Imported Car Sales Ranking Outside Top 10 for 2 Consecutive Months
268 Units Sold Last Month... Fell Behind Ford's 306 Units
No New Models and Fewer Service Centers... Sales Plunge 90%
Audi, whose domestic sales have sharply declined, has been surpassed even by American car brands. Once considered one of the "German Big Three" alongside BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Audi's status is now shaken due to sluggish new car launches and growing dissatisfaction with its service centers.
According to the Korea Imported Automobile Association on the 12th, Audi's domestic sales in February this year totaled 268 units. Ranked 11th in imported car sales, it remained outside the top 10 for two consecutive months. This showed a significant gap compared to fellow German brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which sold 6,089 and 3,592 units respectively. Audi's sales lagged behind Volvo (961 units), Lexus (919 units), and even the American brand Ford (306 units).
Audi's cumulative sales this year dropped by more than 90% compared to the previous year, totaling 447 units. During the same period, Ford sold 535 units, and even Lincoln, Ford's premium brand, sold 509 units. This is a stark contrast to last year's ranking when Audi was third in total imported car sales with 17,868 units.
The used car market has also turned its back on Audi. According to the KAIZU Data Research Institute, only the A6 (7th generation) made it into the top 10 in used car model transaction volumes last month.
The main reason for Audi's poor sales is attributed to a lack of new car launches. Although Audi announced plans to release seven new models last year, including the Q8 e-tron, none have been launched yet. Unlike last year, there are no new car launch plans for this year. In the February imported car model sales rankings, only the Audi Q4 e-tron appeared, jointly ranking 48th with 77 units sold.
The number of service centers has also decreased, creating a vicious cycle. Audi Korea's service centers increased from 33 in 2016 to 40 in 2021 but have not grown since then. In fact, two centers in the Seocho area of Seoul closed this year, reducing the total to 38. Mercedes-Benz and BMW operate 77 service centers each, roughly double Audi's number.
As sales declined, showrooms also decreased. Recently, Volvo opened a showroom at the former site of Audi's showroom in Yongsan, Seoul. After withdrawing from Yongsan in 2020, Volvo returned after four years. Volvo's sales last year reached 17,018 units, narrowly ranking fourth among imported cars behind Audi. This year, Volvo is expected to surpass Audi and rise to third place.
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