Audi Has Sales And Profit Records In 2010
“The Audi brand is stronger than ever.” The phrase is from Rupert Stadler, CEO of the automaker, and accurately reflects the numbers achieved by Audi in 2010, proclaimed during his speech made in this fiscal Tuesday, November 9 at Ingolstadt, Germany. Stadler refers to a record 1,092,411 vehicles sold last year, which gave the Audi a turnover of € 35.4 billion and record profit of € 3.34 billion – an increase of 108.2% compared to 2009.
The company said the main reasons for this performance were the new models introduced in the range, including the A8, the A7 Sportback and especially the compact A1 .
While not a world leader in the premium class, Audi dominates some areas. In Europe, the company grew 4% and remained at the tip, as well as China, which saw sales increase 43.4% last year. The German brand has also evolved in the U.S., up 22.9%, but still behind BMW and Mercedes-Benz. One of his goals is to reach 150,000 units each year in the U.S. market by 2015, but for this, Audi A1 will not have, since the compact (mounted on the platform of the Volkswagen Polo ) would not pass the tests of hit of the U.S., which use different criteria from those applied in European events. The second generation of A1, perhaps, knows the U.S. market.
That’s because Audi think, even remotely, to mount a plant in Mexico (using part of the structure of the VW plant in Puebla) to produce the A1.
Stadler mentioned during the conference that Brazil and India are markets with private potential. “However, although it believes that sales will double in Brazil in 2011 – leaving between 6,000 and 7,000 cars – Peter Schwarzenbauer, Director of Marketing and Sales, dismisses whatever Brazilian plant. “We have no plans to establish a factory in Brazil in the medium term.” The executive explained that only from 100,000 units a year is a manufacturing facility that would be justifiable.
This year marks the launch of eight products from Audi: R8 GT, A6, A8 L W12, RS 3, and four have not yet revealed. Likely to come into the account Q5 Hybrid, introduced in Geneva, A6 and unpublished Hybrid Q3, which will start production later this year.
The team will also increase hybrid Audi: A6 Q5 and beyond, will gain the technology that combines combustion engines and electric A8 and Q7 Plug-in, the latter in 2014. Therefore, Audi will have four hybrids and four electric (and family-tron). Director of Technical Development of Audi, Michael Dick, warns that the brand has already decided which direction to take regarding the future energy source, and two options that stand out in front.
The executive also said the technology will continue to actively downsizing its engines used in the example of the new A6 with V6 turbo engine, among others.
