Audi's Sales Numbers Point to Record Q1

Two full months of sales have passed since the beginning of the new year and already German auto maker Audi is aiming big. Adding the numbers it managed to record for January and February, Audi is now confident that, as soon as March is over, it will post the best first quarter in its history.

In February, the car maker managed to sell 91,450 cars worldwide, which represents an increase of 20.6 percent compared to the same month of last year. In all, since the beginning of the year, 186,850 Audis found new owners, or 21.6 percent more from 2010.

“With around 186,850 vehicles delivered and a rise of 21.6 percent over the first two months, Audi is on its way to achieving the most successful first quarter in its history in terms of sales,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi member of the board Marketing and Sales.

“The continued growth in the United States is based on a solid foundation – and shows that we are strengthening our position in the premium market through increased sales particularly in the luxury class.”

The best markets for the brand were the same as always in February, with China (including Honk Kong) posting the heftiest increase (25.3 percent), to 18,926 units and Western Europe being the biggest market (50,450 units, up 17.1 percent). The US accounted for 7,753 of the total cars sold.

“Given the rising demand in the U.S. market for efficient diesel engines, we will introduce the Audi TDI clean diesel in both the A6 and the A8,” added Schwarzenbauer. “The proportion of our luxury class models already makes up 23 percent of our total volume in the United States – prior to the market launches last year it was around 13 percent.”