Audi sets all-time Middle East sales record with 15 percent gain in first half 2012

A few days ago Audi announced it sold more vehicles in the first half of 2012 than in any first half since entering the Middle East market with a wholly owned subsidiary in 2005. A total of 4,274 vehicles were delivered to customers in the region in the first six months of 2012 – an increase of 15 percent over the same period in 2011. Sales for the month of June also achieved an all-time high with an increase of 18 percent over 2011 (2012: 691; 2011: 585).

Sales in all Gulf markets grew in double digits. The strongest market for Audi remains the UAE with a total of 1,738 vehicles delivered to customers in the first half of 2012, registering a positive growth of 14 percent. The UAE is followed by Saudi Arabia with 915 units and a plus of 34 percent and Kuwait with 571 vehicles sold and 24 percent growth.

Audi executives expressed confidence that sales for all of 2012 will set a new annual record, topping the 7,865 sales mark set last year. “We have welcomed the new Audi A4 PI, A5 PI and Audi Q3 in the first half. With the S models still to come we are expecting another strong result for 2012,� said Jeff Mannering, Managing Director, Audi Middle East. “Our sales are underpinned by a strong focus on dealer network development as well sales and after sales service. Audi standards apply to the vehicle as well as to the entire ownership experience.�

Customers favored the large sedan models. Year-to-date sales of the new Audi A6 ranked the highest with 908 vehicles sold and an increase of 81 percent. Audi’s second strongest selling model was the Audi A8 L with 877 units sold in the first six months of 2012 (plus 43 percent).

Audi’s luxury SUV performance was led by the Audi Q7 with 695 units sold in the first half, followed by the Audi Q5 with 610 units. Market availability for both models continues to be limited as demand exceeds production allocation. Already 69 units of the newly launched Audi Q3 compact SUV have been sold across the region with sales volumes picking up further as shipments arrive to the markets.



The Audi Group delivered around 1,302,659 cars of the Audi brand to customers in 2011. In 2011 the Company posted revenue of €44.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.3 billion. Audi produces vehicles in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm (Germany), Gy?‘r (Hungary), Changchun (China) and Brussels (Belgium). The Audi Q7 is built in Bratislava (Slovakia).

In July 2010, CKD production of the Audi Q5 was added to the existing Audi A4 and A6 manufacturing operations in Aurangabad (India). At the Brussels plant, production of the Audi A1 has been running since May 2010, while production of the new A1 Sportback began in 2012. The Audi Q3 has been built in Martorell (Spain) since June 2011.

The Company is active in more than 100 markets worldwide. AUDI AG’s wholly owned subsidiaries include AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft., Automobili Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. in Sant’Agata Bolognese (Italy), AUDI BRUSSELS S.A./N.V. in Brussels (Belgium) and quattro GmbH in Neckarsulm.

Subject to a positive decision by the responsible competition authorities, the Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. will also belong to the Audi Group. Audi currently employs around 64,000 people worldwide, including around 48,000 in Germany.

Between 2012 and 2016 the brand with the four rings is planning to invest more than €13 billion – mainly in new products, human resources and the extension of production capacities – in order to sustain the Company’s technological lead embodied in its “Vorsprung durch Technikâ€? slogan. Audi is currently expanding its site in Gy?‘r (Hungary) and will start production in Foshan (China) in late 2013 and in Mexico from 2016.

Audi has long been fulfilling its social responsibility on many levels – with the aim of making the future worth living for generations to come. The basis for Audi’s lasting success is therefore formed by environmental protection, the conservation of resources, international competitiveness and a forward-looking human resources policy. One example of AUDI AG’s commitment to environmental issues is the newly established Audi Environmental Foundation. Under the heading of “Audi balanced mobility,� the Company is directing its activities toward a major goal – comprehensive CO2-neutral mobility.

AUDI AG’s commitment to the region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully owned subsidiary in 2005. The current Middle East model range comprises the Audi A1, A3 Sportback and A4, the A5 Coupe, Sportback and Cabriolet as well as the RS 5, the A6, A7 and A8 L, the Q5 and Q7, the TT Coupe/Roadster and TT RS Coupe, the R8, R8 V10, R8 Spyder V10 as well as R8 GT and R8 GT Spyder.


TS
Dubai - Cairo - Ingolstadt
26.08.2012