As the Chinese economy continues to flourish, BMW and Mercedes-Benz look to challenge Audi's dominance of the Chinese luxury market. Audi has had a stronghold on the market for over 20 years now, but if BMW and Mercedes have their way, that will soon end.
Mercedes and BMW have more upside than Audi in emerging markets, so it will be difficult for Audi to achieve its target," London-based automotive analyst Arndt Ellinghorst told Automotive News.
As the world's single largest automotive market, Chinese customers are increasingly important to BMW and Mercedes. As a result, both have crafted vehicles specifically aimed at the Chinese market. Tomorrow at the Beijing auto show, BMW will unveil an extended 5 Series, while Mercedes is set to debut its new longer E Class to appeal to the hot Chinese market for long-wheelbase models.
Earlier this month, Audi posted its first quarter sales figures. With a strong start to 2010, Audi was able to secure the second place spot in global luxury sales, bumping Mercedes down to third. The Ingolstadt based automaker hasn't fared so well in China lately. Over that last 6 years, Audi's market share has slipped from 66 percent down to 46 percent. BMW has climbed from 16 to 23 percent, while Mercedes more than doubled its share, from 7 to 16 percent.
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