Audi Builds its Market Leadership in Premium Fleet Market

Audi is the market leader in the premium fleet market*. No other premium manufacturer sold more company cars in this segment in Germany than the brand with the four-ring badge. This was the outcome of a study conducted by the renowned institute of analysts Dataforce.

On the basis of the latest figures and according to Dataforce, Audi was the leading premium manufacturer in the first quarter of 2004, with sales of 9,829 company cars and an overall market share of 13.6 percent. Audi was already the top premium brand in 2003, with 36,070 vehicles supplied and a market share of 13.1 percent.

According to Dataforce, as well as holding onto its leading position in the midsize class, Audi for the first time captured the position of market leader in the luxury class in 2003. 1,361 of the Audi A8 were registered as business or company cars in 2003, compared with 523 in 2002.

Stefan Müller, Head of Sales for Germany, commented: “The new Audi A6, which met with an excellent reception during presentations to business customers, will help us to extend our lead in the key accounts sector.”

The Dataforce analysis concentrates on vehicles registered for business use by companies with fleets of 10 or more vehicles. The statistics confirm that fleet sales revived in the first quarter of 2004. In contrast to 2002 and 2003, when orders of company cars declined in particular as a result of the debate about the taxation of business cars, demand for company cars rose by 9.6 percent in the first three months of this year, to around 72,000 units.

*) Vehicles registered for business use by companies with fleets of 10 or more vehicles.