Audi's global sales surge by 10.5%

Audi sold 1.74 million cars in 2014, a significant 10.5% leap on its sales total in 2013. The company also hit record revenues of nearly €54 billion (£38.5m), some 7.8 % up on 2013.

The German manufacturer reported its financial performance at its Ingolstadt headquarters today. Profits before tax reached €5.99bn (£4.27m), a rise over 2013 of 2.4%. However, the company’s profit margin slipped slightly from 10.1% to 9.6%.

Sources have told Autocar that huge investments in both the new MLB platform (first appearing under the new Audi Q7) and a new electronics platform have weighed on the profit margins, but that the investment will begin to pay dividends from this year onwards.

Audi has also been making significant investments in new plants, including a new factory in Brazil and a new factory unit at Ingolstadt. This new facility will build the upcoming Audi Q1 SUV from 2016.

Audi board chairman Rupert Stadler said: “We delivered more in 2014 than promised. After a very positive start to this year, we aim to achieve a new record for unit sales in 2015.”

This year, the company will start the next stage of its model initiative with the new Audi Q7, the new Audi R8 and the new Audi A4 family.

Audi’s single biggest-selling model was the Audi Q5 SUV, with 247,446 sold in 2014, up from 235,582 in 2013. The next best seller was the Audi A6 Avant, shifting 241,657 units, up from 230,535 in 2013.

The new Audi A3 saloon turned in a particularly strong performance, shifting 117,282 units compared to 190,922 for the A3 Sportback.

A total of 60,990 Audi Q7 SUVs found homes in 2014 along with 1382 Audi R8 coupés and 832 R8 Spyders. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that the entry-level Audi A1 shifted just 35,216 units in the whole of 2014.

Audi’s Lamborghini division sold 2530 cars, up 19.3% from 2013. The mix was 1128 Aventadors, 1137 Huracáns and 265 Gallardos.

Audi’s Ducati premium motorcycle brand sold 45,117 units, up 1.9% from 2013.

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