Showing posts with label A3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A3. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2015
AUDI continues to dominate the Volkswagen Group, with higher income and great profit margins.
- Audi Group in first quarter: €14.7 billion revenue, €1.4 billion operating profit, 9.7 percent operating return on sales
- CFO Axel Strotbek: “Despite ongoing high investment, we are systematically pursuing our ambitious profitability targets”
- Audi TT Roadster, Audi RS 3 Sportback, Audi R8 and Audi Q7 start next stage of model initiative
The Audi Group has posted strong results for the first quarter of 2015: Worldwide sales by the Audi brand increased compared with the prior-year period by 6.1 percent to 438,229 units. In the months of January through March, the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer of premium cars generated revenue of €14,651 million and an operating profit of €1,422 million. Its operating return on sales was 9.7 percent.
In the first quarter of this year, Audi grew in all regions. Compared with the prior‑year period, worldwide unit sales increased by 6.1 percent and deliveries to customers totaled 438,229 automobiles with the Four Rings (Q1 2014: 412,848). Along with the growth in unit sales, the Audi Group increased its first‑quarter revenue by 13.1 percent to €14,651 million (Q1 2014: €12,951 million). Operative profit surpassed the prior‑year level by 8.2 percent and amounted to €1,422 million (Q1 2014: €1,314 million).
At the publication of the interim report for the first quarter, Axel Strotbek, Board of Management Member for Finance and Organization at AUDI AG, commented: “Despite ongoing high investment, we are systematically pursuing our ambitious profitability targets.” He stated that the operating return on sales of 9.7 percent for the first quarter (Q1 2014: 10.1 percent) confirmed the successful course of the Audi Group, which is currently making enormous investments for new products and technologies and to expand its international production network.
Audi plans to invest a total of €24 billion by 2019. The focus of the biggest investment program in the company’s history is on technical innovations and new models. In addition, the manufacturer of premium automobiles intends to expand its worldwide production structures. As in the past, all the investment in property, plant and equipment is to be financed out of the cash flow from operating activities.
The Audi Group achieved pre‑tax profit of €1,497 million in the first quarter of this year (Q1 2014: €1,398 million) and a return on sales before tax of 10.2 percent (Q1 2014: 10.8 percent).
By 2020, Audi plans to expand its model range to 60 automobiles. The Ingolstadt‑based premium manufacturer has been delivering the new Audi TT Roadster to customers since late March. The next new models to enter the dealerships will be the new RS 3 Sportback, the new Audi R8 and the new Audi Q7, giving Audi additional impetus with the next stage of its model offensive.
The company intends to continue its growth in the full year and to deliver significantly more automobiles of the Audi brand than in 2014. One challenge is the uncertainty relating to the economic environment and the development of key currencies in 2015. At the same time, advance expenditure is growing for new production facilities, innovative technologies and attractive automobiles. Another factor is the significant increase in the intensity of competition in key markets and the technological change within the automotive industry towards alternative drive concepts, in particular to comply with stricter CO2‑limits all over the world.
With the targeted volume growth, the Audi Group’s revenue will rise moderately, depending on the economic conditions. The company anticipates an operating return on sales within the strategic target corridor of eight to ten percent.
AUDI stars in the Marvel Movie "Avengers-Age Of Ultron", yes, it is the cars film and not the stars.
- "Avengers: Age of Ultron," featuring A3 Cabriolet, TTS and R8, scores $191.3 million in first weekend
- Audi dealers sponsored showroom screenings
- Millions have viewed jointly produced Audi-Marvel online videos promoting the film
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” is piling up box-office receipts around the world and enjoyed a $191.3 million debut weekend in the United States, marking another huge success for Marvel and its stunning ability to turn comic-book heroes into big-screen superstars.
For Audi, the evolution of the Avengers franchise also is a major milestone, extending the brand’s partnership with Marvel that began with the Iron Man films. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Audi automobiles and brand excitement remain integral parts of the vibe of this film, just as in the three Iron Man movies.
In the latest installment of the Avengers franchise, Tony Stark – played, by Robert Downey Jr. – favors the R8. A scene involving the car even sets up the next Avengers movie. Dressed in street clothes, along with another superhero (identity protected here to prevent a spoiler), Stark summons the R8 to find him autonomously as it drives into the new headquarters of the Avengers squad. Other scenes feature an Audi A3 Cabriolet and the new Audi TTS. No other automotive brands are highlighted in the film, although there are of course other cars in scenes.
Audi has an auto-brand promotional exclusive with “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and the brand has been boosting that position for weeks now. An Audi TV commercial titled “Striking,” features the TTS, with scenes and music from the movie.
A related YouTube video, “Striking – Extended Version,” has garnered more than 6 million YouTube views. At the end of the video is a sneak peek at another Marvel movie due out this summer, “Antman,” a film that will feature an Audi A3 Cabriolet. In foreign markets, the car in the YouTube video is an R8, in part because the latest version of that car already is available outside the United States.
Audi also sponsored a “Superhero Marathon” on the FX television network on the last weekend in April. The network ran earlier versions of films starring Marvel characters such as Captain America and Thor. For the latest Audi magazine, Marvel created a custom comic that features the Audi TT and, in a cameo appearance, the Audi R8. Audi dealers across the United States sponsored screenings of the new movie in their showrooms.
And of all things, Stan Lee, creator of a Marvel cast of superheroes, starred in a humorous social-media video about the difference between cameo acting and regular acting. Lee, famous for making short appearances in each Marvel movie, as he does in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” is driven to and from Cameo School in an Audi S8. The video also has scored millions of views.
Today, Marvel announced the film’s premiere weekend was the second-biggest domestic opening weekend ever, and the worldwide box office total has climbed to $631.1 million since April 22. With Audi along for the ride, the movie seems to be on its way to one of the industry’s biggest box-office performances of all time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)