Audi to add more vehicles in US lineup as bid to beat Daimler, BMW
By Jonathan, 06 Jan, 2012. 0 Comments
Audi A3 Sedan Concept
In an attempt to outperform luxury market leaders BMW AG and Daimler AG, Audi intends to add vehicle models in the U.S. The automaker's CEO Rupert Stadler said that they are seeing opportunities in the sedan and SUV market. He revealed that in next week's Detroit auto show, Audi will launch a concept "Vail" version of the compact Q3 SUV for the U.S. market. The automaker also intends to manufacture a sedan variant of the A3 hatchback after the latest model comes to the market this year.
The growth in the U.S. is crucial to Audi's attempts to outperform BMW as the biggest luxury automaker in the world by 2015. Last year, Audi overtook Daimler's Mercedes-Benz. That year, Audi delivered around 80,000 more automobiles across the world versus Mercedes' 1.26 million units. However, Mercedes and BMW currently sell more than twice as many vehicles as Audi in the U.S. market.
In addition, Audi intends to revive the A2 compact vehicle, a model it dropped several years ago, Stadler said. The automaker will start producing vehicles in North America by 2015, manufacturing 150,000 units as a first step, he added.
In the U.S., Mercedes and BMW are already manufacturing SUVs. Stadler disclosed that he will study assembling sedans or SUVs in the region. Local production would provide the automaker a natural hedge that ranges from $2 billion to $2.5 billion. Stadler also said that the automaker is currently profitable in the U.S. after years of losses.
The rivalry among the top three brands has heated up. The growth of Audi has prompted Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche to set a goal of taking back the number one spot that it lost to BMW in 2005. [source: Autonews]
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