Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, witnessed its highest-ever grossing month in India with a sale of 1011 vehicles in the month of September 2012. The luxury carmaker registered a growth rate of 82 percent over the same period last year (September 2011: 555 units). It also crossed the 2011 annual sales figure (Jan-Dec 2011: 5511 units) with a sale of 6417 units in the first 9 months (Jan-Sept 2012), recording a 52 percent growth rate YTD (Jan-Sept 2011: 4210 units).
“Our performance in September has been stellar. We have witnessed a record month with 1011 vehicles sold, our highest ever in India so far. Apart from this, September also enabled us to cross another milestone by surpassing our annual sales figure of 2011. We are confident of crossing the 2012 sales target of 8000 cars even before the year comes to an end. We have had a very exciting 9 months in 2012 and our robust car sales amidst the taxing market scenario highlights the conviction our brand enthusiasts have put in Audi. Our Q-life range – Audi Q3, Audi Q5 and Audi Q7, continue to strengthen their leadership in the luxury SUV segment and are emerging as the top-sellers this festive season. Increasing input costs, inflation and weakening of the rupee forced us to increase prices for Audi Q3 and we are also evaluating price increases for other models in the later part of the year.” said Mr. Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India.
“We opened a new dealership in Goa in September, further strengthening our network to 21 dealerships. Our dealership expansion strategy is key to our growth in India. Customers in Tier 2 cities are exhibiting an increased appetite for luxury and are appreciative of the sportiness, progressiveness and sophistication that our brand offers. By end of 2012, we will have at least 25 dealers pan-India, with plans for new dealerships in markets like Lucknow and Kanpur among others.” added Mr. Perschke.
Audi India continues to be the market leader in the luxury SUV segment in India with Audi Q5 and Audi Q7. The launch of Audi Q3 has further consolidated Audi’s dominance in the luxury SUV segment in India and Audi is confident of further success despite the price hike. The brand with the four rings continues to be the segment leader also in the sports car segment with Audi R8, Audi RS5 and the new Audi TT Coupè.
Globally, Audi continues to grow in all regions around the world: Deliveries in August increased by 14.9 percent on the corresponding prior-year month to reach some 108,100 automobiles. This means approximately 961,000 customers have chosen Audi since the beginning of the year, an increase of 12.7 percent.
Audi is focused to strengthen its national footprint across India. The company opened new showrooms in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Coimbatore, Delhi West, Nagpur and Bhopal. Last year, the luxury carmaker opened new showrooms in Delhi South, Chennai, Ludhiana, Surat and Indore. Further developments include Lucknow and Kanpur among others.
The Audi model range in India includes the new Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi A7 Sportback, Audi A8L, Audi Q3, Audi Q5, Audi Q7, Audi S4, Audi RS5 Coupé, Audi TT Coupé, the super sports car Audi R8 and the Audi R8 Spyder available across the country: in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi South, Delhi West, Goa, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai West, Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Surat.