Audi’s sales weaken. Especially in China and the USA It went worse in the first half of the year, as the company announced in Ingolstadt on Wednesday. In total, deliveries in the six months of annual comparison decreased by 5.9 percent to 783,531 cars. After all, the pure electric cars (BEVS) went uphill: 101,381 deliveries are an increase of 32 percent. Last had Audi In the second half of 2023, more than 100,000 pure Stromer delivered.
Above all, drivers for BEV growth were Germany And the rest of Europe, where almost three quarters of the vehicles were sold. Driven by the powerful Stromer-Guachen, the total number in home is also better: In Germany, Audi was able to deliver a good 103,000 cars-slightly more than a year ago, in the rest of Europe the minus was at least milder at almost 232,000.
“The positive trend in the BEV deliveries and order inputs clearly shows how well our new BEV portfolio is received by our customers,” emphasizes Sales Director Marco Schubert. “At the end of the year we will have the latest portfolio in the premium competition”.
Competition in China burdened
In contrast, Audi lost a good 10 percent in the most important market China and was able to sell almost 288,000 cars. Here the electric car numbers even dropped almost a quarter above average. Audi was not even able to deliver 8,000 cars on the world’s largest electric car market on which a price war is currently raging. The Ingolstadt residents refer to a “further very intensive competitive situation on site” and hope for the effects of new products in the second half of the year.
In North America – without Mexico – 9 percent went down to almost 99,000 cars. The electric car supplies also dropped here, but a little slower. The current model offensive will only be effective there, it said by Audi.
Audi is currently in a deep crisis: the profits and margins have broken in, important markets such as China weaken, the utilization of the works is bad. Ambitious growth and yield goals are clearly missed, new billion doors are opening up. Gernot Döllner (56), since autumn 2023 Audi boss, is considered an uncompromising renovator with a hard gait. It relies on strict savings measures, massive job cuts and a radical restructuring – also at the expense of corporate culture. His leadership style further heats the unrest in the company Like the current cover story of the manager magazine
describes.
VW scores in Europe with electric cars
Overall, parent company VW sold a little more cars in the second quarter thanks to the upswing at electric cars in Europe and the concentration on combustion engines in China. Delivery worldwide rose by 1.2 percent to 2.27 million vehicles worldwide, as the DAX group announced. The Wolfsburgers are also on the plus after six months.
In the highly competitive electric car market China in the middle of the discount battle of local manufacturers, according to a spokesman, VW focused on the combustion models: Although the electric cars in the People’s Republic were almost a third, VW was able to increase sales in the three months to June by 2.8 percent.
In Europe, the group sold almost three quarters of battery electric vehicles (BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle) with all brands. The orders of the electric cars in Western Europe are clearly attracting, says Sales leader Schubert.
The core brand VW car came in the second quarter of a total of 4 percent. From the trucks and buses of the commercial vehicle holding company Step VW delivered 1.4 percent more than in the previous year.