Audi sales rise in region

Audi Middle East reported a sales growth of 31.4 per cent across the Middle Eastern markets equalling a total of 3,223 units in the first half of the year, from January to June 2007 (2006: 2,452).

The Audi Q7, first introduced in mid 2006, claimed the title of strongest selling product (1,212 units) with the rest of the sales spread evenly across the saloon segments.
The sports car segment experienced a surge after the market introduction of the new generation Audi TT this year.
The orders for the Audi R8 mid-engine sports car, which is due to arrive in September, have already exceeded the allocation by at least double.
Whilst production capacity at the Neckarsulm factory has been increased to maximum speed, the car that is largely assembled by hand will remain very exclusive.
Apart from the new product line-up, the premium car manufacturer attributes its success in the region to an increased focus on its after sales infrastructure.
Ernst Hasbach, managing director of Audi Middle East, said: “Audi Middle East has put a lot of effort into the growth of the Audi brand in the past two years, in both sales and service. We are happy to see that we can parallel the worldwide success of our mother company Audi AG within the region.”
The current model range comprises the A3, A3 Sportback, A4 Saloon and Cabriolet, S4 Saloon, and Cabriolet, RS 4 Saloon and Cabriolet, A6 and S6, TT Coupe and Roadster, the A8, S8 and the Q7.
Sales have also been given a boost in Bahrain by the recent opening of the new Audi Centre in Sitra. The glass building that follows the renowned architectural design of the ‘Audi hangar concept’ was officially inaugurated at a special ceremony by the kingdom’s Industry and Commerce Minister Dr Hassan Fakhro in June.
Pieter Kruger, brand manager of the Audi Centre Bahrain, told GulfWeekly: “It was a wonderful opportunity for us to combine the opening of what is arguably the most modern showroom in the Middle East with the launch of a design legend like the new Audi TT.”