Not content with the brand’s current image, Audi president Johan de Nysschen says the German automaker will focus on improved sales of its top-level offerings in an effort to move the Audi brand further up the luxury scale.
The bulk of Audi’s current U.S. sales come from the company’s A4 model – the second lowest model in the Audi hierarchy – but de Nysschen wants a better mix of higher-end vehicles to improve Audi’s overall luxury image.
“The A4 is now our center of gravity and half of our sales,” de Nysschen told Automotive News. “If you have a higher presence in the high end, your brand will be perceived as more powerful, and it drives your profile.”
De Nysschen plan hinges on two new models from Audi – the recently introduced A8 flagship and the upcoming A7 four-door coupe. Although the current A8 accounts for less than 1,500 annual U.S. sales, de Nysschen believes the new model can up that rate to between 4,000 and 4,500 sales per year. The A7 has yet to make its formal introduction – the production car will make its public debut at next month’s Geneva show – Audi is expecting the same 4,000-4,500 sales rate.
Sales of Audi’s A6 model have been on the decline over the past few years – falling from 12,000 units in 2008 to just under 6,800 sales last year – but Audi is hopeful that the new A6 model, set to bow in 2012, will reverse that trend. Audi is forecasting 15,000-16,000 annual sales of the new A6 model.
Although de Nysschen plan would give Audi a more up-scale appeal, it could prove difficult achieving that goal in such a short time. The A8 and A6 combined only account for 10 percent of Audi’s U.S. sales, with the new forecast calling for the A8, A7 and A6 to combine for 25 percent of sales. Last year Audi sold 82,716 vehicles in the U.S.
