AUDI REVISES ITS WORLD DOMINATION TARGET

2012 Audi Q5 facelift

Audi quattro Concept

As Volkswagen stomps on towards becoming the world’s biggest car maker (that’s the ambition anyway), each of its units is being pushed to dominate their respective markets and segments. Audi, its best-known premium brand, had previously planned to overtake BMW AG as the world’s largest producer of premium cars by 2015. Now it’s pushed this ambitious target back a little.

In an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the company CEO Rupert Stadler conceded that the road to world domination is quite bumpy. Europe is in financial trouble, the US is uncertain, and the developing world is being affected. Sales, although excellent and on target for a record annual figure, are expected to slow down.

Therefore 2015 has become 2020. At the same time you have Mercedes-Benz, now third in the premium sector behind BMW and Audi respectively, is working hard at reversing the rankings. Other players like Jaguar, Volvo and Lexus are also planning serious onslaughts.