Audi sells record 1.45 million vehicles in 2012 on U.S., China demand
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FRANKFURT -- Audi's global sales rose 12 percent to a record 1.45 million vehicles in 2012, driven by its best-ever results in the United States and China. The strong demand helped Audi beat a sales target of 1.4 million announced in the middle of last year.
In December, Audi said sales rose just 1 percent to 110,400, as a 19 percent plunge in deliveries in the core European market to 45,200 vehicles almost outweighed gains in overseas regions. Over the year, European sales rose 2 percent to 739,000 as the carmaker managed to "buck the negative market trend" in Europe, Audi sales and marketing chief Luca de Meo said in a statement on Thursday.
In China, the carmaker's No. 1 market, monthly sales grew 20 percent to 35,279, contributing to an annual tally of 405,838 vehicles, a rise of 30 percent and a new record for the brand.
Audi sales continued to grow in the United States in December, rising 17 percent to 14,841. Over 12 months, the carmaker sold a record 139,310 in the United States, a rise of 19 percent on last year.
In Europe, sales in Germany fell 22 percent to 16,913 last month, but through December they rose 4 percent to 263,163. In France, December volume rose 5 percent to 5,193, making the market the fourth biggest for Audi in December. In 2012, French sales climbed just less than 1 percent to 62,202.
In the UK, monthly sales plunged 25 percent to 4,760, but rose 7 percent to 123,640 on an annual basis.
In 2012, Audi sold more vehicles than rival brand Mercedes-Benz, which announced deliveries of 1.32 million on Monday, a rise of 5 percent. BMW brand remained the best-selling premium carmaker worldwide after announcing sales today of 1.54 million, a rise of 12 percent over 2011.
Reuters contributed to this report
You can reach David Jolley at djolley@crain.com.
