Audi Blows Out August With A 21.5% Leap In Sales

Audi reported August 2013 sales of 14,005 vehicles, a 21.5% increase over the previous August record set last year. August also stands as the brand’s 32nd consecutive month of record sales. Audi sales YTD increased 14.7% to 101,346 vehicles sold.

“Audi needed just eight months to top 100,000 U.S. sales, a level that required a full year as recently as 2010,” said Mark Del Rosso, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Audi of America. “Previously, Audi had never approached that sales milestone in its 40-year history, proof positive of the sales momentum our brand has rapidly built in this competitive luxury market.”

Sales for August 2013 were only exceeded by the record 14,841 vehicles sold in December 2012.

Audi TDI® clean diesel vehicle sales approached the highest levels ever, proving that America’s appetite for the alternative fuel is growing. Sales of the all-new A6 TDI, A7 TDI and Q5 TDI, along with the previously introduced A8 TDI and Q7 TDI models achieved a volume of 1,180 vehicles in August. Demand for the Q7 TDI represented 25.6% of overall Q7 sales in August.

August results were bolstered by sales of Audi luxury SUVs, with the Audi Q5 luxury crossover posting a 91.6% gain in August with an all-time record 3,845 units delivered for the month. Sales of the Audi Q7 increased 55.4% to 1,478 vehicles sold for the month. Year-to-date sales for the Audi Q5 increased 43.6% while sales for the Audi Q7 increased 49.2%.

Sales of the Audi R8 soared to 65.2% for the month, as customers responded to the updated 2014 models. Audi sedan sales remained strong with the Audi A6 leading by an increase of 34.5% over the same period last year to 2,110 vehicles sold for the month.

Sales of Audi premium category vehicles (Audi A8, Audi A7, Audi A6, and Audi Q7) increased 22.0% YTD, representing 32.6% of total Audi sales year-to-date and 46.0% of the Audi year-to-date sales gain.

Audi Certified pre-owned vehicles surpassed the all-time monthly sales record with 3,651 vehicles sold. The previous record was established in June 2011 with 3,636 vehicles sold. August 2013 now stands as the top monthly CPO sales result in AoA history.

Highlights:
• Sales mix for Audi S performance variants finished the month at 16.4% for the S4 sedan; 31.9% for the S5/ RS 5; 7.8% for the S6; 15.7 % for the S7; 15.8% for the S8; 27.3% for the TTS / TT RS and TTS Roadster and 7.6% for the SQ5 crossover.
• Sales of Audi A6 increased 34.5% compared to August 2012; YTD sales grew 19.1% compared to previous period.
• Sales of Audi A8 increased 14.7% compared to August 2012; YTD sales grew 19.6% compared to previous period.
• Sales of the Audi Q5 increased 91.6% compared to August 2012; YTD sales grew 43.6% compared to previous period.
• Sales of the Audi Q7 increased 55.4% compared to August 2012; YTD sales grew 49.2% compared to previous period.
• Audi sold 456 allroad models in August 2013, bringing YTD sales to 3,665 of the sport wagon, a 161.0% increase compared to previous period.
• Audi R8 sales up 65.2% compared to August 2012.
• Sales mix for Audi A8 TDI finished the month at 17.4%; sales mix for the Audi Q7 TDI finish the month at 25.6%.
• The Audi A3 is being phased out in advance of the all-new A3 sedan arriving in the U.S. market next spring.
• Audi Certified pre-owned sales increased 8.5% to 3,651 vehicles in August; YTD increased 5.0% to 26,088 vehicles sold.

USNA1999 - 9/4/2013 12:11:36 PM

+1 Boost

The Q5s are killing it. They are in every corner down here in Florida.

Car4Life - 9/4/2013 1:19:21 PM

+1 Boost

Wow, the A4 barely outsold the Infiniti's Q50...didnt see that coming

Satriani1 - 9/5/2013 3:04:22 PM

-3 Boost

Wow, the Audi A8 (539) completely outsold your Mercedes S-Class (450)... bet you didn't see this coming as well.

MercedesSL - 9/5/2013 4:47:25 PM

+3 Boost

"Wow, the Audi A8 (539) completely outsold your Mercedes S-Class (450).."

You realize these are the last batch of the prior generation S classes, before the new version goes on sale in a few months time... Normal volume for the S is over 1000 a month in the us.

Satriani1 - 9/6/2013 1:02:01 AM

-2 Boost

MercedesSL: Is that also your excuse for the Audi R8 outselling the Mercedes SLS? As well as for the Audi Q5 outselling every Mercedes SUV?

If you're not a hypocrite, you would have applied your principle to tell your Mercedes employee Car4Life that (a) the current A4 is nearing the end of its life while the Infiniti Q50 is a brand new car and (2) the Audi A4 still outsold the Q50 by 15% in August -- so he is misleading us when he exaggerates that "the A4 barely outsold the Infiniti's Q50" (unless his math skills are that poor).

MercedesSL - 9/6/2013 7:07:42 AM

+3 Boost

Thing is the A4 has at least a year left, and no one has seen the next version yet. The next S class has already debuted, and the last generation has weeks left....see the difference?

"Is that also your excuse for the Audi R8 outselling the Mercedes SLS"

lol, dont let the fact that the SLS cost twice what the average R8 does get in the way of your misinformation.

Satriani1 - 9/6/2013 1:40:10 PM

0 Boost

MercedesSL: Don't worry about seeing the next generation of the Audi A4. If Audi can surprise us with the supercar Sport Quattro within weeks of its motor show debut, it can surprise us with the next A4.

R8 vs SLS: For rich buyer price is less of a factor than a product that's superior and desirable.

I guess it must disappoint you that Motor Trend tests indicate the $201,500 Mercedes SLS AMG GT is inferior to the $170,595 Audi R8 V10 Plus: For 0 to 60 mph acceleration, the SLS takes 3.7 sec while the R8 takes 3.2 sec. For quarter mile, the SLS takes 11.7 sec @ 124.5 mph while the R8 takes 11.3 sec @ 125.8 mph. On MT Figure Eight course, the SLS Black takes 23.9 sec @ 0.87 g (avg) while the R8 takes 23.5 sec @ 0.90 g (avg).

Motor Trend tests also indicate there is not much difference between the Mercedes top-of-the-line $275,925 SLS Black Series and $170,595 Audi R8 V10 Plus (the upcoming R8 GT will be the top of the line R8): both cars take 3.2 seconds to accelerate 60 mph. For quarter mile, the SLS Black takes 11.1 sec @ 129.8 mph while the R8 takes 11.3 sec @ 125.8 mph. On MT Figure Eight course, the SLS Black takes 23.1 sec @ 0.97 g (avg) while the R8 takes 23.5 sec @ 0.90 g (avg).

Yet in the real world, even the $276,000 SLS Black Series coupe -- the very best and fastest sports car in the Mercedes product line -- had a hard time keeping up with the RS6 wagon on real-world streets, highways, mountains and canyons, according to BBC's Top Gear

"We have this car (Mercedes SLS Black Series) and two more (Audi RS6 and BMW M135i) to keep it company for a lovingly mapped journey through five countries (Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France)... The Audi RS6 is a machine for the relentless acquisition and retention of momentum. The 560bhp V8 engine sounds soft, and its initial responses are gentle, but don't be fooled. Those well-upholstered arms will catch you in a bear hug and hurl you forward on the twin-turbo cyclone. On the autobahn, its ease and stability insulate you from the speed. You sit there in your quilted leather throne, wondering how many bankers they had to skin to get a perfectly aligned pinstripe for the trim veneer, and, shucks, you've used up an entire country... The M135i is small and handy and fun, but it’s not quite as precise or communicative as I’d hoped it’d be. But as the road narrows and gets gravelly and treacherous with meltwater, it’s more or less keeping the SLS in sight. A bargain... But the Audi is the one that laughs in the face of difficulty. The addictive ease of its any-revs propulsion and its immense traction pin you, giggling, to the seat. Fast Audis have always done that. But this one also has better weight balance - the old RS6's V10 has given way to a V8 and it's moved further back, and there's aluminium in the body. Around a bend when the inevitable understeer arrives, you just floor it and the diffs will cancel it out, tracking you around the arc. Yes, you're a bit of a passen

Satriani1 - 9/6/2013 1:41:45 PM

0 Boost

(the RS6's) sheer face-bending effectiveness truly moves the needle. Especially given that it's also acting as pantechnicon for several bulky hundredweight of filming gear."

"...RS6 vs SLS Black... We drove them here across the Alps, and before that, on German 'bahns, conditions that gave us an essential grounding in what each car stands for, what it's capable of... Never forget that this is a very different car from the ‘ordinary' SLS... But you know what? The SLS had to work hard every step of the journey to keep pace with the RS6. The Audi, twin-turbocharged and impossibly muscular, blitzes gaps in traffic and does so with minimal effort. In the SLS, you have to be more alert: you can't just slam on the pedal and spear the horizon - you need to think about gears and traction and camber and surface and driving the thing. It's immersive and demanding in a way that the RS6 just isn't. In the Audi, once you've mastered mirror, signal, manoeuvre, you don't need to know much more. The car takes care of everything, supporting you in a quattro cradle, distanced from the actual goings-on by layers of insulation and beefy servos. Let's leave it at this. In the real world, both accumulate speed with near-equal alacrity, the Audi's torque surplus offsetting the Merc's power and weight advantages, its brotherly arm around your shoulders a genuine comfort on hairy passes that's entirely missing from the blood-and-thunder Mercedes. The Audi makes speed feel safe; the SLS relishes the danger. We saw 175mph in both. In the Audi, it was a nonchalant act, done while I was discussing picture requirements with photographer Dom Romney... in the SLS, I don't remember breathing... No one fears the Audi. People get in and go fast straight away. I bet plenty of people are going faster around Charade in the RS6 than anything else. I also bet some of them have outbraked themselves once or twice in the process, faintly shocked at just how effective the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 is at heaping speed on."

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GermanNut - 9/4/2013 4:29:15 PM

-1 Boost

The Audi Q5 has become the brand's best-selling model in the U.S. for 2013. With demand growing rapidly for SUVs, at witnessed by the 2013 YTD growth of 43.6% for the Q5 and 49.2% for the Q7, Audi's plan to further expand its SUV lineup with Q2, Q4 and Q8 models is an excellent strategy that should pay huge dividends for the brand over the next five years.

Satriani1 - 9/5/2013 3:09:59 PM

-2 Boost

"in recent years, German rival Audi has come on strong, particularly with regard to styling. "Audi's have a particular style. In some ways, they're by far the most stylish of the German cars," said Michael Jordan of Automobile Magazine."
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/car_tips&id=9156878