"As of September 27, Audi has sold 59,400 vehicles in China for the year 2006, surpassing last year's total of 58,128," said Mr. Erich Schmitt with joy, an Audi board member.
Audi has performed remarkably this year in the Chinese market. On the basis of its performance in the first nine months, China is Audi's 4th largest market with total sales of 60,000 vehicles. The three biggest markets are the German market, in which 188,700 cars have been sold, the British market, with sales of 94,000 cars, and the US, where 62,000 have been sold. Audi sold 7,354 vehicles in China for the month of August, 239 more than in the US (7,115 autos).
"At present, the sales gap between the Chinese market and other major markets is very narrow, and the share growth rate is very high. We predict that China will be our third largest market next year, or even, optimistically, the second largest," added Mr. Schmitt.
Mr. Schmitt has witnessed the rapid development of Audi in China. On October 1st Mr. Schmitt became the Chairperson of CIAT. He will continue as the Audi board member responsible for the Chinese market.
According to Schmitt, China is one of the ripest and fastest developing markets. Audi's strategy and its commitment to the Chinese market have not changed. Audi retains its position as the fastest growing luxury car brand in China and expects to fulfill its long-term goal of making China its second largest market.
It appears that FAW-VOLKSWAGEN has established its goals for the next five years. Audi sales will increase significantly if this year's figures are any indication. FAW-VOLKSWAGEN is a leading domestic producer of the C-Class Audi A6L and B-Class Audi A4. Consumers are now waiting for the A-Class Audi A3 to be produced in China.
"We are doing market research into whether or not the A3 could be produced in China. We may consider it if there is sufficient demand to support it. So far, however, we don't have a concrete plan or schedule," said Mr. Schmitt.
At present, the focus of Audi in China is on improving sales of the Chinese-made models.
"Emphasis will be on the Audi A4. Competition in the Class-B auto market is very fierce. Although the Audi A4 has been very successful in China, the demand for Class-B luxury cars is growing. Sales trends have changed. There are now many more Class-C consumers around."
Statistics show that in the first eight months of this year, sales of Audi A4 increased by 66.9 percent from the same period last year, which is roughly equivalent to the increase in popularity of the Audi A6L, which experienced a 74.9 percent growth in sales. Yet, in terms of actual sales, there is an obvious gap between the 11,191 A4 cars sold and the 38,979 A6L cars sold. This is the main reason Audi's focus will be on promoting the A4.
Mr. Schmitt said, "According to the sales data from Europe, the Class-B A4 sold very well. The number of Class-B automobile consumers in China is increasing so we are completely confident about the sales of the A4 in China as well as our leading position."
At the Paris automobile exhibition at the end of September, Audi pushed its super sports car, the R8. Following the success of the Third Generation Q7 SUV on the market, Audi is planning to push its Q5 SUV. When these new models will become available in China is not yet known.
Schmitt said, "We will definitely import the latest models, including the Q5 and R8. In the meantime, we will consider demonstrating our new models in China."
He explained that the Auto R8 is unrivalled. Only Audi has this type of super sports car. The S model has also been instrumental in boosting Audi's brand image in China. Within 12 or 24 months, the majority of Audi models will be available in China to better meet the demands of consumers.
Source:佚名