Despite a challenging year, Audi AG's fourth quarter of 2020 was the most successful quarter in the company’s history. Between October and December the company supplied 505,583 cars to its customers, which marks the first time the German premium carmaker sold more than half a million vehicles in a quarter. Apparent pent-up demand allowed the brand to stave off a year severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to a strong performance in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Despite low demand for the luxury cars, Audi only saw its overall sales drop by 8.3% for the year, selling 1,692,773 units compared to 1,845,573 in 2019.
Sales In China Offset Poor Results In US And Europe
Audi delivered 727,358 units in China in 2020, representing a 5.4-percent surge over the 690,083 vehicles sold in 2019. Best-selling models in the Asian nation include:
Q2 (+33.8%)
A6 (+41.1%)
A7 (+142.1%)
A8 (+13.8%).
The carmaker, however, logged a 16.7% drop in sales in the United States (186,620 vs 224,111), although its deliveries towards the end of the year were positive as well, leading Audi to expect favorable results in 2021. Around a third of Audi's sales in the US in 2020 were SUVs. Strong nameplates include Audi Q3 (+83.9%) and e-tron (+10%).
In its home continent, full year deliveries were more disappointing, dropping 19.5% to 619,723 from 769,585 units. Keeping the carmaker alive in Europe are the Audi e-tron (+80.6%,) and Q7 (+6.3%). Fourth-quarter results were encouraging in Germany, where it logged a 9.2-percent jump to 61,231 vehicles.
Audi-E-Tron Deliveries Jumped 79.5 percent in 2020
Model-wise, the Audi e-tron was the brand's star model (including e-tron Sportback), which saw deliveries soar 79.5 percent to 47,324 cars year-on-year. In fact, the e-tron is the best-selling German premium EV in the world in 2020. Year-on-year fourth-quarter sales for the e-tron in Germany more than doubled.
Other models that kept Audi alive in 2020 include the Q3 (+18.1%) and A6 (+11.8%). Audi Sport high-performance models, likewise, were in demand in 2020, posting a surge of around 16.1 percent.
Surprisingly Agreeable 2020; Ambitious Targets For 2021
Audi's not-so-disappointing sales results in 2020 were made possible by expanding its digital sales and service offerings. For instance, its Audi Live consultation allowed the carmaker to react flexibly and successfully to the challenges of brought by the COVID1-9 pandemic.
Hildegard Wortmann, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Audi AG, remarked their extremely strong global performance allowed them to emerge from the first wave of the pandemic. While the global situation remains challenging, the carmaker is setting ambitious targets for 2021.
Source: Audi