Audi, a manufacturer of premium vehicles, reported a slight decline in sales and a nearly 60 percent increase in sales of electric models based on its performance in 2021, which is fraught with global supplier problems and the effects of the pandemic.
Audi sold 1,680,512 cars in 2021, down 0.7 percent from 2020, the company said in a statement sent to MTI on Tuesday by Porsche Hungaria, the Hungarian importer of the Volkswagen Group's brands.
According to the announcement, the first half of 2021 was off to a strong start, with the 981,681 vehicles delivered being a new high in the company’s history. However, the semiconductor deficit became permanent in the second half of the year, resulting in a 34.2 percent decrease in deliveries in the fourth quarter compared to the same period last year.
In Europe, AUDI AG sold 617,048 vehicles (-0.4 percent), remaining close to the previous year's volume. Although the brand suffered a 15.6 percent decline in its largest European market, Germany, the expansion was around 10 percent in France, the United Kingdom and Italy. Sales also increased in the United States (+5 percent).
Highlighted: at the same time, sales of all-electric models are growing steadily, in 2021, Audi sold 81,894 all-electric vehicles, an increase of 57.5 percent. The brand introduced four new electrical models last year, significantly expanding its electrical product portfolio, they noted.
There are plans to have more than 20 fully electric models in Audi’s portfolio by 2025. From 2026, the brand will offer only electric models.
The announcement emphasized that in addition to electromobility, the company's commitment to investment spending is reflected in Audi's plans to spend around € 18 billion between 2022 and 2026 on electrification and hybridisation. Almost half of the total investment of around € 37 billion is in these two forward-looking areas.
(Source: autokalauz.co.hu; MTI | Image: pixabay.com)