Audi’s industry-best sales streak ended in October as the German premium brand posted its first monthly decline exactly nine years after its last one, in October 2009. Audi’s sales fell 17 percent in October to 16,056. Meanwhile, Volkswagen brand sales rose 4.6 percent in October to 29,000 on higher demand for its crossover lineup, while sedan sales continued to lag.
Brands: Volkswagen up 4.6%, Audi down 17%
Notable nameplates: VW Atlas up 29%, long-wheelbase Tiguan up 84%, Jetta up 10%, Passat down 34%; Audi Q5 up 15%, A4 down 21%, Q7 down 8.5%
Incentives (including Porsche): $3,675 per vehicle, up 4.4% from a year earlier, ALG says
Average transaction price (including Porsche): $34,262, down 6.3% from a year earlier, according to ALG
Quote: “It’s never been about the streak, honestly,” said Scott Keogh, who was president of Audi of America until Nov. 1, when he officially took over as CEO of Volkswagen Group of America. “The plan got executed and, coincidentally, it happened to be a streak. But the customer doesn’t buy because of the streak. The dealer doesn’t buy because of the streak. It is a nice thing that came along for the ride. The more important thing, dealers are making money, the brand is strong, total sales are there. That’s the more important story. And the truth is, when you are coming down to an extremely low level, that gives you the opportunity to have a streak. Competitors outsold us four to one. And so you had that chance to build that thing up with the market growing.”
Did you know? If Volkswagen’s current sales trends hold through the remaining two months of the year, 2018 will finish as the first time since 1984 that the Jetta hasn’t been the brand’s top-selling vehicle in the U.S. Through October, the long-wheelbase Tiguan has a 3,063-unit lead over the Jetta.
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