Audi has retaken the luxury-segment lead from rival BMW for the first two months of the year.
With particularly strong demand for the A3 hatchback and Q7 SUV, Audi’s sales were up by 9.3 percent to reach 242,400 vehicles in January and February. The company outsold BMW by a slim margin of less than 400 vehicles.
“Demand for the A3 was 53 percent above the prior-year level, although the new generation is not yet available everywhere,” noted CEO Rupert Stadler. “[In 2014] we will further expand our unit sales and increase our revenue to more than 50 billion euros. Our car deliveries will grow in all regions of the world – also in Europe.”
Despite Audi’s early lead this year, BMW has consistently led the pack on an annual basis for the past nine years. The company will be relying on redesigned vehicles to help push its numbers back to the top later this year.
“The innovative new models coming out this year, such as the 2-Series Active Tourer and 4-Series Gran Coupe, will give us the momentum to keep growing in 2014,” said BMW sales head Ian Robertson.
Mercedes-Benz has maintained its position at the bottom of the podium, however the company is closing in on the second position with 17-percent sales growth for the first two months of the year.