Audi appears to higher provide in 2023

Audi Australia’s new managing director Jeff Mannering says the corporate is ready to safe considerably higher automobile provide subsequent yr after a troublesome 2022 – during which its gross sales have slipped 14.1 per cent.

Whereas most automobile manufacturers’ holding yards have been affected by headwinds comparable to COVID, chip shortages, the struggle in Ukraine, and the transport disaster, Audi and the broader Volkswagen Group have been hit worse than most.

Audi’s year-to-date gross sales in Australia sit at 11,812 models, its lowest January to October tally since 2010.

Mercedes-Benz Automobiles over the identical interval this yr has offered 23,280 models (down 5.5 per cent), BMW 20,104 (down 3.7 per cent), and Volvo 8852 (up 11.6 per cent). Lexus has fared worse in share phrases, down 26.1 per cent to 5976 with its personal Toyota Group shortages.

“It’s a posh query, however I’m completely optimistic we’re going to get extra manufacturing subsequent yr,” Mr Mannering informed us.

“… I’m 99.9 per cent assured that offer will likely be higher,” he added, pointing nonetheless to potential issues that might trigger additional points in 2023 comparable to gasoline provide in Europe the place most of its vehicles are made.

“We’re simply doing our budgets now and our quantity price range relies on manufacturing budgets, and that’s considerably higher than what we had this yr,” he mentioned, referring to the commitments given to Audi Australia by its Group factories.

Mr Mannering gave some insights into the challenges he expects to face in his new function over the subsequent short while, including a core focus for the broader VW Group right here could be to expedite the time it takes between a automobile launch and its arrival in Australia.

“It’s not simply the semiconductor subject, not simply the Ukraine-Russia subject, however logistics is an enormous subject in the mean time, to even get vans and trains from the manufacturing unit, to ship vehicles, the one nation that’s worse off is New Zealand. We’re 90 days from time of ending manufacturing to attending to Australia,” he mentioned.

He added that fewer Audis shifting ahead would come lacking sure options – a legacy of semiconductor scarcity points, offset by provided reductions – save maybe for high degree tech comparable to laser lights.

Regardless of the rosier 2023 outlook, one in-demand Audi that received’t get right here till 2024 on the earliest is the This autumn e-tron EV, the model’s rival for the Tesla Mannequin Y, BMW iX1, Volvo XC40 Recharge, Lexus UX300e, and Mercedes-Benz EQA.

“It [Q4 launch] received’t be subsequent yr. Manufacturing could begin subsequent yr – not will, may – however the automobile received’t be launched. I’d like it to be right here early 2024, that’s what we’re pushing for,” mentioned Mr Mannering.