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Filed under: Audi, Earnings/Financials

2013 Audi Q5 front three-quarter

Audi doesn’t seem to be having any trouble of hitting its relatively audacious sales goal of two million units by 2020 – it’s already on pace to eclipse 1.5 million sales two years ahead of schedule. According to Reuters, the Volkswagen-owned brand rode a wave of sales in China and the US to pace the early goal, with 780,500 deliveries at the halfway point of 2013. Particularly hot models include the Q5 crossover seen above and A4 sedan. Unless things go poorly in the second half of the year, 1.5 million sales shouldn’t be an issue.

That leaves it trailing BMW by just 24,000 units for the global luxury sales crown. If sales trends keep up, Audi will succeed in hitting its goal of two million units and besting its cross-country rival in Munich. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler smells blood, telling German newspaper Handelsblatt, ”We have overtaken Mercedes-Benz and we are now closer to BMW than ever before.”

Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Dodge

2011 Dodge Magnum

2011 Dodge Durango – Click above for high-res image gallery

After years of nearly zero new products, Dodge dealers finally have something to crow about. The 2011 Dodge Journey, Charger, Durango, Avenger and Caravan are all hitting showrooms within a month or two of one another, giving dealers new products just as the auto industry is showing signs of recovery. But how does Dodge get the message across?

Automotive News reports that the marque is prepping a major ad push during the first quarter of 2011, including a return to the Super Bowl. Dodge brand CEO Ralph Gilles reportedly notified dealers that the automaker plans to flood tier one with promotions, with heavy local ads dependent upon sales volume. Gilles is telling dealers about the company’s marketing plans in part because he hopes dealers will order more vehicles. The CEO points out that early Durango and Charger orders are very strong, but other new products are lagging behind.

A flood of ads is just part of Dodge’s plan to increase showroom traffic. The automaker is also working with Automotive Lease Guide to help maximize residual values. Higher residuals means more affordable lease prices and an improved brand reputation, but Dodge will need to resist the urge to dump its new products into fleets for the plan to work. Dodge is currently leasing only five percent of its vehicles; well below the industry average.

Gallery: 2011 Dodge Durango

2011 Dodge Durango

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Dodge planning Super Bowl commercial, major ad blitz originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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