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Audi success is on a number plate
publication date: Oct 11, 2008
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author/source: David Miles
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Audi was one of only three manufacturers to show a sales increase in the UK's new registration plate month of September, and Jaguar and Smart were the others.
The September new car market finished with a fall of 21.2pc to just 330,295 units, the lowest level since 1999 when the twice-yearly plate change system was introduced.
In reality the ‘real' market was much lower with sales down as much as 35pc at one stage and reportedly boosted by end of month the pre-registration of unsold vehicles by dealers and some manufacturers.
Year to date the market is down by 7.5pc and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have just revised their forecast down to 2.26 million new cars sales this year from 2.4 million in 2007.
Next year the SMMT forecasts a further drop to 2.16 million. But despite the recent cut in interest rates industry analysts say the fall could continue further as customers struggle with current loans and mortgages, higher taxation, increased home energy prices and the cost of Christmas looming on the horizon.
Audi UK said this week their September sales performance of a 1.38pc increase to 16,355 new car sales was the ‘real deal'. Their 2.49pc year on year sales improvement with 83,930 new cars sold has kept them on target to reach their l7th successive record year in the UK with over 100,000 sales and a record share of the UK's new car market. Currently it is 4.22pc. | | Jon Zammett Head of PR for Audi UK said this week at the company's range review for the motoring media,"We have 25,000 advance UK orders for our cars which should ensure we reach our 100,000 sales target for the year and gives us a significant start for sales in 2009. We have no need to become involved in artificially boosting our monthly sales figures." |  |
He added, "80pc of our cars are ‘customer tagged' or built to order so our latitude to do things with registration numbers is limited. We do no Motability business and we have reduced daily rental activities. We take the view that maintaining profitability is important for us and our dealers and retaining high residual values for our cars is vital for customer retention and brand value.
He added that with the introduction of additional new models and variants with revised engines and transmission it was quite possible that Audi could overhaul BMW for new vehicle sales in the UK in 2009 to become the number one German premium brand.
Audi's UK flagship model the R8 achieved 150 sales in September out of the 800 units they have for sale for the whole of 2008. They also have a further 250 paid deposits and currently the waiting time for delivery of an R8 in the UK is eight months.
The Audi range will be further boosted with the arrival in December of the new Q5 mid-sized 4x4 SUV which uses the same platform as their A4/A5 models. Initial engine options will be a 2.0-litre FSI direct injection 211bhp petrol unit, a 2.0-litre TDI 170bhp turbodiesel engine and a 240bhp 3.0-litre TDI unit. A DSG type twin-clutch transmission will also be available.
Zammet said they expected the Q5 to achieve 7,200 sales in the UK next year despite the shrinking SUV/4x4 domestic market in the UK which was down by 42pc in September and 16.5pc for the year to date.
He added there will undoubtedly be some substitutional sales when Q5 arrives with customers moving from the large Q7 SUV. They plan to reduce Q7 sales from 4,000 units this year down to 2,500 in 2010. Prices for the Q5 will start from around £30,000. | |  | | FIRST IMPRESSIONS |
Audi UK has just aired its 2009 model range to the UK's motoring press as it pushes towards another record year of sales despite the severe downturn in the new car market.
With revised models, additional new lower CO2 engines, sophisticated twin-clutch transmissions on a wider range of models, the company is moving closer to overtaking BMW, possibly next year, to become the leading German premium brand in the UK.
Of the raft of model changes put on display this week, the most significant for most people are the revised A3 variants. The premium compact A3 three and five door hatchbacks and Cabriolets is Audi's best selling model range which achieves 32,000 sales annually in the UK.
The latest A3 will become more and more important to fortunes of Audi's growth plans as inevitably customers, even Audi owners, look to downsize to off-set the increase in motoring costs. The three door range has prices ranging from £14,995 up to £27,450 for the S3 quattro all wheel drive version.
Five-door Fastback models, which take 70pc of A3 sales, have prices ranging from £15,495 up to £27,970. A3 Cabriolet versions range from £19,995 to £27,760.
Although the A3 has received a re-styling, the changes are detailed and not significantly different, more of an evolution in design. The hatchbacks retain their wedge shape, high waistline with the latest Audi front end grille. Rear and rear quarter visibility is still an issue due to the high and rising waistline and the handling is not as sharp or as controlled as the BMW 1 Series, its main competitor.
For low to medium mileage owners, probably private buyers, the model which makes the most sense is the1.4 TFSI Sportback priced from £17,150. The five door body style is the most user-friendly and the new 1.4-litre direct injection turbocharged with intercooler petrol engine offers 125PS of power. More importantly 200Nm of torque is available from just 1,500rpm which makes the car extremely responsive and flexible to drive at all speeds.
Fuel economy is officially 47.9mpg but with low CO2 emissions of 140g.km this puts it in Vehicle Excise Duty Band C which costs £120 a year and £110 from April 2009.
I'd recommend the SE specification as the most cost effective buy at £17,800, pretty competitive for a medium segment five door hatchback. The majority (35pc) of A3 buyers currently choose the Sport specification which costs £19,000. Overall the quality is very high as is the build quality but be warned adding lots of options pushes up the price significantly and in today's market probably not advisable.
However if money and the resulting higher Benefit in Kind tax charges for company car users are no obstacle then the new addition to the range, the high performance S3 quattro Sportback is the headline grabber.
This 2.0-litre, 265PS, 350NM petrol direct injection, turbocharger with intercooler model with a six-speed manual transmission and quattro all-wheel drive costs £27,970 on the road but add options and the price become very high indeed - £33,500 for my test car. Given the excellent performance, stability, four-wheel grip, overall refinement, plus the flexibility of five doors, this still seems too much money. | | MILESTONES. | | Audi S3 Sportback. Price: £27,970 (£33,500 as tested).
Engine/transmission; 2.0-litre, petrol, direct injection with turbocharger and intercooler, 265PS (261bhp), 350Nm from 2,500rpm, 6-speed manual gearbox, quattro all wheel drive.
Performance: 155mph (governed), 0-62mph 5.8 seconds CO2 199g/km, 33.2mpg, 25.4mpg actual, VED Band F £210 but £260 proposed from next April. |
For:
Strong engine, high torque at low engine speed, very quick, loads of grip, practical five door body, comfortable.
Against:
Very pricey, poor rear and rear side visibility.
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