Audi Achieves Record Sales Figures in 2012
Ingolstadt, January 14, 2013 - Audi has announced that 2012 was a landmark year, breaking numerous sales records. AUDI AG successfully delivered approximately 1,455,100 luxury vehicles worldwide, reflecting an 11.7% increase compared to the previous year. Consequently, the Ingolstadt-based automaker surpassed its annual target of 1.4 million vehicles, a goal set last summer, driven by strong growth in both North America and Asia.
With deliveries in 2012 exceeding the previous year's figures by more than 152,000 units, this marks the second-largest sales jump in the company’s history. Just the year before, Audi attracted an additional 210,000 customers in 2011. With approximately 110,400 deliveries (+0.8%) in December 2012, Audi once again concluded the year strongly, similar to the last month of 2011.
Statements from Luca de Meo
Luca de Meo, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG, stated: "In 2012, Audi achieved new record figures across all its markets worldwide, including Europe. We managed to resist the downward trend in that market and continued to grow, thereby solidifying our brand's leadership in the luxury automotive sector."
He added: "Our new models, in particular, provided an additional boost last year globally, notably the highly popular Audi Q3. This model has helped make the SUV segment a cornerstone of our success, representing for the first time one-quarter of all our sales.
Audi Model Successes
The international launch of the Q3 began in October 2011, which means that 2012 marked its first full year in global markets. In Europe alone, Audi delivered over 78,700 units of the compact SUV last year. Another model that has been available since autumn 2011 and significantly boosted sales in Audi's home continent is the A6 Avant.
The sales of the A6 Avant in the region increased by approximately 38.9%, reaching around 63,100 vehicles in 2012; about 60% of A6 customers in Europe chose the station wagon version of the full-size model. Overall, Audi's sales of all models in Europe reached about 739,000 vehicles last year, representing a growth of 1.8% despite a challenging market environment.
Audi's Sales Performance in Global Markets
Although the high figures from the previous December and the anticipated shift in the A3 Sportback model affected the growth rate of Audi vehicles delivered in December in Europe, the four-ringed company achieved strong sales figures throughout the year, especially in its three major European markets:
- Germany: Audi's sales rose by 3.6% to a new high of 263,163 vehicles sold, giving the company its largest market share in history at 8.6%.
- United Kingdom: Audi managed to double its annual sales over the past decade, with a 7.2% increase in 2012, delivering 123,640 vehicles.
- France: The four-ringed brand maintained its leadership position in the luxury segment of the French market by delivering 62,202 vehicles (+0.3%).
Conversely, the negative economic climate led to declines in sales for 2012 in both Italy (-17.0% to 50,085 vehicles) and Spain (-11.7% to 36,139 vehicles).
Audi's Sales Growth in Russia
In contrast, AUDI AG experienced dynamic sales growth in Russia during 2012: delivering 33,512 vehicles to customers, a remarkable 44.1% increase from the previous year—Russia remains Audi's fastest-growing market among its top ten worldwide.
Audi's Performance in the United States Market
In the United States, the Audi Group recorded monthly delivery records throughout the year, surpassing its rapid growth from 2011. Audi shipped approximately 139,310 luxury vehicles to the U.S., marking an 18.5% increase compared to the previous year.
2012, in particular, saw a strong surge in full-size vehicle sales in the American market, with total sales of the A6, A7 Sportback, Q7, and flagship A8 making up 39% of sales.
Audi's Sales Growth in Canada and Mexico
Sales of the A6 sedan alone, which completed its new generation's first year in the U.S. in 2012, reached 18,998 vehicles, a significant increase of 73.7% compared to the previous year. Similarly, sales performances in Canada and Mexico were impressive: in Canada, 2012 sales rose by 18.6% to 20,000 vehicles, while in Mexico, sales reached 9,482 vehicles, up 17.7%.
Audi's Performance in the Chinese Market
China continues to lead Audi's luxury vehicle segment uncontested, with 405,838 vehicles delivered in 2012, allowing the Ingolstadt-based company to break the 400,000 vehicle barrier for the first time in its history—just after crossing the 300,000 threshold the previous year.
The main drivers behind this 29.6% growth were models manufactured in Changchun: despite announcing a shift in models in March, Audi sold in China within a year more than 130,000 A6 sedans in its long-wheelbase version (with 132,872 vehicles delivered). The A6 L remains Audi's best-selling model in China.
Additionally, 93,030 Audi customers in China opted for the Q5 last year, a notable increase of 63.8% compared to 2011. Similarly, the SUV segment continued to dominate worldwide throughout 2012, with approximately 206,000 units delivered.
The Importance of Emerging Markets for Audi
A significant number of emerging markets are becoming increasingly important for Audi due to their rising growth rates, including the following:
- South Korea: (+46.0% to 15,100 vehicles)
- South Africa: (+15.5% to 16,771 vehicles)
- India: (+63.4% to 9,003 vehicles)
Sales in Turkey also surged by 17.7% to 14,487 units sold, making it one of over 50 markets where Audi achieved record sales figures last year.
