Audi sales up in May

Q7

Since half of all car sales in the US are still SUV's, it'll be very interesting to see what happens to Audi's sales once the Q7 begins to drive off dealerships.

I expect a significant spike in sales that will hold permanently.

These certainly are great times for the company.

The Audi image in the USA is quite low compared ot BMW and Mercedes, but in Germany, where luxury cars are not bought to advertise oneself, Audi is doing very well compared to its rivals. Anyways, 6 % improvement for the year, and 10 % for this month is not to bad. And of course with an SUV, I expect Audi to improve even more.

http://www.autobild.de/aktuell/meldungen/artikel.php?artikel_id=11357

True denial is a very sad thing. It is a very sad state of affairs when all you can do is bash one company to uplift another. Audi is only outsold by BMtrouble you and MB in the us. They outsell BMW in their home market. But us crazy americans who need to name drop buy them up like hot cakes. BMW did not face near eliminations due to 60minutes going off the deep end on something that had nothing to do with the car. Audi has come a long way and ingnorance is the only way to truly ignore that. Here we have a company that less than 16 years ago was on the brink of pulling out of the US and now they are expanding hand over fist. And nate, did you realize that maybe Audi only sold 350 A8's but they outsell BMW and MB combined in 12 cylinder sales in the US? Those who truly have money appreciate the finer things not just the flashy things.And if things were so great at BMW why are they changin models so much more frequently lately? Again this isn't to bash BMW as I wish them luck, it's just not the product for me as is the same with MB. Oh and before you try and say that I can't afford them I've had them all. I've never been a BMW guy so I won't say them all but I've had ML500's S classes, E55's any MB I wanted I did and still could get. I lost love for the product due to quality issues. I turned my nose up at Audi back then and then I met the A8L, ordered it when I had intended on buy the new S when it came out but I drove the A8 and feel in love. I still gave the S a shot after it came out but was not impressed nearly as much as I was with the A8. So to each his own but don't knock the hustle, don't hate the player , hate the game!

Audi is doing everything right.

Yeah, Audi is doing everything right these days. Steady sales growth, class leading models, and ever increasing reliability and safety scores.

Audi is already number 1 in most of its individual model sales in Europe. That's almost boring actually.

What's more fun is seeing Audi as an underdog here in the states. It's fun to watch it steadily begin to take market share away from the other lux brands.

Of course, reading BMW-blinded fan's jealousy-fueled rants makes it all the more sweet. But that gets kinda boring after a while too.

So congrats to Audi. And again, it'll be very interesting to see what happens when the Q7 hits.

Even more interesting is what will happen when the A5 hits next year. That model spells a new landmark for Audi with its modular new platform, DSG, even weight distribution etc. It is widely forcasted to be as significant for Audi as the original A4 was back in 1996.

BMW 3 Series coupe: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

But that’s just the beginning. Soon after Audi will hit even harder with the new A4 sedan, Q5, and the RS6. And lets not forget the aluminum TT and its inevitable TTRS. Actually there are too many models coming out to mention.

BMW 3 Series sedan and X3: Be afraid. Be very, VERY afraid.

We are witnessing the beginning of something very big: the unstoppable expansion of Audi to become a dominant force in the lux car world.

I personally hope Audi never makes it to number 1 (although that has already happened in parts of Europe). I'd much rather drive a car that represents intelligence and individuality rather than unoriginality and commonness. So I chose Audi.

BMW makes great cars. But Audi now is, on the whole, making better cars.

e--s--f echoed my similar comment a few weeks back to you. Nice to know someone else knew what camp you fall into.

The facts:

Just so its clear, Audi is officially a tier 1 company. This is an industry fact, not a point of debate.

On an interesting related note, North America is one of the only markets that offers prices slightly below BMW and especially Merc. Audi is taking in far fewer profits here (when compared to most other markets) as part of its campaign to steadily increase market share. And of course its working beautifully.

But Audi prices will match BMW and Merc by the end of the decade in NA. so buying an Audi now in North America is a steal.

Of course in Europe, Audi's cost as much or more than competing BMW models.

Here is something to look at. I guess it gets harder and harder everyday to say that Audis suck.

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Very interesting.

The Audi S6 actually beats the M5 in the above test.

If you look at the performance numbers however, the M5 slightly surpasses the S6. That's about right because the S6 is actually slotted below the M5, and priced accordingly. The S6's V10 is also deliberately detuned to provide a more flexible, practical engine, but more importantly to make way for for the upcoming RS6.

The RS6 is actually designed to compete directly against the M5.

Built by Audi's high performance division, Quattro GmbH, the RS6 will make extensive use of aluminum on the forward part of the car to reduce weight and improve weight distribution. It will feature a redesigned, high-revving variant of the 5.2L V10 FSI pumping out roughly 520-550hp. Other features will include a magnetic ride system and a next-generation dynamic damping system. Also available for the first time will be a 7-speed DSG (S-Tronic) gear box mated to a longitudinal engine.

If the S6 can beat the M5 as a better overall car, then the considerably more powerful and aggressive RS6 will easily destroy the BMW to become the world's most powerful sports sedan.

Audi is on fire.

Take a look at this, you might be surprised.
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.autobild.de%2Ftest%2Fneuwagen%2Fartikel.php%3Fartikel_id%3D11474%26artikel_seite%3D2&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

As for the RS6, I hope Audi turbocharges the 5.2 liter V10 for about 575 horsepower, that would just destroy the M5. Because the RS6 will weight at least 10% more than the M5, it will need at least 10% more horsepower. Ofcourse the all wheel drive will help out.

Actually the S8 is not even out as of yet. Later in the year. You guys are in such denial, when you are presented with real tests, you discredit them. Autobild is like the number 1 car magazine in Germany, don't you think they know something about German cars. Truth hurts.

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While the Lexus, Infinity, Acura don't sell in Europe very well. I think they will sell quite well around the world. Proably not as well as in America, I think Europeans realize they would be driving improved Toyotas and such. But Audi it self needs to watch out after Lexus. The new IS is not to bad at all.

Damn that was a mouth full!!

But Sunny and Titto have their heads buried in the ground. They must have spent their hard earned money from their paper routes only now have realized they should have bought an Audi.

You will never change them.

To them BMW will always be their marquee. Until they sell that car and throw their allegiance somewhere else. The sad thing is they actually tarnish the owners of BMW’s I know and respect.

Anyway.

I assume that all the nervousness, insecurity and fear from the anti-audi crowd has finally subsided and we can get back to topic....

What's interesting is comparing apples to apples. Here is what I mean:

Audi is selling only passenger cars right now in NA (no SUV's/trucks). If you compare Audi’s passenger sales to BMW and Merc in NA, you'll find that the 3 brands are quite close in sales for many models.

This is why I intro'd this discussion by suggesting that things will really start to light up once the Q7 hits dealerships.

Since SUV's are a huge part of BMW and Merc sales (up to 50% in many local markets); they of course greatly affect their overall sales figures. Audi has had no SUV's up until now.

So when the Q7 hits, expect a significant sales increase. Especially when you consider the enourmous interest and advanced orders the Q7 has received here. And when the Q5 hits late next year, expect sales to further spike.

I actually really respect Audi for resisting to build an SUV until now. I know for a fact that the company was against the very idea of what an SUV stands for, and waited to see if the trend would fade. But they finally had to give in, especially since 2002, when they drafted a sweeping decade-long business plan to dominate the premium segment.

So I’m very interested in looking at Audi sales figures from this fall and on, when the Q7 begins to really penetrate the premium car market.