxury car maker in the world.

Of course, any short-sited person who doesn't understand business dynamics might think that Audi is a 'lesser' company because it sells less overall cars than either BMW or Merc. But if you look at Audi's long term fiscal growth, and its extraordinary ten-fold increase in stock value over the last 5 years, coupled with its 5 year, 10 Billion Euro investment in new models, you will see that Audi is indeed the hottest car company, and stands to become the number 1 luxury car seller within a decade.

And again, I must express that Audi individual model variants are actually outselling BMW and especially Merc models internationally.

The basic snapshot is this:

- Merc is on the way down.
- BMW is holding steady with modest growth.
- Audi is the rocket ship, doubling its capacity every ten years since 1990.

TheRealJT - 3/6/2006 12:21:50 PM

+1 Boost

Actually anim8or, the 60 minutes segment aired in 1986 I believe, so it's been 20 years, not just over a decade. 10 years ago I fully believed that 60 minutes was responsible for Audi's poor showing in the US, but 10 years later, this excuse has gotten a little rusty. 
 
If the average American's buying memory were truly that long, no one would drive SUV's (memories of gas shortages), Hyundai would have no need to build a new plant in Alabama (memories of the crappy first gen Excels), and you'd never see a GM pickup truck on the road (memories of those pesky exploding fuel tanks from the early to mid 80's models). 
 
I'm primarily a BMW fan, but I can certainly appreciate what Audi brings to the table. Instead of some 20 year old 60 minutes conspiracy theory, I blame Audi N.A. marketing and their distribution channel. For most of those 20 years since the 80's, Audi has hung their hat on the merits of AWD, while typically neglecting the other relative merits of their cars. Nothing wrong with Quattro, but by focusing on an attribute that only 20% of the country truly places a premium on, they inadvertantly positioned Audi as a niche brand----up until recent years, the majority of the population viewed Audi as an upscale version of Subaru, rather than as a true alternative to BMW or MB. As for the dealer experience, or lack thereof, it continues in many areas of the country still. I dislike Lexus as much as anyone you'll find, but they have the customer service experience down to a science. For the Audis I've owned, a visit to the dealer was no more than a trip to a glorified VW dealer. While their marketing efforts have improved in recent years, this aspect still has a long way to go.

Anim8or - 3/6/2006 4:58:56 PM

+1 Boost

My facts are correct actually.

As I mentioned, Audi has doubled its capacity every 10 years. That trend started roughly a half decade after the 60 Minutes fiasco, which I stated as around 1990. The facts are correct, just generalized for this (now becoming tedious) post.

The 60 Minutes article is no excuse. It's a cold hard fact that would have destroyed a lesser company in the US. The up-and-coming BMW and even the firmly established Mercedes would easily have suffered similar fates if they too were given such a scathing report in such a consumer-fickle market as the US. But Audi stuck with it, lowering its annual US expenditures and drafting a bold business projection that spanned 3 decades of steady growth.

Audi has done a superb job in the US slowly and methodically rebuilding its brand with comparatively less fiscal dealer allowances than the rest of its world markets since 1990.

But that was the past.

Let's look, at Audi of the present and future.

Audi present:

- Audi is the most internationally celebrated luxury car maker, with more cumulative awards in 2005 than its direct German competitors.

- Model-by-model, Audi sells more units internationally than its German rivals.

- Audi has the highest reliability ratings of any luxury carmaker in Europe.

- Audi has the highest safety ratings of any luxury carmaker in the US.

- Audi is the fastest growing luxury car maker in the world.

- Audi has far more exclusive technological prowess than just quattro (a superb technology in its own right): ASF (aluminum space frame), DSG (direct shift gearbox), and FSI (fuel ‘straight’ injection); just to name a few world premiere technologies in the past decade. And these were developed at Audi AG, not VW; two separate technology divisions.

Audi future:

- Audi will double its model lineup to over 40 variants by 2015.

- Audi is projected to surpass 1 million units by 2008, even with a lineup that’s smaller than BMW or Merc.

- Even if its sales stay flat (which they won't), Audi is still projected to surpass BMW and Merc in global sales within 5-8 years.

- US Audi exclusive dealers will double by the end of this decade.

So, Audi does NOT have a long way to go. It's already beating BMW and Merc in terms of:

- Individual variant sales

- Safety awards

- Reliability ratings

- Fiscal growth

Just in the next 3 years, Audi will expand its lineup with the following new models that are designed to methodically unseating BMW and Merc, one at a time:

- R8 Supercar (420 & 600hp V8 & V10 engines)
- Q7 large SUV
- Q7 hybrid
- Q5 mid-sized SUV (new platform architecture)
- Q3 small SUV
- A5 Coupe (new platform architecture)
- A5 Cabriolet (new platform architecture)
- RS6 (600hp V10)
- All-aluminum TT redesign
…And more…

And lets not forget the new technologies that Audi has already tested and approved for series production within the next 2 years:

- 7 Speed DSG for longitudinal engines
- New flexible B platform architecture finally supporting 50/50 weight distribution
- Rear-biased quattro across entire line
- Expanded use of ASF (new TT, R9)
…and so on...

No excuses, no bull. Audi is the hottest car company of the moment, and is skyrocketing toward the #1 spot. Anyone with just a little vision and automotive knowledge knows this to be true.

And yes, truth hurts. Doesn’t it?

Alright. This thread is over for me. I'm out of here for a few weeks. Back to work...