WORLDWIDE SALES JANUARY - Audi sales drop in Jan' due to issues in Chona.

• Rising demand in Europe (+3.1%) and North America (+11.8%) in January
• Worldwide deliveries fall by 13.5 percent to around 124,000 units due to temporary extraordinary effects in China
• Audi sales chief Voggenreiter: “Remain optimistic about our future business development in China New Audi Q5 and A5 Sportback launch in Europe

AUDI AG delivered around 124,000 cars to customers in January. In particular, demand continued to rise in Europe (up 3.1% to 61,800 units) and North America (up 11.8% to 16,200 units). Sales in China fell by 35.3% to 35,181 cars. 

In the last month, Audi established a long-term, strategic growth plan for the coming decade together with its Chinese partner FAW. Against this background the Chinese Audi dealers had planned a restrained business volume at the start of the year. 

This temporary development in China also affected the global sales balance: Worldwide deliveries fell by 13.5 percent compared with the record-breaking figures for the prior-year month.

"In Europe and North America we reached more customers than ever before at the start of the year," says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Board member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG. "And we remain equally optimistic about our future business development in China."

The primary contributions to Audi’s good start to the year in Europe came from the continuing high levels of growth in Italy (up 17.6% to 5,004 units) and Spain (up 15.8% to 4,928 units). 

But the Four Rings also did well on their domestic market, increasing sales by 5.0 percent to 22,927 units. In Russia, the company saw demand stabilize following the economic uncertainty which characterized the local market in recent years, leaving Audi up 3.3 percent to 935 cars in January. In Europe as a whole the new Audi A4 and the new A5 models in particular enjoyed strong demand. Sales of these two mid-sized models rose by 14.2 percent in the last month. January was also dominated by important generation changeovers, with the Audi Q5 and the A5 Sportback launched as key new models on the European market in the first weeks of the year. Audi posted 3.1 percent growth across all models in Europe, at around 61,800 units.

Audi also achieved a successful start to the year in North America with around 16,200 deliveries, up 11.8 percent, and handing over more than 15,000 cars to customers for the first time in January. With significant growth in Canada (up 28.1% to 1,932 units) and the United States (up 11.4% to 13,201 units), Audi further reinforced its positive sales performance from the previous year. In addition to the Audi A4 (up 32.9% to 1,959 units), the company also performed particularly well on the U.S. market with the Audi A6, with deliveries up 19.9 percent to 1,108 units. Sales of all Audi SUV models also increased in the United States in January, with the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 achieving cumulative growth of 21.9 percent.

January sales in China declined year-on-year to 35,181 cars (down 35.3%). In the last month, Audi established a strategic 10-year growth plan in China, together with its partner FAW, thus laying the foundations for sustained profitable growth in the years to come. Against this background the Chinese Audi dealers had planned a restrained business volume at the start of the year.

Sales for AUDI AG	In January
	2017	2016	Change from 2016
World	124,000	143,272	-13.5%
Europe	61,800	59,916	+3.1%
- Germany	22,927	21,833	+5.0%
- UK	11,753	11,946	-1.6%
- France	4,404	4,225	+4.2%
- Italy	5,004	4,255	+17.6%
- Spain	4,928	4,256	+15.8%
USA	13,201	11,850	+11.4%
Mexico	1,111	1,178	-5.7%
Brazil	835	1,384	-39.7%
China (incl. Hong Kong)	35,181	54,402	-35.3%

END OF YEAR - AUDI - Globally and the UK both set show sales gains, with the UK posting Record sales.

Collective sales increase is achieved with the help of a sixth consecutive record-breaking total for Audi in the UK.

• 177,566 units delivered, up 6.4 percent on full year 2015
• UK remains the largest export market for Audi in Europe
• Global Audi sales up 3.8 percent to 1.871 million deliveries in 2016
• 2017 supported by introduction of new A5 range, Q5 and the Q2 compact SUV

Audi once again enjoyed record-breaking UK sales success in 2016, completing a total of 177,566 customer deliveries by year-end and therefore improving upon its 2015 full year performance by 6.4 per cent. 

Total UK market share at the end of 2016 for the premium brand also rose by 0.3 per cent to 6.6 per cent.

Globally, AUDI AG increased its sales to around 1,871,350 cars in 2016, 3.8 percent more than in the previous record-breaking year 2015. 

During the ongoing, wide-ranging renewal of the model range, sales increased in all core regions: in Europe (+7.6%), in North America (+5.3%) with further growth in the plateaued U.S. market (+4%) and in Asia-Pacific (+0.5%). 

In all five of its largest individual markets, the four rings sold more automobiles than ever before. Worldwide, demand increased for the seventh year in a row since 2009. Compared with 949,729 customers in 2009, the company almost doubled its market success over this period.

“2016 proved to be even more challenging for Audi than expected, with strong headwinds in many key markets. We managed to demonstrate the robust strength of our business with balanced growth around the globe,” says Dietmar Voggenreiter, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG.

“The excellent feedback for our latest automobiles shows that our model and technology initiative is paying off. This year we will further drive forward the comprehensive renewal of the Audi portfolio and successively roll out new models in the markets.”

The new Audi A4 was also launched in the overseas markets in 2016; its global sales expanded year-on-year by 7.6 percent to around 337,550 units. In Europe, where the model was already available throughout the full year, the A4 took the number one spot in its premium segment, up 25.7 percent to around 164,600 units sold. The update of Audi’s mid-size class is set to continue this year in international markets with the new A5 Coupé, following on from its European market introduction at the end of 2016. Moreover, 2017 will see the global launch of the new A5 Sportback, with the model also going on sale in the United States for the very first time.

The second generation of the full-size Q7 SUV completed its global market introduction in 2016, with sales up 43.6 percent to around 102,200 customers. As such, the Q7 doubled the average annual sales of its predecessor, achieving more than 100,000 deliveries per year for the first time ever. The new Q2 extends the popular SUV family from the four rings to a compact city format. Its European premiere in late 2016 generated high demand at Audi dealerships; more markets will follow in 2017. With the new Q5, the generation changeover for Audi’s top-selling SUV is also set to initiate this year.  

The renamed Audi Sport GmbH provided another growth engine for Audi in 2016. As its flagship model, the new R8 accelerated by 31.8 percent to about 2,890 sports cars sold. The entire R and RS family exceeded the 20,000 unit mark for the first time with strong gains of 18 percent to around 20,200 automobiles.

Worldwide, Audi acquired the most new customers in 2016 in Europe, particularly with the new A4. Despite numerous political and economic uncertainties in the region, Audi sales grew by 7.6 percent to around 860,600 automobiles. Compared with 762,949 deliveries in 2014, the brand extended annual sales on its home continent by just under 100,000 units within two years.

Most recently, Audi achieved record-breaking figures across the board in its four largest European markets: In Germany (+8.6% to 293,307 cars), the United Kingdom (+6.4% to 177,566 cars), France (+8.5% to 65,362 cars) and Italy (+15.5% to 62,430 cars), more customers than ever before opted for the four rings in 2016. Up 16.4 percent to 51,879 units sold, Spain achieved the highest growth of all Audi’s global top markets. By contrast, the ongoing market downturn in Russia had a negative impact as local Audi sales fell for the third year, with 20,706 deliveries and a drop of 19.3 percent.  

In the United States, Audi once again outperformed the clearly decelerating overall market, as it had done in previous years. Audi was the only major premium manufacturer to post substantial growth in 2016: up 4 percent to 210,213 units. The Q7 provided strong momentum for Audi of America: following the U.S. launch of its new generation in the spring, 2016 sales of the model increased in its largest market by 60.9 percent to 30,563 SUVs. Across all Q models, SUV sales soared by 18.9 percent to 100,161 units. Audi Canada (+14.2% to 30,544 cars) also capitalized on the SUV trend, moving up into the ten largest markets of the four rings for the first time. Volatile conditions in several South American markets proved much more difficult – sales in Brazil fell by 29.9 percent to 12,011 automobiles, following the strong growth for Audi seen in 2015.       

In China, Audi increased its sales on a very high level by another 3.6 percent to 591,554 deliveries. With this new all-time high, the company continues to maintain its clear lead in the Chinese premium market. In 2016, the four rings saw demand surge in the premium compact segment in particular: up 29.7 percent to 89,213 Audi A3 models plus 89,779 Q3 models, 27.6 percent more than in 2015. Today, Audi is conquering especially young customers with these models, after back in 2013 the company pioneered local production in this then-nascent segment of the Chinese premium market. In the past year too, Audi laid important foundations in China for its ongoing success in the market: 2016 saw the launch of successors or redesigned versions of models that together account for over half of Audi’s total sales in China. The new long-wheelbase A4 L went on sale in dealerships in the fall. At the end of the year, the locally produced A6 L e-tron plug-in hybrid set an important milestone in the electrification of the brand’s Chinese model range. This year, the Q7 e-tron is set to follow as an import model.    

Sales for AUDI AG	In December			In the full year
	2016	2015	Change from 2015	2016	2015	Change from 2015
World	157,450	158,429	-0.6%	1,871,350	1,803,246	+3.8%
Europe	65,500	57,644	+13.7%	860,600	799,940	+7.6%
- Germany	17,654	17,087	+3.3%	293,307	270,063	+8.6%
- UK	11,219	9,003	+24.6%	177,566	166,817	+6.4%
- France	5,386	5,355	+0.6%	65,362	60,216	+8.5%
- Italy	5,074	3,575	+41.9%	62,430	54,054	+15.5%
- Spain	3,804	2,886	+31.8%	51,879	44,587	+16.4%
USA	23,195	20,399	+13.7%	210,213	202,202	+4.0%
Mexico	1,700	1,516	+12.1%	15,330	14,147	+8.4%
Brazil	554	1,309	-57.7%	12,011	17,130	-29.9%
China (incl. Hong Kong)	51,514	60,197	-14.4%	591,554	570,889	+3.6%