Photo: Audi
For many automakers, August 2014 has been a record month for sales, with Chrysler, Ford and Toyota all exceeding analyst expectations. However, the premium segment has grown in leaps and bounds, especially thanks to the new entry-level segment that has just opened up. Audi has shown its product lineup is ideally suited to take advantage of this, thanks to the the affordability of its compacts, and now the company is reporting record sales figures.
August deliveries climbed 22.1% to 17,101 vehicles, which is not only the 44th consecutive month of growth, but also an all-time monthly record. For the year to date, Audi of America, the German company's sales have increased 14.5% to 116,066 vehicles.
The all-new A3 premium compact is the main reason for this growth. Since it was launched this spring, sales have climbed to 12,329 units. A whopping 100-fold increase was reported in August, coupled to 1353% growth in the combined first eight months of the year. Demand for the aging A4 sedan has peaked this year, however the Q5 and especially the Q7 are doing well.
For the first time ever in the company's history, Audi USA has a crossover on sale. It's called the Q3 and is loosely related to the old A3 hatchback. Only a few managed to reach dealerships at the end of last month, which is why the sales numbers show 243 were sold. However, September's sales will probably show at least a thousand, since they're almost as cheap as the A3 and have proven very successful in Europe.
What Audi didn't manage to sell a lot off in August are the A8 (-19%), the TT (only 86) and the R8 (just 50). The A6 also didn't perform well, dropping 8.7% from 2,110 last year to 1,927 last month.
As usual, Audi of America's sales charts have little quirks. For instance, TDIs represented 11.2% of the overall total, which is probably more than any other company's diesel share. Also, performance models were very popular in the general chart, representing 13.9% for the S4 sedan; 27.6% for the S5/ RS 5; 5.3% for the S6; 22.9% for the S7 / RS 7; 15.8% for the S8; 45.3% for the TTS and TTS Roadster, and 6.5% for the SQ5 crossover.
The all-new A3 premium compact is the main reason for this growth. Since it was launched this spring, sales have climbed to 12,329 units. A whopping 100-fold increase was reported in August, coupled to 1353% growth in the combined first eight months of the year. Demand for the aging A4 sedan has peaked this year, however the Q5 and especially the Q7 are doing well.
For the first time ever in the company's history, Audi USA has a crossover on sale. It's called the Q3 and is loosely related to the old A3 hatchback. Only a few managed to reach dealerships at the end of last month, which is why the sales numbers show 243 were sold. However, September's sales will probably show at least a thousand, since they're almost as cheap as the A3 and have proven very successful in Europe.
What Audi didn't manage to sell a lot off in August are the A8 (-19%), the TT (only 86) and the R8 (just 50). The A6 also didn't perform well, dropping 8.7% from 2,110 last year to 1,927 last month.
As usual, Audi of America's sales charts have little quirks. For instance, TDIs represented 11.2% of the overall total, which is probably more than any other company's diesel share. Also, performance models were very popular in the general chart, representing 13.9% for the S4 sedan; 27.6% for the S5/ RS 5; 5.3% for the S6; 22.9% for the S7 / RS 7; 15.8% for the S8; 45.3% for the TTS and TTS Roadster, and 6.5% for the SQ5 crossover.
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