AUDI posts record sales in march and for the first quarter of the year.

• Worldwide sales rise by 4.4 percent, with around 177,950 cars sold
• Sales chief Luca de Meo: “Successful start to the year with the strongest first quarter of all time”
• Over 438,000 deliveries since January, up by 6.1 percent
• 3.8 percent increase in UK March sales to 29,140

With around 438,250 units sold, Audi global sales increased in the first quarter by 6.1 percent compared with the same period in 2014 – with growth in all regions. The successful start to the year was also helped by the March results.

Thanks to an increase of 4.4 percent to around 177,950 cars, Audi completed more deliveries in a single month than ever before. 

This means that the company with the Four Rings has registered an increase in sales for 63 months in a row. In the UK alone, March yielded a 3.8% rise in sales compared to the previous year to 29,140 units.

“Our new record in the first quarter makes for a successful start into the New Year, and we intend to continue this trend throughout the rest of the year,” says Luca de Meo, Board Member for Sales  and  Marketing at AUDI  AG. “In the second  half of the year our new  Audi  Q7 will also start contributing to these figures in Europe.

The initial response by customers and dealers has been very good, and orders are already exceeding our expectations – even before the model has hit the showrooms.”

During the first three  months of the year, sales primarily increased for the A3 family (+43.8%), the Audi  Q3  (+9.6%) and the Audi A6 (+8.1%). The demand for the full-size category model grew especially in Germany, up 19.0 per cent since the beginning of 2015. The new  generation of the A6 has also been available in the United  States since March and will provide an additional boost in third largest A6  market.

Overall, Audi deliveries have climbed in the U.S. by 13.8  per cent to 40,098, despite the lingering winter. The success story of the previous months also continued in March, with a growth of 20 per cent. 

The Audi  Q5 was again the best seller in the United  States and a growth driver with 3,934 units – an increase of 17.2 per cent. Sales were also clearly in the double-digits in other major markets: for example, Audi unit sales in Brazil increased in March by 63.9  per cent.

In Europe too, Audi recorded the best first  quarter in its history. Despite the continually strained economic conditions in some markets, the car maker managed to slightly increase its number of deliveries compared with the first three months of 2014 and exceed the 200,000 mark in unit sales (+3.4% to around  207,250 units). 

Especially important drivers were Germany (+10.2% to 73,208  units) and Spain (+7.0% to 12,322  units), where the overall market, although still well below the pre‑crisis level of 2007, exhibited a constantly positive trend. SUVs in particular strengthened brand business, up by 22.8 per cent to 2,830 units sold. 

In March, Belgium presented the highest growth rate among the ten largest European markets for Audi. Deliveries were up by 12.6 per cent to 4,115  units.

Audi sales have increased in the Asia-Pacific region by 7.6  per cent to around 162,150 since the beginning of the year. Among the major Asian markets, South  Korea has led the growth momentum of the Four  Rings. Here sales figures rose by 58.5 per cent to 3,894  units in March, a plus of 34.9 per cent to 9,194  units sold since the beginning of the year. 

Australia has also brought Audi a double-digit rise in sales. Between January and March, the company delivered 15.3  per cent more vehicles to customers than during the same period in 2014. In China, Audi also significantly exceeded its result from the previous quarter (+7.1%) with 133,316 deliveries. In March sales of the brand in China increased by 1.5 per cent compared with the same month in 2014.

Sales AUDI AG	In March			Cumulative
	2015	2014	Change from 2014	2015	2014	Change from 2014
World	177,950	170,452	+4.4%	438,250	412,848	+6.1%
Europe	90,650	88,750	+2.2%	207,250	200,353	+3.4%
- Germany	27,902	27,226	+2.5%	73,208	66,458	+10.2%
- UK	29,140	28,068	+3.8%	45,783	43,671	+4.8%
- France	5,703	5,425	+5.1%	14,609	14,581	+0.2%
- Italy	4,518	4,516	0%	12,596	12,537	+0.5%
- Spain	4,491	4,088	+9.9%	12,322	11,519	+7.0%
- Russia	2,630	3,758	-30.0%	6,132	8,286	-26.0%
USA	17,102	14,246	+20.0%	40,098	35,228	+13.8%
Mexico	1,077	1,040	+3.6%	3,195	3,075	+3.9%
Brazil	1,460	891	+63.9%	4,014	3,115	+28.9%
China (incl. Hong Kong)	48,356	47,636	+1.5%	133,316	124,520	+7.1%

A start of the year made to measure for AUDI AG – March 2015 represented a record month in terms of Audi sales, with around 177,950 cars delivered worldwide. The brand recorded its 63^rd consecutive month of growth and its most successful quarter ever.