In 2024, Audi sold some 1.6 million vehicles worldwide. That’s certainly not peanuts, but the German automaker has bigger ambitions, according to a new report by Automotive News. It cites a source familiar with the company’s internal strategizing, who claims the company is aiming to attain two million in annual sales.
A record figure
That would be virgin territory for Audi, which has never hit those heights. And it’s an aggressive plan, given that for several years now, sales for the brand have stayed even when they haven’t backslid.
The challenges are significant for both Audi and parent company Volkswagen. The group has not been spared from a host of issues that have led to model launch delays and technological problems. U.S. tariffs also complicate things for Audi, which does not currently build any vehicles on American soil. That could change if tariffs remain in place, but bringing production stateside would be a lengthy process.
Internal changes
Audi’s new CEO Gernot Döllner, installed in 2023, has led a review the automaker’s product planning strategy and its long-term sales goals. The executive has not himself said anything about the two-million annual sales target.
We do know that for 2025, Audi is aiming for sales between 1.7 and 1.8 million, following a 12-percent drop to 1.67 million last year.
The United States
To reach two million units annually, Audi will need the U.S. market, where tariff-related uncertainty currently reigns. It is the German manufacturer's second-largest market after China. The company will have to double its annual sales in the U.S., from 200,000 to 400,000 if it hopes to hit the two-million mark.
It’s estimated that U.S. tariffs have cost Audi around $1 billion CAD in the first half of 2025.
The company could take inspiration from what rival BMW has been doing for over 30 years: producing in the U.S. and then exporting a portion of that production from there.