17th on the countdown list of car makers is Audi, part of the VW Group. The goal of being the largest premium car marque is what Audi is aiming for. As to why it matters, I am not sure, but the prestige must be the motivation.Audi mainly makes cars in Europe, China the exception. An increase of 29% and nearly a quarter of total Audi car production for the Asian nation shows how important that market is for them. In Spain - where the Q3 is made - had a large increase, but production in Germany slipped 4%. Total production rose 10%.
| 11 | 12 |
| 2011 | Shr | 2012 | Shr |
| 1 | 1 | Germany | 849,446 | 63.5% | 814,854 | 55.5% |
| 2 | 2 | China | 258,556 | 19.3% | 333,433 | 22.7% |
| 3 | 3 | Belgium | 117,566 | 8.8% | 124,859 | 8.5% |
| 6 | 4 | Spain | 19,654 | 1.5% | 102,569 | 7.0% |
| 4 | 5 | Slovakia | 53,707 | 4.0% | 56,890 | 3.9% |
| 5 | 6 | Hungary | 39,518 | 3.0% | 35,217 | 2.4% |
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| Total | 1,338,447 | 1.8% | 1,467,822 | 1.8% |
Audi is not a marque I can warm to. However, its popularity continues unabated. Can it eventually become the best selling premium brand? Almost inevitably, but not without a fight.
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Audi Q3 - Family resemblance is striking |