[dhruvritzed]

Achievement Last Month - December 2018

(Total Car Sale in Delhi and NCR )

BMW - 398 Cars

Mercedes Benz - 240 Cars

AUDI - 64 Cars

Jaguar and Land rover- 168 Cars

Volvo - 37 Cars

Received this from a sales advisor with bird automotive Delhi

[tarik.arora]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Audi India 2018 sales decline 18 percent – Slips to No 3, reports a sale of 6,463 cars in 2018.



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This is some serious decline. They have not just downgraded themselves but have impacted the premium cars TIV as well. Look at MB numbers, almost 2.5 times of Audi. How and when did this gap widen so much? 3-4 years down the line, these OEM's were neck to neck. Audi has lost the plot by a big-big margin.

Blame it on their bland portfolio?

[Sahil]

Audi’s decline is not surprising, the line up currently ain’t just good enough to drive volumes. Moreover, the dealership troubles in the north have hit numbers badly which is unfortunate. Regardless even if dealership issues didn’t exist they would yet land up in double digit decline.
The new Audi head Rahil seems more a marketing chap than a hardcore sales guy. The fact that they are calling 2019 a year of the 8s is not convincing to sales numbers. The 8s ain’t going to bring in much numbers. They need to fix their workhorses- the Q3,A4 and A6. The first and last need to be replaced ASAP, they are far too aged. The A4 needs better kit and pricing, something disruptive. Perhaps shelve the A3 that doesn’t sell much anymore and mark down the A4 to take on the CLA and C class.

The Germans have taken the mid size luxury sedan prices a bit too high by introducing lower models, this strategy works for few years but in the long term it’s shown negative effects now.
Price correction is required now more than ever. I hope the Germans wake up!

[volkman10]

Full year sales (2018)- Mercedes tops in sales, Volvo in growth while Audi shows negative growth.

Luxury segment grows by 3%.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Full year sales (2018)- Mercedes tops in sales, Volvo in growth while Audi shows negative growth.

Luxury segment grows by 3%.


Attachment 1836252

Even after offering massive discounts on almost the entire product line, Audi suffered heavily.

I feel they lost most of the game around A6. Too late with their new A6 to the market.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Sahil

The Germans have taken the mid size luxury sedan prices a bit too high by introducing lower models, this strategy works for few years but in the long term it’s shown negative effects now.
Price correction is required now more than ever. I hope the Germans wake up!

Can't agree more with you on these points!

The Q8 & A8 aside, many of their new launches aren't doing well:

Q7: Once the king of the segment, has lost out due to it's tame station wagon looks
A4: It has the potential to do well. Great price post discounts bring it in line with a segment lower! Looks sweet as well! However, Audi brand value has taken a beating + the C Class appeals to a luxury buyer much better. However, I believe this is one of Audi's best selling vehicles at the moment. The 1.4TSi engine is nothing to write home about either ways.
Q5: The old Q5 was quite a flop, and the new model that looks evolutionary isn't garnering much attention compared to the new and well marketed X3 and feature laden smart looking XC60.
A3: The segment is pretty slow. Look at the CLA's dismal sales. With heavy discounts on the 3/C/A4 segment + tough competition from the Superb - there are very few buyers for this segment in the market.

One model that can potentially change Audi's fortunes is the new A6. However, it will have to be priced right. That being said, at best it can hope to be in second place to the fabulous LWB E Class solely due to proper pricing.
It will be fun to see how the all rounder A6 fares compared to the driver delight 5 series which is down on space compared to the A6.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by the_skyliner

Even after offering massive discounts on almost the entire product line, Audi suffered heavily.

I feel they lost most of the game around A6. Too late with their new A6 to the market.

Don't forget they also gutted the A3 & A4 petrol sedans by giving it the measly 1.4 150 bhp TFSI engine . This was their masterstroke JUST as the petrol sedan market picked up due to NCR issues and fears of similar action in other metros.

Frankly, I can't recollect when I have last seen new A3/A4s in BLR even though I see loads of new entry-level Mercs and BMWs.

[the_skyliner]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Don't forget they also gutted the A3 & A4 petrol sedans by giving it the measly 1.4 150 bhp TFSI engine . This was their masterstroke JUST as the petrol sedan market picked up due to NCR issues and fears of similar action in other metros.

I agree. On one side BMW was offering 330i is multiple models and Audi was hoping to pass under the radar with the puny 1.4.

Also, lack of having something like 3GT in their line-up has hurt Audi. In 2017 (& 2018), they were selling A4 at same OTR price as that of 3GT.

[Hayek]

Interesting to see that BMW has done very well in 2018. I somehow did not have that impression - as both the new 5 and the new X3 are not very visible at least in Bombay.

Mercedes’ performance is not a surprise - the long wheel base E is hugely over represented among new car purchases and works brilliantly for anyone who does not intend to travel out of town for long trips.

Audi has managed to hang on to No 3. That is probably because of their better distribution than JLR - at least based on my observation, JLR seems to have upped their game and probably sell more than Audi in Bombay

I have started seeing several XC60s and S90s on the road - so not surprised by Volvo’s growth.

What’s most interesting is that there were 45000 luxury cars sold last year - which is almost double the sales of the mighty Toyota Fortuner (which outsells all other D and higher segment non luxury vehicles). I suspect this shift towards Luxury brands will continue. Tells you why Toyota’s failure to assemble Lexus locally could prove very costly for them.

[karan561]

Lately have seen a lot of G30 5'ers as 5* Hotel chauffeur driven fleet cars, definitely would have been a healthy contributor to the 2018 sales numbers for BMW India, but the flip-side is the dilution of the 'sports-sedan' image.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by karan561

Lately have seen a lot of G30 5'ers as 5* Hotel chauffeur driven fleet cars, definitely would have been a healthy contributor to the 2018 sales numbers for BMW India, but the flip-side is the dilution of the 'sports-sedan' image.

Avis procured 125 BMW 5's for Emirate Business Class duties. The current C class have been retired - they were a bit tired with 300k + on the clock

[avira_tk]

I'm sure Audi could've done better if they priced the Q5 right and put a 2 litre petrol in the A4 and a6. The Q5 is unbelievably expensive, someone who looked at it was offered one for 70/75 lakhs for the two trims on offer. He finally got an Evoque at 55, not saying they are like to like, but JLR did manage an actual sale at a discount for a really old model.

The deciding factor was that he felt the range rover badge was more prestigious. The service package was also better for the Evoque.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Avis procured 125 BMW 5's for Emirate Business Class duties. The current C class have been retired - they were a bit tired with 300k + on the clock

No wonder I've been seeing them (520i I think?) around our estate. Looks nice I must say but of course detracts from the overall premium image.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Avis procured 125 BMW 5's for Emirate Business Class duties. The current C class have been retired - they were a bit tired with 300k + on the clock

I hope they do this in Bombay too. The Emirates C-classes are way too old now. Their maintainance levels aren’t good either. While the interiors are clean and neat everytime I’ve taken one but exteriors are filthy whenever I see one on the road.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Sahil

I hope they do this in Bombay too. The Emirates C-classes are way too old now. Their maintainance levels aren’t good either. While the interiors are clean and neat everytime I’ve taken one but exteriors are filthy whenever I see one on the road.

This is all India, 125 5's + 5 7 Series and 2 X5's I think. As you said the C class's are old. Body work is tarnished and weather-beaten hence the grimy look. These cars don't get time off for TLC except routine service. With 3-5 flights a day, these cars are on call. Pick up, drop, next pick up etc.