Audi Laughs In The Face Of 2021 With Impressive Sales Figures

As the yearly sales figures start rolling in, it is clear that 2021 has been a mixed bag. A weakened global economy, logistical backlogs, and the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage has put a strain on the majority of manufacturers, yet still some brands have managed to grow sales, and in some cases, even break records.

Luxury brands did especially well, with premium labels such as Lamborghini showing impressive growth. Audi can smile too, as it just posted a five percent increase in sales YTD. This follows fellow German manufacturer Porsche's record-breaking sales figures. Audi's solid year was driven by SUV sales, but there's more to this success story.

Audi didn't come out of 2021 unscathed by the current global climate, and suffered a serious loss of sales in the fourth quarter of 2021: with only 33,184 recorded sales, Audi saw a dip of 46.9 percent. Audi still managed to sell a total of 196,038 cars in total, representing a YTD growth of five percent. Audi's SUVs are to thank for the strong figures, and with a 73 percent overall share of sales, Audi SUVs set a new brand record.

Sales for the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 collectively grew by 17 percent, and the Audi e-tron family grew its sales by a massive 52 percent year-over-year.

Overall, the models that saw the biggest increase in sales were the e-tron Sportback with a massive jump of 77 percent, the Q3 with a sales increase of 27 percent, the standard e-tron at 26 percent, and the Q5 at 20 percent.

At the other end of the scale, Audi's biggest losers were the A3 which saw a dip of 76 percent, followed by the A8 with a 13 percent reduction in sales, and finally the A4 which saw a loss of 11 percent. Audi continues to press forward with its EV program, and its goal to become carbon neutral by 2050.

The past year also saw Audi walking away with a few notable awards, including the best certified pre-owned value in America award for the Audi e-tron, and a Conde Nast Traveler award for best premium car rental service (Silvercar by Audi). Audi plans to offer a lineup made up of 30 percent electrified vehicles by 2030, and aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2050.