Audi: Takes aim at top 3 in Korea

Audi Korea had an astonishing increase of 234% over the previous year. Read how they are now targeting the top 3 in Korea.

One of the highlighted issues in South Korea's imported vehicle market this year is whether Audi will overtake one of the top three carmakers _ Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz _ in sales.

Audi Korea, which was established in 2004, ranked fifth among 21 imported automobile brands, boasting a 234-percent year-on-year growth by selling 2,698 units last year.

The top threes have lost their combined market share by about 10 percentage points to 50.6 percent in 2005 from 60.23 percent a year earlier. In contrast, Audi captured the market of 8.73 percent last year, compared to 3.46 percent in 2004.

Audi Korea has set its 2006 sales goal at 3,500 models, a substantial increase compared to last year's goal of 1,500. As it surpassed the goal of 1,500 by more than 1,000 units in 2005, it expects the 2006 performance to exceed its initial goal.

Lexus and BMW sold 5,840 and 5,786 units respectively in 2005, similar figures to the 5,362 and 5,509 recorded in 2004. Mercedes-Benz recorded sales of 4,012 units.

There is a possibility that Audi could overtake one of the three major imported brands amid the remarkable growth pace thanks to its better-than-expected appeal to Korean motorists.

Audi Korea managing director Dominique Boesch said, ``We will continue with our three main strategies: launch various models, enhance sales and A/S and upgrade customer satisfaction.''

To enforce the dynamic characteristics of Audi as a ``prestige'' brand, it will upgrade the overall performance of the line-up by fitting more models with the FSI engine (direct injection petrol engine), Boesch said. The Audi FSI engine boasts the best power and efficiency, winning five out of six Le Mans 24-hour races from 2000 to 2005.