Audi outperforms U.S. import luxury sector in July 2009 sales

Source: Audi of America

HERNDON, Va., Aug 3, 2009 – Audi today announced it sold 6,407 vehicles in the U.S. during the month of July. Despite a tough sales climate, Audi outperformed its imported luxury car competitors in July with some Audi models setting 2009 monthly records, including the Audi A8, Audi A3, Audi A4 Avant and Audi TT Coupe.

Unlike some automakers, Audi did not extend its sales month beyond July 31. Still, Audi expects its share of the U.S. imported luxury vehicle segment to increase from the share it held in July 2008. Audi also expects that its year-over-year sales numbers will be substantially better than the average percentage change reflected by the overall imported luxury car group.

During July 2009, Audi sold 4,866 cars and 1,541 SUVs. July sales started out strong for Audi, but overwhelming demand for essential vehicles, such as the Audi A5, S5 and Q5, depleted inventories at dealerships. In an effort to meet the demand, Audi released pricing announcements for key 2010 models ahead of schedule.

Audi dealerships nationwide saw a noticeable increase in showroom traffic with the launch of the federal Car Allowance Rebate System, commonly referred to as CARS or Cash-for-Clunkers. But completed sales transactions attributable to CARS weren’t as significant as they were for the mass-market automotive brands.

“Audi didn’t need CARS in July, we needed cars,“ said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “We had anticipated a good month relative to the market, and we started very strong. We simply ran critically short of key models and popular configurations. Otherwise, July would have been stronger.”

Surpassing its previous monthly sales record with 135 units sold in July, the Audi A8 was in high demand at dealerships across the country. Also continuing its strength this year was the Audi A4 Cabriolet, with 591 cars sold in July and sales up more than 93.1% over July 2008. Likewise, the Audi A5 remains an extremely popular model, with 544 models sold in July, an increase of 38.1% over July 2008. The A5 has experienced exceptional year-to-date growth with 4,325 models sold in 2009, an increase of 57% from the first seven months of 2008.

The Audi Q5 crossover vehicle also continues to garner an impressive response with more than 1,023 vehicles sold in July. Evidence of the Q5’s popularity can be found in the mere 22 days’ supply of unsold units on dealer lots across the U.S.

Throughout July, Audi continued its public awareness campaign touting the benefits of TDI clean diesel, which translated into interest and sales at dealerships. In its third full month of sales, TDI clean diesel made up 28% of Q7 sales.

In July product news, Audi launched the V10 era of the acclaimed R8 sports car, with the 2010 Audi R8 5.2 FSI® quattro®. Developed by the Audi high-performance division, quattro GmbH, the R8 5.2 FSI quattro is the new top model for the Audi R8 high-performance sports car series.

To meet strong product demand, Audi released the 2010 Audi A5 coupe featuring the 2.0 TFSI direct-injection engine. The new A5 2.0 adds efficient and powerful 2.0 TFSI powertrain with both manual and Tiptronic transmissions together with standard quattro AWD drivetrain.

Audi recorded 2,521 Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) units sold in July, and has now achieved 18,546 CPO sales in 2009.