Photo: Audi
The UK is one of Audi's biggest single markets in Europe. In fact, there are more cars with four rings on English roads than there are Jaguars or Land Rovers. That's why, today, the German brand is celebrating a new milestone – 2 million sales in the UK since the first unit arrived in 1965, when the brand managed only 32 cars.
The model that marked this milestone is of particular importance. The A3 e-tron is not only based on the most popular series in the country, but it's also the first plug-in hybrid.
To understand just how far Audi has come, consider the fact that at 51, the company currently has more types of cars than the individual unit sales it managed 50 years ago. And the A3 e-tron probably has 10 times more components than a classic 75 sedan.
The first Audi in the UK was codenamed F103 and came with a 1700cc engine that produced 72 PS, a fraction of the 570 PS available in the most powerful production Audi to head the current range – the limited edition R8 LMX. The A3 e-tron actually has more power available from its electric motor alone, plus more than double than that of the 1.4 turbo.
But Britain is rapidly becoming a drop in the corporate bucket, as demand is increasingly coming from outside Europe. During the 2014 record sales year, 1,741,000 cars were sold, of which only 158,987 were in the Isles.
Despite this, local director Andre Konsbruck says "Domestically the brand has risen from humble beginnings in the Sixties to become the leader in the premium segment, and the last two decades have delivered virtually constant, and in all but three years record-breaking, growth. These are really robust foundations on which we plan to build consistently and substantially with the help of an ever expanding portfolio of models.”
To understand just how far Audi has come, consider the fact that at 51, the company currently has more types of cars than the individual unit sales it managed 50 years ago. And the A3 e-tron probably has 10 times more components than a classic 75 sedan.
The first Audi in the UK was codenamed F103 and came with a 1700cc engine that produced 72 PS, a fraction of the 570 PS available in the most powerful production Audi to head the current range – the limited edition R8 LMX. The A3 e-tron actually has more power available from its electric motor alone, plus more than double than that of the 1.4 turbo.
But Britain is rapidly becoming a drop in the corporate bucket, as demand is increasingly coming from outside Europe. During the 2014 record sales year, 1,741,000 cars were sold, of which only 158,987 were in the Isles.
Despite this, local director Andre Konsbruck says "Domestically the brand has risen from humble beginnings in the Sixties to become the leader in the premium segment, and the last two decades have delivered virtually constant, and in all but three years record-breaking, growth. These are really robust foundations on which we plan to build consistently and substantially with the help of an ever expanding portfolio of models.”
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