Audi on Pace for New Sales Record in 2006

Source: Audi of America

INGOLSTADT, Germany – From January to November 2006, Audi sold 833,000 vehicles worldwide, an increase of 8.7 percent compared with the same period of last year (January – November 2005: 766,629). Audi also set a new sales record in November: 75,250 vehicles were handed over to customers around the world. This equates to an increase of 8.1 percent against the same month in 2005. Audi has consequently just achieved its best ever November figures and the best eleven-month period in the company’s history.

“Audi is close to achieving a new record result for 2006 as a whole. Our brand and our models impress our customers. This year, we will sell 900,000 vehicles worldwide and as a result we are heading for our eleventh sales record in succession”, reported Ralph Weyler, Board Member for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG.

Audi will also post outstanding results for the German market. The company sold 236,064 vehicles between January and November 2006, an increase of 2.4 percent (2005: 230,452). Audi has thus achieved a market share of 7.6 percent, the highest for the first eleven months of a year since 1980. 23,978 new Audi vehicles were handed over to customers in November, an increase of 4.2 percent.

In the first eleven months, Audi succeeded in selling 376,600 vehicles in Europe excluding Germany, an increase of 7.2 percent (2005: 351,372). In November, Audi likewise posted an increase of 7.2 percent with 28,000 vehicles sold (2005: 26,103).

In the USA, 78,219 models were handed over to customers between January and November, an increase of 5.4 percent. A total of 9,209 units were sold in the month of November, a rise of 16.4 percent.

Audi achieved its highest rates of growth in China (excluding Hong Kong). In the first eleven months, Audi was able to post growth of 53.6 percent in recording total sales of 73,415 models. November was also a positive month with an increase of 11.4 percent to 7,465 units handed over to customers in China.

In terms of specific models, the good sales figures stem from high demand for the Audi A3 (220,050 units, + 9.5 percent), the Audi A4 Cabriolet (26,600 units, + 18.1 percent), the Audi A6 including allroad quattro (215,950 units, + 11.2 percent), the Audi A8 (20,900 units, + 7.1 percent) and the Audi Q7 (45,900 units).

“The market response to our latest model launches – the Audi TT Coupe, the Audi TT Roadster and the Audi R8 – was extremely positive. Our model strategy is bearing fruit and is the basis for our sales success in 2006. We are therefore extremely optimistic in looking ahead to the end of the year”, said Weyler.