AUTONEWS

Audi executive wants even more expensive cars

According to the brand's boss in the United Kingdom, the company's plans are to increase the average ticket price of the brand's vehicles.

The year 2024 was not favorable for Audi globally. Deliveries fell almost 12%, totaling 1,671,218 units, which allowed Tesla to overtake the brand for the first time. In addition, German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz finished far ahead in the race for the luxury market.

Given this scenario, it may seem like the last thing Audi should do is increase prices and risk alienating even more customers, right? However, sales numbers are not everything — profit margins per unit are much more important in the final equation.

Audi's strategy is to move up a category and charge more, even if it means selling fewer cars. The automaker intends to do this without encroaching on Porsche and Bentley's space, as it believes there is room for growth within the Volkswagen Group by distancing itself even further from the German conglomerate's main brand. In an interview with Auto Express, Audi's new UK boss Jose Miguel Aparicio revealed this bold plan.

"We are taking a step forward in terms of premium quality, increasing prestige, desirability and brand awareness, and more interested in the quality of the business than quantity," said Audi's new UK boss Jose Miguel Aparicio in an interview with Auto Express

Be prepared for significant price increases, reflecting Audi's new positioning at the top of the already complex Volkswagen Group hierarchy. However, the Ingolstadt-based brand knows that to be seen as a premium carmaker, it is not enough to simply raise prices: "We really need to create that attraction and desire for the brand," the company said.

As part of this strategy, Audi has already announced the discontinuation of its more affordable models. Neither the A1 Sportback nor the Q2 will receive a new generation, making the A3 the brand's entry-level model. At the top of the food chain, the move into the premium market could begin with a more upscale successor to the A8, inspired by the Grandsphere concept. In addition, the Urbansphere concept suggests a luxury SUV positioned above the current Q7 and Q8.

Despite this, the A8 — which is already showing signs of aging — will remain on the market for longer than originally planned. According to information from Auto Motor und Sport, Audi may launch another facelift for the current generation of its high-end sedan.

If this is confirmed, the rival to the BMW 7 Series will remain on the market for at least another two years, which means that the Grandsphere may not reach the market until the end of the decade. The lack of spy shots of prototypes undergoing testing reinforces the idea that the possible electric successor to the A8 is still far from being launched.

Its competitor, Jaguar, also has plans to delve deeper into luxury territory, but is taking a radical approach - perhaps too radical - by transforming itself into an exclusively electric brand, much to the dismay of traditionalists.

The German company had intended to go purely electric by 2033, but changed its plans and now wants to remain "flexible". Even Stellantis-owned DS Automobiles has Bentley in its sights, so it's safe to say that all bets are off in the luxury segment.

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