Audi to showcase record-high 19 models

Audi A8L Photo: Courtesy of Audi

Leading premium auto brand Audi is showcasing a record-high number of 19 models at this year's Chengdu auto show, including its major A, Q and R series.

The Audi A8 family, including five models such as A8L W12, A8L, S8, as well as the A8L hybrid as the country steps up efforts to boost the use of new-energy cars, will be the highlight of Audi's Chengdu lineup this year.

The German carmaker led the Chinese premium market with 316,900 units of Audi cars sold in the first seven months of this year, up 17.4 percent year-on-year.

Its major rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz sold 261,900 and 156,800 units respectively during the period.

Though there is an increasing threat from "second-tier" premium brands in the sector, Audi is confident that it will continue to account for a significant share in the segment, as it has realized "localization of the whole industrial chain," which will serve as a major competitive edge compared with its rivals, FAW-Volkswagen, Volkswagen's joint venture in China which produces the Audi brand, said in an e-mail sent to the Global Times.

"The Audi brand entered the Chinese market before its major competitors, which has given it a head start," independent auto industry analyst Zhang Zhiyong told the Global Times.

Audi rolled out its first domestically produced car back in 1988, while BMW started local production in 2003 and Mercedes-Benz in 2005.

In addition, the overall premium segment still has big growth potential. In developed economies such as the US, sales of premium cars could account for some 15 percent of the total auto sales, while in China, the number is less than 7 percent at present, experts noted.

The three German auto brands account for around 70 percent of the premium segment at present, and experts noted that their dominance will continue for a while.

Audi said in the statement that in the future, the premium market will focus more on smaller, sportier, more environmentally friendly and more intelligent cars, which is why the company has been diversifying its product lines and starting to offer smaller sedans and SUVs, such as the new Audi A3 and Q3.

In the next few years, the brand will offer at least three new models in China each year to maintain its leading position. By 2015, Audi is set to introduce all of its products into China, it said.