Audi Gains Ground in The Market for Luxury Cars Competitors

Audi, Volkswagen’s premium brand, had record sales in 2011, with demand for luxury cars in China and India to help it to gain ground against larger competitors like BMW, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz.

On Monday, Audi posted a 19.2% growth in sales compared to last year, up from a high of 12.8% of the BMW brand and 8% of Daimler.

The unit of Volkswagen sold 1.3 million cars a year, compared with 1.38 million BMWs and 1.26 million Mercedes-Benz.

Audi wants to dethrone BMW as the number one brand among premium car manufacturers by 2015, increasing participation in China and the United States, the world’s largest market for luxury cars.

BMW wants to keep the tip and believes that demand in these two key markets will keep it ahead. 

BMW’s chief financial officer, Friedrich Eichiner, said last week that he expected the global market for premium cars grew more than 8% this year, more than twice what the market in general.  

Audi, BMW and Daimler sold more than half of its cars in Europe, but the strong evolution in the fastest-growing markets such as China, United States, Latin America and Russia is decreasing dependence on its domestic market.

Audi’s sales in China grew 37% in 2011 and increased only 62% in December. In the United States, sales grew 15.7%.

BMW reached the top of the luxury market in the United States last year, up from Lexus, Toyota and Daimler, Mercedes-Benz brand.