Although 2008 was an abysmal year for auto sales, Volkswagen ’s Audi premium brand reached a major sales milestone. In its quest to become the world’s highest volume luxury brand, Audi sold 1,003,400 vehicles worldwide last year, marking the first time the German marque has recorded seven-digit sales figures.
Audi came close to cracking the million unit barrier in 2007, but fell short with 964,151 sales.
The achievement is largely credited to Audi ’s fresh vehicle lineup, which is one of the youngest in the industry. Audi has released 12 new or updated models in the last 12 months, including the all-new Q5 SUV and A4 sedan and wagon.
Audi’s sales were fueled by strong demand in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and the brand even managed a 17.4 percent sales increase in December – a month when most other automakers posted double-digit global losses. However, Audi’s U.S. sales dipped by 6.1 percent in 2008.
Now that Audi has topped the million unit mark, the German automaker is planning to sell 1.5 million vehicles globally by 2015.
