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Audi Australia has announced a major roll-out of new and existing product that will see it expand the brand from 27 models to 42 by 2015. Highlighting the immediate list are the A1 Audi's smallest ever car based on the VW Polo, the S5 Sportback,, all-new Audi A8, R8 Spyder and RS5. All will hit the roads before the end of 2010.
The RS5 Coupe closes the loop on 30 years of quattro 4WD, said Audi marketing manager, Immo Buschmann, in reference to the first quattro a coupe that was released in March 1980 and through motor sport success made Audi a world-wide household name.
The A1 will open up a new segment of the market to Audi with the company claiming the car will show that a car does not have to be big to be prestigious. The A1 is also in the running to be Audi's first electric car called e-tron. The company has developed two e-tron cars, the A1 and a concept high-performance e-tron. It is yet to decide on which car will come to market in 2015 as it weighs up options.
Also on the Audi menu is a sportback concept which is larger then the A5 launched in January, but smaller than the A6. This is a market segment four door coupes that Audi is keen to develop as it pushes for market share via niche models. It is also pursuing more quattro variants within he model range to mark the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the light-weight, all wheel drive system designed principally for on-road use, but adapted successfully for off-road rally use in the early 1980s.
Audi models to be released later this year A8, R8 Spyder and RS5 Coupe all have quattro awd systems. Audi announced it's forward plans at the same time it introduced it's new managing director in Australia, Uwe Hagen, who replaced the colourful Joerg Hoffmann early this year. Audi believes the new models and technology will propel its sales closer to its target of 15,000 vehicles by 2015. Last year Audi sold 11,310 units in Australia up from a modest 3701 in 2004. Sales in 2009 were up 20 per cent over 2008 and came during the worst of the financial crisis.
Audi a part of the Volkswagen Group is investing 5.9 billion Euro in new technology between now and 2012. The Australian goal for Audi is to consistently achieve growth to 15,000 units a year by 2015. It is currently 30 per cent above last year's sales at the same time and is on target to achieve 12,000 this year.
Mr Hagen said volume was the main focus point, with profitability all-important. Two additional rural dealers have been appointed in Victoria at Bendigo and Shepparton while across Australia Audi dealers have invested more than $170 million in infrastructure in the past two years. Audi has announced a new phase it is calling 2020 which replaces the Route 15 vision for the brand. 2020 largely is an extension of the Route 15 plan.
The Australian market is the world's fourth largest for Audi outside Germany and behind China, Austria and Japan. It is locked in battle with two other German premium brands, Mercedes Benz and BMW.
Mr Bushmann gave a colourful analogy of the three brands comparing them to creatures of the ocean. He said Mercedes was the `whale' of the group: intelligent, big, dominant and strong while BMW was the shark: fast, aggressive, strong and quick while Audi was the dolphin: quick, beautiful and intelligent , 'but can be `aggressive at times.' |
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