AMBITIOUS or Just CYCLICAL? Audi Aiming To Double Sales Figures By 2018, Can They Do It?

If there is one company that can be coined "The comeback kid," it would have to be Audi.

After suffering debilitating blows after the whole Audi 5000 mess, the brand was THIS close to pulling out of the U.S. market. Who knew that in 2009 and 2010 it would be the "hot" brand dominating the luxury market -- in terms of market share growth.

When speaking to those that have been in the automotive industry for years, they always seem to hint that car companies cycle through hot and cold phases, and that everything moves in cycles.

So, is Audi being ambitious with its 200,000 vehicles by 2018 goal OR is the brand merely just in a HOT cycle?

Can it stumble and fall just as quickly as it has risen to the top?


Audi is steadily building its business in the United States, pushing toward a goal of increasing sales and market share -- up to perhaps as high as 200,000 vehicles a year by 2018, which would be more than double 2009's total of about 83,400.

This year, through May, Volkswagen's luxury brand had sold 39,839 vehicles in the United States, up 31.4 percent from the same period last year.

But even with sales trending up in record numbers -- May was the fifth-best U.S. sales month in company history and its best May ever -- Audi says it's still not ready to consider building cars in the United States. All of its vehicles now are imported from Europe....

[Source: The Detroit News]








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LexSucks - 7/8/2010 11:37:53 AM

+1 Boost

As boring as some of the Audis are, they are still not boring enough to sell in the numbers that they are hoping for. Maybe if they modeled every Audi too look as dull and generic as the A4 then they might have a chance to get the numbers that they are looking for. Audi's are not high volume sales cars. The Audi A4 as dull as it is, still doesn't sell as well as a BMW 3-series. Audi needs to change perceptions which isn't easy with their current Bland looking A4.

AlleVier - 7/8/2010 1:23:59 PM

-1 Boost

In the U.S., I think Audi will turn a surprising corner once the economy is solidly into its upswing. I don't think any competitor spent quite as much money on marketing as they did during the recession and it will pay dividends for them. BMW and Mercedes are deeply entrenched in the mind of old-school, conspicuous consumers, but I don't think Audi will get many of those customers. Audi will appeal to another generation and you can see harbingers of that in the cars that younger celebs and athletes are driving--honestly, prior to the R8 and Q7, few celebs were driving Audis.