Audi is expecting strong supply of cars through the second half of 2022 for Australia, which should drive strong sales numbers.
A spokesperson for the brand said it’s “seeing some easing of restrictions and supply limitations, which you would have seen in our deliveries in the last three months – a substantial lift since earlier this year”.
“While logistics and supply remain challenging topics that we continue to work on improving, we expect our trend of growing sales to continue throughout 2022,” the spokesperson said.
The brand also pointed to its Open Haus sale as a potential driver of volume – although it didn’t detail exactly what deals will be on offer as part of the campaign.
Audi says it’s not struggling with shortages on any particular model, although demand for high-performance RS models remains high.
Its sales tally for the last three months (June, July, August) are its highest of the year, and go some way to making up for months like May, where the brand’s 941 sales represented a 45.4 per cent dive relative to the year prior.
The brand’s best-seller to date in 2022 is the Q3 SUV with 2821 sales, ahead of the larger Q5 SUV (2228 sales).
To date in 2022, Audi sales are down 21.1 per cent on the same point in 2021. It trails BMW (16,154 sales) and Mercedes-Benz (19,321) on the charts.
Although it says supply is improving, Audi isn’t completely in the clear. It earlier this year delayed its updated flagship limousine, the A8, and its upcoming electric halo, the e-tron GT for Australia.
Those delays pale in comparison with what it’s faced over the past few years, however – the A3 sedan and hatch were delayed by more than 12 months for Australia, for example.
It’s far from alone on that front, with buyers waiting close to 12 months for some of Australia’s most popular cars.
Data from new car buyer service PriceMyCar (PMC) reveals Toyota RAV4 buyers are facing an average 339-day wait for their vehicles, with the Isuzu MU-X not far behind at 308 days.
Three of the five cars with the longest waits are Toyotas, with the LandCruiser (280 days) and Fortuner (262 days) slotting in behind the Volkswagen Passat (296 days) on the PMC ladder.