Audi 2010 Annual Report Download - page 183

181
Management Report
132 Audi Group
141 Business and underlying
situation
156 Financial performance
indicators
159 Social and ecological aspects
173 Risks, opportunities
and outlook
173 Risk report
179 Report on post-balance sheet
date events
179 Report on expected
developments
183 Disclaimer
Anticipated development of the Audi Group
The economic environment improved significantly in the past fiscal year. The recent huge fluctu-
ations in demand for cars worldwide and the decidedly mixed performance of major car markets
nevertheless remain a major challenge for the Audi Group. On top of this, competition is becoming
noticeably more intense and the automotive industry is in the throes of a technological revolu-
tion as it prepares for electric mobility. The Board of Management nevertheless believes that the
Company is well prepared to maintain the Audi Group’s course of growth over the next two years
and develop Audi into the world’s leading premium brand under the auspices of Strategy 2020.
Anticipated development of deliveries
The Audi Group is planning to be able to increase deliveries over the next two years beyond the
previous year’s figure as the result of a widely forecast rise in worldwide demand for cars. It
expects, for example, to deliver over 1.2 million cars of the Audi brand to customers in 2011.
The objective is to further increase the Company’s market shares in numerous major sales mar-
kets, in order to extend its strong competitive position in the premium segment worldwide.
It plans to achieve that goal by adding many more new models and derivative versions to Audi’s
young, attractive product range. The brand with the four rings already has the broadest product
range of any premium brand, with vehicles from the Audi A1 to the Audi R8 Spyder. Over the
next two years, amid an increasingly intensive competitive environment, innovative and highly
emotional vehicle concepts should help to access new customer segments and give the Audi
brand’s appeal a lasting boost. Over and above the new vehicles very successfully introduced last
year – the Audi A1, Audi A7 Sportback and Audi A8 – the new-generation Audi A6, the new Audi Q3
and additional models in the A1 car line in particular should provide a further positive impetus.
Steady efficiency improvements across the entire model and engine range mean the Audi brand
will continue to fulfill its customers’ expectations of sporty yet economical mobility concepts in
every respect. In addition, the Company intends to provide attractive technical solutions to the
mobility requirements of the future, in the shape of modern hybrid and electric drive systems. In
March of last year, the hybrid study of the Audi A8 luxury sedan was unveiled to the world public.
With the new Audi Q5 hybrid quattro scheduled for launch in the course of 2011, the brand with
the four rings will have a full hybrid model in its range. Its appearance will be followed shortly
by the new Audi A6 hybrid, an attractive hybrid version of the popular business sedan. 2012 will
then see the arrival on the market of the Audi e-tron, a low-volume supercar with all-electric
drive. The Audi e-tron study generated a huge amount of interest at the 2009 International
Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt thanks to its technologically pioneering concept.
In the German auto market, the Audi brand is planning a further increase in deliveries to cus-
tomers over the next two years, producing a higher market share of the premium segment.
Despite the difficult conditions that it is expected to encounter in Western European export
markets, the brand with the four rings nevertheless expects to achieve further growth in vehicle
sales and thus strengthen its leading position in the premium segment.
In the Central and Eastern European region, especially Russia, the Company is striving for a
substantial rise in deliveries to customers in 2011 and 2012. The Audi brand plans to build on its
good competitive position here.
At some point in the next two years the Chinese auto market is likely to overtake Germany as
the biggest market for Audi vehicles. The brand with the four rings is planning to maintain its
expansion of recent years in the Chinese premium market and consolidate its leading position
in 2011 and 2012. It intends to do so by further increasing local production capacity and the
brand’s product range in China, and expanding the dealer network to over 400 establishments
by 2013.