The recent emergence of China as an industrial powerhouse has opened up great opportunities for automakers looking to increase sales and stick their finger in the pie while they can. Well aware of this, Audi has managed to carve out a choice place for itself. In fact, the Middle Kingdom has become Audi’s main source of revenue, outstripping even Germany.
During the first four months of 2011, the automaker sold 87,788 units in China, 78,487 in Germany, 35,401 in the the U.S. and 5,294 in Canada. At that rate, 351,152 cars and SUVs will be going to new homes by the end of the year, far surpassing 2010’s 227,938 units.
While industry analysts are speculating that the Chinese market will either drop by 10% or increase by 7.4% following the decision to cut government incentives, Audi is still very optimistic.
Dietmar Voggenreiter, head of Audi’s Chinese division, expects to see a 20% increase in the region for 2011. His predictions are based on the fact that the Changchun plant operated at full capacity for a length of time, meaning that supply is currently lower than demand.
Audi increased production capacity by 50% this year, to be able to assemble 300,000 units annually.
Clearly, even without purchase incentives, China remains the El Dorado of the automotive industry and will continue to do so for several years to come.
Source : The Truth About Cars
During the first four months of 2011, the automaker sold 87,788 units in China, 78,487 in Germany, 35,401 in the the U.S. and 5,294 in Canada. At that rate, 351,152 cars and SUVs will be going to new homes by the end of the year, far surpassing 2010’s 227,938 units.
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| Audi A8 (Photo: Audi) |
While industry analysts are speculating that the Chinese market will either drop by 10% or increase by 7.4% following the decision to cut government incentives, Audi is still very optimistic.
Dietmar Voggenreiter, head of Audi’s Chinese division, expects to see a 20% increase in the region for 2011. His predictions are based on the fact that the Changchun plant operated at full capacity for a length of time, meaning that supply is currently lower than demand.
Audi increased production capacity by 50% this year, to be able to assemble 300,000 units annually.
Clearly, even without purchase incentives, China remains the El Dorado of the automotive industry and will continue to do so for several years to come.
Source : The Truth About Cars