Audi sales up 12.3 percent in first half of 2012, fastest growth in Asia-Pacific, on course to achieve year’s target of 1.4 million sales

Ingolstadt, July 9, 2012: It’s a new record for Audi. In the first six months of 2012, the German carmaker has handed over more than 733,000 cars to customers worldwide, 12.3 percent more than in the same period of 2011. Around 133,050 customers chose an Audi in June alone – 13.1 percent more than a year ago. The strong performance in Germany continued in the past month with growth of 14.6 percent. While Audi saw significant double-digit (+20.4 percent) growth in deliveries in China, in the United States, it ended the first half of the year with the best sales month in the company’s US history: plus 26.0 percent in June.

"Despite a noticeable headwind in the Southern European markets, where Audi performs better than the total market, the brand is growing in all world regions. As a result, we are clearly on course to achieve our target of 1.4 million deliveries by year's end," said Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG. Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi Board Member for Marketing and Sales, adds: "We want to continue this growth path in the second half of the year, when overall sales are traditionally not as strong. The new generation of the Q5 will also contribute as well as the new A3, which is especially important for Europe."

Sales for Audi in Europe rose over the first six months by 2.8 percent to around 393,350 cars, further expanding its lead as Europe's most successful premium carmaker. While the Western European car market is currently down to its 1994 level, Audi's sales volume in the first half of the year has more than doubled since then. As a result, Audi's market share in Western Europe reached a record level of about 5.7 percent during the first half of 2012.

Leading the growth of recent months were the Q3 and the new A6. Deliveries of the A6 Avant model, which is especially popular in Europe, surpassed those of its predecessor in the first half of 2011 by 63.3 percent. Growth for Audi in Western Europe was led in the first half of the year by the German market, where sales rose by 7.3 percent to 134,173 units. This was also boosted by the A1 Sportback and the carmaker's growing fleet business. Deliveries also grew by a significant 4.5 percent in the United Kingdom, the company's second largest sales market in Europe. There was also strong increase in demand in the Netherlands, with 13,026 cars handed over to customers (+30.4 percent), in Austria (+11.8 percent to 10,828 units), and in Switzerland (+6.5 percent to 9,125 cars). In France, sales figures reached the level of the same period last year (+0.4 percent). Sales however were down in Italy and Spain at -18.7 and -9.9 percent respectively. In contrast, the entire Eastern European region has risen over recent months to become an increasingly important growth engine for Audi, particularly in Russia, which increased its sales total by 40.9 percent to 16,563 cars.

In the US, cumulative sales rose by 16.5 percent to 65,158 units, fueled by the Q5 and the A7 Sportback, as well as by the A6 saloon. There was also growth across all models in Canada (+14.0 percent to 10,054 cars) and Mexico (+6.0 percent to 3,862 cars).

Locally produced models spearheaded the strong growth in China during the first half of the year – up 37.8 percent to 193,871 cars: deliveries of the long-wheelbase version of the A4 increased 42.9 percent compared to the same period of 2011 – those of the Q5 rose by even 86.7 percent.

Asia-Pacific was the fastest-growing sales region for Audi in the first six months: in Japan, for instance (+18.6 percent to 11,961 units), in South Korea (7,196 cars, +50.2 percent), and, India (4,000 cars, + 42.8 percent. The new A6 and A4 recorded the highest volume of sales for Audi in the market and the successful launch of the Q3 in India also contributed to the 76.0 percent increase in sales in June.