Audi Eyes Record Sales with Ambitious US Growth Plans
Audi Sets Ambitious Sales Target as It Looks to Rebound
Audi is aiming high. The German luxury carmaker is quietly eyeing an annual sales record, signaling a more aggressive strategy after several challenging years that saw its sales slip.
The brand has been a source of concern for parent company Volkswagen, grappling with delayed model launches and technological setbacks that have widened the gap with competitors. The situation has been made worse by U.S. import tariffs, which forced Audi to cut its financial outlook.
Under CEO Gernot Doellner, who took over in 2023, Audi is revamping its strategy. The long-term sales target could be revealed when the company briefs the public later this year, although the 2 million vehicle goal hasn’t been tied to a specific year.
For 2025, Audi aims to sell between 1.7 and 1.8 million vehicles, following a decline of 11.8% to 1.67 million last year.
A key part of Audi’s optimism rests on the U.S. market – the world’s second-largest after China – where it currently sells around 200,000 cars a year. The company believes it could nearly double those numbers, even though a 27.5% import tariff has already cost it around €600 million ($702 million) in the first half of the year.
Like Porsche, Audi has no production facilities in the U.S., but the possibility of opening a plant there has been under consideration for some time, with a decision expected this year. Any U.S. factory could also serve as an export hub, similar to how Mercedes-Benz operates its local production sites.
Audi is weighing both options: building a dedicated U.S. factory or producing within Volkswagen’s existing footprint. Meanwhile, the European Union is taking steps to lower tariffs on U.S. goods, which could eventually lead Washington to reduce auto import tariffs from 27.5% to 15% – a move that has not yet been implemented.
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