DETROIT AUTO SHOW: Audi Says It Will Eventually Dominate US Luxury Car Sales

This can and will definitely happen.

Americans are realizing what the rest of the world has known for a very long time - Audi produces cars that match or exceed the respective offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz in terms of design, luxury, technology, performance and innovation for a lower price.

Audi's strategy has propelled it to become the market leader in Europe, China and in its home market of Germany. There is no reason why the United States can't follow suit.

Anyone can dream...

I cant help but laugh at Gnuts rants... The 3, and 5 series are still the sales leaders in their segments, BMW is number one in the world. Funniest of all after all of Gnuts rants about Audi's growth there was only a TENTH of a percent between the two in terms of growth haha.

Why do they have to look so damn ubiquitous ?

@ marykeana. Wow! You are so original with your sophomoric put-down. What Audi is rebaged? Obviously, your too ignorant to actually know anything about Audi engineering. Try actually looking up something and getting some facts!

Sorry, even as an Audi owner, I don't see this happening anytime soon. Mercedes and BMW and Lexus have a stranglehold on "mainstream luxury" and the perceived perception it brings. And, actually, I'm okay with this because one of the reasons I went with Audi is because they aren't a dime a dozen. People see MBs and BMWs and act like they just saw a Corolla or Civic. But the reactions I get with my car are surprisingly attentive.

Audi's definitely offer comparable products to the Big 3 luxury marques. But the perception of prestige by ownership is still lacking with the Audi brand. Americans are very big on brand recognition. I've mentioned this before but what Audi truly lacks is a high-end product or product line to help them break the mold. The R8 was unquestionably the step in the right direction and, in many ways, should have taken Audi to a whole new height of brand awareness and reputation. When you have cars like the S-Class, 7 Series, and LS dominating the large-luxury car segment, the A8, as good as it supposedly is, just was squeezed out. And its current bland, almost invisible design doesn't help At the same time, MB has a classic in the SL that, unlike the R8, has decades of proven performance and desired by many. BMW has had the 8 Series and 6 Series. Both have their AMG and M versions, well before Audi had their RS versions. And, unfortunately for Audi, Lexus came in and added the perception of bullet-proof reliability, adding a whole other dimension to luxury performance. While the LS doesn't have as long a legacy as many BMW and MB high-end products, it proved immediately competitive.

I think there were many smart moves that BMW, MB and Lexus made many years ago that helped them solidify their place. BMW and MB offered (and still offer) tremendous lease deals on their cars, which made it easy for the larger population to afford. This drove popularity. This drove resale. Higher resale allowed continual offering of good lease deals. Lexus, at the beginning, offered a comparable product, at a lower price point (akin to the original Acura approach, albeit it with a much more luxurious and higher-end product). Droves of buyers went for it and were pleased. Now, their price point is comparable to the Germans, model for model, and they are still a solid #3. Though many applaud Audi for not offering nearly the extensive leasing that the other Germans did/do, but this might be to their longer-term detriment.

Yes, Audi has seen growth in the marketplace, but that is to be expected. The luxury segment, especially with more entry-level luxury offerings available, continues to grow as a whole. Both MB and BMW experienced respectable growth and record sales numbers. Audi's growth, as a percentage of sales from previous years, bested the other two, but when you start from a lower position, there's further upward potential. Same with VW. Their growth is continually double-digit, yet they still trail con

As another Audi owner I concur with cidflekken. I love a lot of things about my Audi
One of them being I don't see myself coming and going constantly on the Freeways
I 4 one would be rooting for Audi NOT to be #1. :)

No offense intended to Audi, but hasn't Audi been singing this song for years? Personally, I wish Audi would focus more on creating awesome cars than selling more than "the other guy."

I used to lust for the A5 until the 2013 model year came out :-( Those weird, overly-stylized headlights are something I wish they'd lose. And create body styles that look more emotional and less generic. Lose the "gaping hole" grill, while you're at it.

...GermanNut I cant blame you for being optimistic. Audi makes great luxury cars, but to even THINK they will get past Merc, Lex and BMW to come out on top is....unhealthy thinking at best. In reality, it's not reality. It doesnt hurt to keep dreaming!

Audi's success in China is because the government uses them and everyone there wants to look important to land a wife, so they have to drive a government brand car to make themselves out to be more than they are. Buick is popular in China because its seen as a prestigious American brand from the last century. Where is Buick on the rest of the planet?

MB = old money
BMW = new money
Audi = government money