Word: audi
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...Audi R8 is the German luxury automaker's first attempt at producing that most rarefied of motoring beasts, a super-sports car--a high-priced combination of verve and vroom. As I drive down the main drag of this English coastal town, the road narrows and I stop to let an oncoming car through. It turns out to be a vintage Mercedes SL sports car. As the R8 idles, its 420-h.p. V8 engine purrs with a low growl, and I can't resist revving it. As the Merc passes, its driver slows to a pause, nods at the sinuous...
...that's the point. As the R8 races into its second year, Audi's still building just 4,500. In 2009, it hopes to release between 800 and 1,000 of them in the U.S. And they'll go quickly. Audi says those few cars, coupled with a deft marketing campaign, will raise the company's profile in the competitive U.S. premium-car segment, where it hopes to double sales of all models by 2015 to around 200,000. "I would almost describe every one of those R8s as a mobile billboard for the Audi brand," says Johan de Nysschen...
...world's leading premium carmaker, closely followed by Mercedes, and Audi's overarching goal is to overtake them--which won't happen without the boost in U.S. sales it's striving for. And given the shape of the U.S. economy, that task isn't getting any easier. Worldwide, however, Audi had a strong 2007. It sold 964,151 cars, 6.5% more than in 2006, and its revenue jumped almost 8% to $52.9 billion. This year, Audi has sold 516,211 cars as of June 30--a half-year sales record and a 1.4% increase over midyear 2007 sales...
While the R8 is the designated head turner, Audi's momentum is being led by its lesser beasts, such as the $32,700 A4 and the $42,950 A6. Like its German counterparts, Audi benefits from an accurate perception that its cars are expertly engineered and well made. But in recent years, Audi's been winning the style wars, turning out models, like the TT sports car, with eye-catching designs that are hugely influential and popular with buyers...
...next year, Audi will introduce several new models aimed at consumers it categorizes as "sporty" and "progressive." Look for the Q5, a junior sibling of the full-sized Q7 SUV, as well as the Q7 TDI, which boasts a 221-h.p. diesel engine...