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Audi Expects over Half a Million Cars Sold in China for 2014

Audi's sales in China continue to sore to record levels. Data compiles at the end of last month has shown the German brand sold over 50,000 in June, making this the biggest single market for them.
Audi production in Changchun 1 photo
Photo: Audi
Adding June's massive sales boost to the other five months of the year brings Audi's total to 268,666 cars in the first half, representing a 17.8 percent increase compared to the same period of 2013.

A key factor in Audi's success is local production and tailoring its products to local demand. In the first half, 224,666 Audis were assembled in China, where customers prefer legroom and an abundance of features over power and outright performance.

China has become a sort of second home for the German automaker, who last year celebrated its 25th anniversary there. Audi is currently in a joint venture with the FAW Volkswagen company

A quarter of a century ago, the 100 sedan, the ancestor of the A6, was the first Audi made at the Changchun factory. But sales only really started to pick up when they launched the long wheelbase A6 in 1999. It was the German car to be seen in for the growing business class.

Demand for SUVs was especially strong this year, with Q5 deliveries reaching 52,216 units in the first half of the year, followed by the Q3 with 35,140. Demand the A8L full-size sedan increased 36 percent to 10,951, while that for the Audi Q7 SUV grew by 47 percent to 10,743 units.

Company sales chief Luca de Meo says over half a million Audis will be sold in China by the end of 2014.

“We are well on the way to achieving our target of delivering significantly more than half a million cars to customers in China this year,” stated Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Sales at Audi.

Spurred by these sales figures, Audi China was founded in 2009. Last year, the research and development center for Asia was opened.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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