Demand for Audi branded cars has increased on a worldwide scale and to keep up with this, the German luxury car maker have firmed up plans to launch their A1 model outside of Europe from 2011. Customers from all over the world numbering to a mammoth 150,000 have hit the dedicated website that A1 has. This number far surpasses what the company had thought or contemplated: that of 100,000 A1 units per year and that too just for the European market.
An increase of production by 20 percent is to be carried out by the team as per their sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer. The introduction of this car into the market would also place a stiff competitive element for the BMW who have their Mini Cooper in the market as of now and no other model to compete with the A1 segment.
In a statement issued by Audi, Schwarzenbauer says, “Reports from our international dealers show us that interest in the A1 is exceeding our expectations considerably.”
When the car would enter the US and Chinese market is yet a big question. It is expected that only after 2011 the car would be in the Chinese market but such decisions need time to be formalized and finalised.
The Chinese people taking to a small Audi or not would be the deciding factor if the A1 would make it to the Chinese market and when.
Analyst of the car sales and business Juergen Pieper of Bankhaus Metzler says The U.S. will be a different story. The A1 is small and expensive. That’s not going to work over there.” So customers in US need not be totally disheartened.
The MINI is there as a stiff competitor and Mr. Pieper may have missed that one out.
Source: carscoop
