Audi Reports 28% Sales Decline Despite Strong Demand

The ongoing chip crisis and related supply chain issues show no signs of letting up. The world's automakers have had to contend with a series of problems and, as a result, have had to think out of the box. Genesis, for example, has had to cut driver assist systems from some models while industry stalwarts such as Honda have had to trim their production figures.

This has had a negative impact on sales. Hyundai may have performed strongly according to its latest figures, but the Korean brand still suffered a 12.9% decline compared to last year's period. It's a similar story at Audi, with the German luxury brand seeing second-quarter deliveries plummet by 28.3%. It's not all bad news, though.

"While inventory challenges continued to affect second-quarter sales, consumer demand - especially for electric vehicles - is strong and growing," said Audi of America's president, Daniel Weissland.

It seems the Audi e-tron is proving very popular with consumers. The electric SUV posted impressive figures with a total of 2,710 examples leaving the showroom floor in Q2. That excludes the Sportback derivative, with Audi selling as many as 1,228 units. The elegant e-tron GT was less successful, with just 839 sales recorded.

Audi may be readying itself for an all-electric future, but that doesn't mean its ICE-powered vehicles aren't selling well. The Q5 proved the company's cash cow; 15,621 units were shifted during the period, making the compact SUV Audi's strongest seller in the second quarter.

With a starting MSRP of $57,500, the Audi Q7 is a relatively expensive SUV. That didn't stop Ingolstadt from selling 5,221 examples to monied families during Q2. It's impressive, yes, but it trails behind last year's figure of 9,991 examples. The small Q3 didn't do badly either, with 6,378 customers signing on the dotted line.