Electric cars help power Audi's global sales growth

Global deliveries of Audi vehicles grew by more than 17 per cent in 2023, with sales up in every major region and electric vehicles (EVs) seeing significant growth.

Audi delivered 1,895,240 vehicles globally in 2023, up 17.4 per cent. More than 178,000 of these vehicles were electric, with EV sales up by 51 per cent.

Of Audi’s electric range, the Q4 e-tron – the brand’s most affordable EV – increased its sales by 112 per cent.

Audi delivered around 48,000 Audi Sport vehicles, an increase of five per cent compared with 2022. This range includes hot petrol models and electric models alike, such as the RS3 and RS e-tron GT.

While Audi didn’t break out sales for each of its models, it noted the Q5 (332,000 units), A6 (267,000 units) and A4 (237,000 units) were particularly popular.

Audi’s biggest region was Europe, where 747,619 Audis were delivered – an increase of 19.7 per cent.

Germany was naturally Audi’s biggest market in the region (252,060 deliveries, up 17.4 per cent). EV sales there grew by around 13 per cent.

Its second biggest region was China (including Hong Kong), where 729,042 Audis were delivered – up 13.5 per cent. The brand has numerous unique models for that market, including the luxe A8L Horch, the stretched A3L and Q2L, A7L sedan, and the Q5 e-tron and Q6 SUVs.

A distant third was the US, where Audi delivered 228,550 vehicles, an increase of 22.3 per cent. EV sales there increased by 55 per cent to 25,000, helping propel the brand to a record year in that market.

Other markets called out by Audi were Mexico (13,109 vehicles, up 32.3 per cent) and Brazil (6642 vehicles, up 18.9 per cent).

As previously reported, Audi sold 19,039 vehicles in Australia, up 29.2 per cent. Of the luxury establishment, it was outsold only by BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

“Audi is a strong brand with a clear focus on an electric future,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.

“The high demand for our models serves as a robust starting point for the new year. At the same time, we recognise that 2024 will be a challenging year due to increased competition and global economic uncertainties.

“This makes it all the more important to follow a clear plan that addresses these challenges and focuses on the profitability of our vehicles.

“In 2024 and 2025, we will also strengthen and rejuvenate our portfolio with numerous new models. The focus will be on our ground-breaking electric cars.

“We are also giving the brand a robust positioning for the coming years with an entirely new generation of combustion engine models and plug-in hybrids.”

The brand will debut the first of its vehicles on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), the mid-sized Q6 e-tron. It’s set to debut at the end of the first quarter of 2024.

PPE will also underpin the upcoming A6 e-tron, as well as the Porsche Macan EV.

Besides these new EVs, Audi is also set to debut a new generation of its best-selling model, the Q5.