Audi Sales Continues To Defy Logic With A 76th Increase In A Row For April

Audi of America’s April sales increased 5 percent to 18,711 vehicles, a record. Demand was strong across the product lineup, with the Q5, Q7 SUVs and the A4 sedan leading the volume gains.

It was the best April sales result for Audi in the U.S., marking the brand’s 76th straight monthly record. The previous April record was set last year with 17,801 vehicles sold. Through the first four months of 2017, Audi sales have risen 8 percent to 64,358 vehicles.

April results were bolstered by strong demand across the brand’s SUV lineup, with total sales in the segment increasing 18 percent over last April and 19 percent year-to-date. The newly launched Q5 led the gains with 5,028 vehicles sold, an increase of 26 percent. Sales of the Q7 rose 22 percent over last year to 3,022 vehicles, the second-best month on record for the model. The Q3 posted 1,510 sales for the month.

Consumer demand for A4 and A5 models was also strong. The A4 sedan posted sales of 3,246 vehicles, a 9 percent increase for the month and a 20 percent gain year-to-date. A4 allroad sales jumped 61 percent to 236 vehicles. The A5 recorded 1,007 deliveries in April, an increase of 24 percent from last year.

“Customers are responding well to our new products,” said Mark Del Rosso, chief operating officer, Audi of America. “With the new Q5 in full force and the new A5, we have much cause to be optimistic that our product offensive will position us well for continued growth this year.”
 

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 10:42:49 AM

+3 Boost

This headline is so ridiculous. A 7th consecutive month of sales increases doesn't defy logic, it proves Audi's models are increasingly appealing to buyers.

The new Q7 and Q5 are a huge hit with buyers. The Q7 was up 22.2% for the month and is up 11.7% YTD. The Q5 saw its sales soar 26% for the month and is up 27.3% YTD despite the new model just going on sales in April. The A5 saw a nice boost as well for the month with sales up 23.9%.

This is an extremely good sign for Audi as it next revamps the A8 and A7 with leading autonomous driving capabilities and expands the SUV range into the high-end with the Q8.

Once Audi gets its China sales situation resolved, it will be interesting to see if Mercedes-Benz can maintain the top global sales spot.

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 2:49:59 PM

+2 Boost

Agent009, it's a combination of producing vehicles that are appealing to buyers and then expanding the model range. Look at almost every single area you can think of to judge an Audi and notice how it's improved from one generation to the next.

This holds true for navigation (MMI), user interface (Virtual Cockpit), autonomous capabilities (Traffic Jam Assist), lighting (LED advancements), performance (faster acceleration), handling (better), reliability (vastly improved and easy to see from results in JD Power studies and Consumer Reports) and the list goes on.

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 10:43:34 AM

+3 Boost

A *^76th consecutive month

Agent009 - 5/2/2017 2:22:52 PM

+1 Boost

Actually a run that long is pretty much unheard of. You would think they would have stumbled at least once 6 years

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 2:50:53 PM

+2 Boost

Agent009, it's a combination of producing vehicles that are appealing to buyers and then expanding the model range. Look at almost every single area you can think of to judge an Audi and notice how it's improved from one generation to the next.

This holds true for navigation (MMI), user interface (Virtual Cockpit), autonomous capabilities (Traffic Jam Assist), lighting (LED advancements), performance (faster acceleration), handling (better), reliability (vastly improved and easy to see from results in JD Power studies and Consumer Reports) and the list goes on.

Agent009 - 5/2/2017 3:03:40 PM

0 Boost

yup, I fully understand, but they make it look too easy. Now there have been some close calls over the last few years, but they done far better then most expected

TheSteve - 5/2/2017 1:56:27 PM

0 Boost

Investors and Joe Q. Public LOVE to see a graph go "up and to the right"!

Individuals, when they have set an objective, such as a long-terms financial investment or accomplishing some other goal, also LOVE to see that same "upward and onward" continuous progress, without interruption, without a single setback.

Unfortunately, real life is not so accommodating. Anyone who watches their investments will notice that occasionally, they experience an off month or a bad quarter, but over the long haul, they make positive progress.

When we look back at history, we see examples of companies (e.g., Enron) that showed consistent and uninterrupted month-over-month "up and to the right" profits or sales, and after the company collapsed, these numbers were revealed to be "fudged figures."

I own an 2-year-old Audi, and I'm very happy with it, so I'm not an Audi hater, but I'll tell you that I am suspicious that their 6+ year trend of uninterrupted month-over-month sales increases (76 consecutive months) causes me to be suspicious that some creative accounting is going on behind the scenes. Every automaker in the industry experiences monthly fluctuations... except Audi. Hmmmmmm.

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 2:18:35 PM

0 Boost

Did you ever think that maybe it came down to producing vehicles that people are attracted to? In addition to that, when you increase the number of models that maintain that attractiveness in the consumer's eyes, your sales would be expected to go up.

This month would be the least suspect considering it includes the new Q5 and A5 models in the sales calculation. Your 2-year old Audi, despite your happiness, is far less capable than the current Audi range.

What do you have? An A4, Q5 or Q7? All 3 of those newer models feature Audi's Virtual Cockpit and advanced MMI that make your navigation look a hundred years old. Maybe it's the performance that has you smitten? All 3 newer models feature much better acceleration and handling. Running costs? The new models are more efficient too.

You want autonomous driving? The new A8 will be the first vehicle with Level III autonomous capability. As you can see, it is Audi's innovation that is winning over buyers and it can be found in everything from connectivity and infotainment to performance, efficiency and autonomy.

momentofsurrender - 5/2/2017 3:31:03 PM

+4 Boost

Agreed. It's also noticeable that there are omissions in the sales reporting. No mention of SUV's in the Lexus summary, no mention of trucks in the GM summary so they can definitely get "creative" when they want to.

TheSteve - 5/2/2017 5:25:00 PM

+3 Boost

GermanNut wrote "...Did you ever think that maybe it came down to producing vehicles that people are attracted to?..."

Are you suggesting because Mercedes, BMW, and every other automobile manufacturer experiences month-to-month fluctuations, that only Audi makes cars people are attracted to? Curious argument.

cidflekken - 5/2/2017 7:34:52 PM

+3 Boost

The Toyota/Lexus summary included the NX's sales numbers. The chart didn't have Lexus' SUVs because the chart went two pages and Lexus SUVs were on the second page

GermanNut - 5/2/2017 10:41:37 PM

+2 Boost

No, I'm saying Audi has done a better job of managing its sales more consistently than BMW has. Audi is consistently up every month whether a little or a lot. BMW, on the other hand, is up 3.3% in March, down 9.5% in April and flat in February with a double-digit decline a few months before that.

TheSteve - 5/4/2017 4:42:23 PM

+1 Boost

GermanNut: re "...Audi has done a better job of managing its sales more consistently..."

Curious. Only Audi has figured out how to "manage sales more consistently," every single month, without exception, for the past 6+ years. No other automotive manufacture has that skill, or it just never occurred to them to "manage sales." Instead, every automaker -- except Audi -- is affected by monthly market fluctuations and economic variances. This scenario you present to us is curious indeed!