Audi of America announced today auto sales for the month of September totaling 7,584, a decrease of 5.4% from last year’s figures. Audi new vehicle sales fell 3.9% year-to-date as the company faces stronger economic headwinds. Audi Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales decreased by 10.6% compared to last year’s September figures, although sales continued to grow year-over-year at 31.0%.
“The all-new Audi 2009 A4 arrived this month to critical praise and high consumer interest in its segment-leading fuel economy, design and performance. Demand for the new A4 boosted our overall sales by more than one thousand units over August’s figures. In addition, increased sales of our A5 and R8 models point to the continued strength of Audi’s portfolio of all-new, progressive luxury autos,” said Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president, Audi of America. “We believe that Audi will maintain its strong luxury market share despite consumer concerns about the economy, and we expect to see momentum around the new A4 continue to build well into the fall season.”
The arrival of the all-new Audi 2009 A4 models in dealer showrooms boosted consumer interest in the brand throughout the month in spite of the model’s late-September release. Based on government data and independent test results, the 2009 A4 2.0T leads its key competitors in fuel economy and 0-to-60 miles per hour acceleration.
Audi posted increased nationwide sales of its A5 model; dealers recorded a second month of record sales for the all-new A5 due to improved availability, with 719 units sold. Sales of the R8, Audi’s premier example of its progressive German engineering, rose by 9% compared to September of last year.
Audi continues to impress industry analysts and other third-party industry watchers. J.D. Power and Associates, the respected industry organization that measures, among other things, quality within the auto industry, recently noted that Audi posted the greatest ranking improvement in initial quality during the 2008 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey. The Audi Q7, A3, A4 and A6 have also been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as Top Safety Picks in 2008, earning Audi the most Top Safety Pick designations for 2008 models of any luxury automaker this year.
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