AUDI AG achieved clearly positive results in 2009, a year of worldwide crisis, and now its employees are benefiting: the company is thanking them for their efforts with a total bonus payment of 97 million euros – more than any of its competitors have paid. At the end of this month the workforce will receive its third additional payment this year.

Despite the financial and economic crisis in 2009, Audi’s balance sheet stayed in the black month after month – meaning that the company fared considerably better than its competitors. Now Audi is sharing its success with the workforce: at the end of the month they will be paid a bonus averaging 1,355 euros, the third such extra payment this year. Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources at AUDI AG, comments: “When the business situation is difficult we’re dependent on maximum effort from all our employees. So it’s only logical for us to share our success with them.” As a result of this policy, each employee receives an average of 3,500 euros.

In June the Board of Management and the General Works Council had already agreed a bonus of 1,200 euros. In the words of Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG: “We bucked the trend and were successful. Recognizing this exceptional performance promotes solidarity in the long term and encourages the company’s employees to master upcoming tasks with equal success."

In May this year the company also made an “expanded employee participation” (eMeb) for the fifth time. This payment is laid down in the company agreement known as “Audi’s Future – Performance, Success, Participation” and linked to the operating profit.

Audi today announced that pricing for the new 2011 R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro® supercar will begin at $161,000 with the first of the hand-assembled models reaching U.S. showrooms as soon as next month.

Audi also confirmed today that it intends to sell the Audi RS5 in the U.S. market starting in 2012. The high-revving 4.2-liter V8 engine in the Audi RS5 Coupe generates 450 horsepower. Like all Audi RS models sold in Europe and other markets, the RS5 Coupe applies its power to the road with quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Details on equipment levels, pricing and fuel economy standards will be released at a later date.

Anticipation has been building for the arrival of the first Audi open-top supercar since it appeared as the car of choice for main character Tony Stark in the blockbuster action film Iron Man 2. The newest Audi R8 maintains the perfect balance of form and function that has distinguished coupe models in the R8 sports car family. But the R8 Spyder adds innovative touches that integrate the soft top without altering the dynamic styling lines, optimal weight distribution or high-performance characteristics of the coupe models.

The 2011 model-year MSRP for the R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro is as follows:

2011 R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro (V10) pricing (excluding $1,250 destination charge, taxes, title, options and dealer charges):
R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro (manual) $161,000
R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro (R tronic) $170,000

Among the innovative features is the soft top, which weighs just 66 pounds and folds or opens in just 19 seconds up to 31 mph. It combines with a heated safety glass rear window that can be extended or retracted with the top up or down. The soft top features triple layer insulation for interior acoustics and comfort close to levels enjoyed in the coupes.

Inside, the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro seats use thermal-resistant leather, which is colored with pigments that can cool hot seats by as much as 68 degrees – even in direct sunlight. The sports car also includes the world’s first Bluetooth® integration with seat belt microphone that operates clearly even with the top down.

The 2011 R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro features the same V10 engine found in the R8 LMS racecar and the R8 5.2 quattro coupe. It achieves 525 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 391 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm. The top track speed for the R8 Spyder is 195 mph with a 0-60 mph time of 4 seconds.

One visible difference between the Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro and the Audi R8 Coupe models is the absence of the signature sideblades on the Spyder – a design change that retains the coupe lines, while accentuating the unique characteristics of the open-top Spyder. Another significant difference on the R8 Spyder is the use of dramatic Aluminum Optic vents on the new rear engine cover and aluminum a-pillars.

Like all Audi R8 models, the R8 Spyder 5.2 quattro reflects the Audi commitment to lightweight construction for better handling and efficiency. The hallmark of the R8 Spyder is the industry-leading aluminum Audi Space Frame technology used for most of the body. The rear quarter-panel fenders and customized engine hood are made from Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers.

The momentum that propelled Audi to record U.S. sales in the first half of 2010 also helped it achieve the benchmark of 2 million vehicles sold to American luxury car consumers.

The milestone came in late June with the sale of an Audi A3 TDI®, the reigning 2010 Green Car of the Year, to a customer at Keyes Audi in Van Nuys, Calif. The transaction involving a first-time Audi buyer illustrated how American luxury car buyers are moving Audi to the top of their shopping lists due to its roster of progressive models offering leading-edge technology and exceptional efficiency.

“The story of Audi in the U.S. is really a story written by the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve invited our brand into their lives,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “We’re grateful for those opportunities.”

Audi of America began offering its luxury cars to U.S. consumers 40 years ago with the Audi Super 90 and the Audi 100. It expects to reach its next million-car milestone in fewer years. This is because U.S. consumer awareness and consideration survey scores are at record levels and because of previously announced plans by AUDI AG to offer a broader lineup of vehicles to meet changing consumer demands. Since 2000, Audi has doubled its model count in the U.S. market and tripled the number of variants it offers.

Over the years, the evolution of the Audi brand has brought advances considered ahead of the competition in aerodynamics, all-wheel-drive with the introduction of quattro®, clean diesel and other technologies. The 2 million Audis sold in the U.S. include breakthrough models, such as the Coupe quattro, the Audi 5000, the Audi V8, the Audi A4, the Audi TT, the Audi R8, the Audi Q5 crossover, the Audi Q7 TDI clean diesel and the all-new Audi A8 flagship coming out in November.

Audi concept cars suggest there are indeed more progressive innovations and designs to come from Audi, including the e-tron electromobility studies.

To mark the achievement of reaching 2 million U.S. sales, Audi is using social media to invite auto enthusiasts to imagine how Audi vehicles and personal transportation will appear when the brand reaches 3 million in sales. That discussion can be found at facebook.com/audi under “Driver’s Spotlight” and Facebook fans are encouraged to submit renderings depicting their visions of the future.

The Audi TT 2.0 TDI’s sales success proves that dynamism and efficiency are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, this modern combination appeals strongly to customers. Since its market launch in 2008, the proportion of Audi TT sports car sales accounted for by the 2.0 TDI version with 125 kW (170 hp) has risen steadily. This week the 10,000th of these highly efficient cars will leave the Audi assembly line.

The Audi TT Coupé 2.0 TDI quattro and Audi TT Roadster 2.0 TDI quattro are the world’s first series-production sports cars with a diesel engine. It’s a two-liter, four-cylinder unit with a power output of 125 kW (170 hp) and 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) of torque for dynamic propulsion. In the TT Coupé the TDI engine is content with a fuel consumption of 5.3 liters per 100 km (44.38 US mpg) – the lowest figure in the sports car segment of the market.

A major factor in the TT’s combination of high performance and pioneering efficiency is the body. It uses Audi Space Frame (ASF) technology, with a combination of lightweight aluminum at the front and pressed steel at the back of the car. This material mix helps to achieve well-balanced axle loads and keep the overall weight down to a very low figure. The body of the TT Coupé weighs only 206 kilograms (454.15 lb), made up of 140 kg (308.64 lb) of aluminum and 66 kg (145.5 lb) of steel.

Audi has now stepped up the pace with an effective blend of dynamic performance and low fuel consumption: after this product improvement the Audi TT is available with a new, extensively revised version of the 2.0 TDI engine. The TT Coupé now sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 226 km/h (140.43 mph), but with CO2 emissions of only 139 g/km (223.7 g/mile).

The only two sport-utility vehicles Audi offers – the Audi Q5 and the Audi Q7 – earned top rankings in their luxury Crossover / SUV categories in the newly released J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.

Audi was one of only six brands surveyed that received at least two individual vehicle APEAL awards.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, the APEAL Study examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 80 vehicle attributes. The 2010 APEAL Study is based on responses gathered between February and May 2010 from more than 76,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2010 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership.

“These latest J.D. Power and Associates study results demonstrate what our customers have been telling us for years,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “Audi vehicles are thrilling to drive and captivate the consumer whenever they enter one. Our company’s exceptional growth in recent years is a testament to the quality experience our products provide.”

The Audi Q5 combines the dynamism of a sports sedan with an impressively versatile interior and a wide range of practical features for leisure and family use. Powerful, efficient engines, quattro permanent all-wheel drive and an agile suspension layout form an impressive technological package for on-road and off-road use. Highlights such as the innovative S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and the driving dynamics system Audi drive select are the evidence of the Audi commitment to progressive innovation. The sportiest SUV in its class, it is dynamic, multifunctional and comfortable.

The Audi Q7 is the luxury SUV for sporty individualists, for people who are seeking a vehicle that will take them anywhere they want to go for sports, recreation, and business. It is available with a gasoline engine and the popular Audi TDI ® clean diesel engine. With a standard third row on all models, the Q7 can accommodate up to seven
passengers.

Audi ranked 6th overall in the study. J.D. Power and Associates said that historically, vehicle models achieving high APEAL scores have generated faster sales, higher profit
margins, and less need for cash incentives. High levels of vehicle appeal also have a strong influence on customer recommendation rates.

AUDI AG delivered around 99,250 cars worldwide in June, beating even the strong sales figures from the previous month of May. Unit sales increased by 8.7 percent on the prior-year month. For the period January through June, the sales total was 19.1 percent up on the corresponding period of 2009. AUDI AG is therefore on course for a new sales record in 2010 and plans to break through the million barrier again, having already done so in 2008.

“The first half proved considerably better than we had expected, above all in European markets and the United States,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG.

In the United States, Audi sold 14.3 percent more cars in June than in the same month of 2009. In the first six months of the year, a total of 48,440 U.S. customers chose a premium car from the Ingolstadt carmaker, a rise of 28 percent on the prior-year period. Schwarzenbauer explained: “Over the past year in particular we have been investing considerable amounts in our brand and the dealer network in the United States. We are now reaping the rewards. This year, our aim is to break through the barrier of 100,000 cars in the United States for the first time ever.”

In other European countries, Audi increased its deliveries by 6.5 percent to around 39,000 units; in the entire first half the Company sold some 229,250 cars in this region, 12.6 percent more than in the corresponding period of 2009.

Audi enjoyed steady sales growth in Eastern Europe: The sales rise of 21.2 percent in June to around 3,300 cars continued the trend of previous months. Overall, unit sales were up 13.8 percent to around 17,900 cars.

In China, June saw Audi sell over 20,000 cars in a single month for the first time ever: Deliveries rose by 61.6 percent to 21,436 units. Between January and June the sales figures increased by 64.3 percent, reaching 109,887 cars: another new record figure.

Audi has started assembly of the Q5 model in Aurangabad, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In the future, up to 1,500 units of the Q5 will run off the assembly line there each year for the Indian market. The sporty SUV is the third Audi model after the A4 and A6 to be produced in India, increasing the production volume of the company with the four rings in India this year to more than 2,400 units, compared with 732 vehicles in the preceding year. Altogether Audi has produced around 2,000 cars in India since the start of production in September 2007. By 2015 up to 6,000 units will be rolling off the line each year.

“The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India,” says Frank Dreves, Audi Board Member for Production: “The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time.” Final assembly of the Audi Q5 takes place in five work cycles on two assembly lines alongside the A4 and A6 at the Volkswagen Group’s Aurangabad plant.

Last year also saw Audi significantly expand its line-up of engines for the models produced at the Aurangabad site: The Audi A6 sedan has been available with a 3.0 TFSI gasoline engine since March 2009, and before then customers could already choose between the 2.8 FSI, the 2.7 TDI and the 3.0 TDI. In July, an entry-level version of the A4 sedan with a 1.8 liter TFSI engine was introduced. It rounds out the previous engine line-up, which for the A4 also includes a 2.0 TDI and a 2.0 TFSI unit. Audi is currently offering the Q5 with a 2.0 TFSI and the 3.0 TDI engines. Further efficient engines will follow shortly.

Audi has been represented in the Indian market for four years now. In the spring of 2007, a separate sales company based in Mumbai was opened to manage all Indian market activities. In addition to the locally produced Q5, A4 and A6 models, Audi also offers its Indian customers the Audi A8, Q7 and TT, as well as the R8 supercar.

Audi has won gold in the coveted “Corporate Design Award”. This is a pleasing endorsement, as the brand’s refined visual identity had already received an award from the German Designer Club. And Audi also chose the perfect time to unveil its new identity: 2009, the year of the brand’s 100th anniversary.

“Audi has made enormous progress over the past few years,” explained Sven Schuwirth, Head of Brand and Sales Development at AUDI AG. “This is due in no small part to our high design standards, which are of course also reflected in brand communications.” The new visual identity reinforces the brand message: “Vorsprung durch Technik is the leitmotif for our corporate design, too.”

In terms of color, the refined brand identity is dominated by aluminum silver. This is a color that represents Audi’s core competence of lightweight design more than any other. And there is also a new typeface, created by the typographers Paul van der Laan and Pieter van Rosmalen, whose “Audi Type” was the winner of an international competition.

The four rings remain the central element of the brand identity, but their design is now more modern and more precise. They can also be seen on the radiator grille and the rear of all new Audi models.

Two agencies contributed to the new brand identity: Mutabor Design from Hamburg developed the corporate design for advertising, the TV ending, literature and picture style. MetaDesign from Berlin designed the basic elements: the logo and colors.

This is the 13th time that the “Corporate Design Award” has been presented.

39 projects were nominated, with only six receiving gold. A panel of experts from agencies, design offices, media and science honors outstanding launch or relaunch projects every year.

Audi has sold more than 100,000 cars within a half-year period in China and Hong Kong for the first time ever – up 64 percent on the corresponding prior-year period. In June alone, the Company delivered 21,436 cars to Chinese customers.

“2010 will be another record year in Audi’s history in China. We will exceed the mark of 200,000 vehicles delivered more quickly than originally anticipated,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG.

The Company achieved a new record figure in terms of deliveries of vehicles built in Changchun – selling a total of 93,993 cars, an increase of 57 percent on the corresponding prior-year period. Sales of the Audi A4L almost doubled (up 95 percent): 26,622 Chinese customers bought this model, which is the first long-wheelbase version of a midsize sedan. With 59,465 units sold, sales of the A6L also went up 28 percent. The Audi Q5, of which production only began at the end of last year, made a successful start with a total of 7,906 vehicles delivered.

Sales of imported Audi models also rose sharply. The brand increased its sales by 139 percent to 14,607 cars. Particular success was enjoyed by the Audi Q7 with 5,288 units sold (up 77 percent) and the Audi A8 (including the S8) with 2,351 vehicles delivered (up 26 percent).

Audi has been operating successfully in China for 22 years now, and builds the A4L, A6L and Q5 in Changchun together with its joint venture partner FAW.

Audi today reported that strong June 2010 sales propelled it to the best first-half results of any year since it began selling cars in the U.S. market.

The 48,440 vehicles Audi sold in the January-June 2010 period eclipsed the previous first-half record of 45,711 vehicle sales set in the first six months of 2007. For June 2010, Audi reported sales of 8,601 cars and SUVs, a 14.3% increase above the 7,524 cars sold a year earlier.

“We are very optimistic that 2010 will wind up as the best year Audi has ever enjoyed in the U.S. market,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “We are in the enviable position of having an entire lineup of vehicles that American consumers are clamoring to own. In fact, what’s holding us back at this juncture is not having enough of the cars in stock to sell.”

Several Audi models showed sales gains in June to continue their 2010 momentum. Demand for the Audi A3, including the 2010 Green Car of the Year Audi A3 TDI®, soared 83% in June and in the first six months of 2010 stood 104.2% percent ahead of sales last year. Other strong performers in the month were the Audi A5/S5 coupe and cabriolet models, the Audi Q5 crossover and the Audi A6 luxury sedan. If sales of the discontinued A4 Cabriolet model are removed from the sales totals, June demand for the best-selling Audi A4 line finished ahead of year-earlier sales and kept up with elevated sales pace set in the past three months of 2010.

Audi sales highlights – June 2010

• Six-month sales of 48,440 topped the record of 45,711 set in 2007.
• Audi A3 June sales increased 83%; Audi Q5 crossover sales rose 48.3%.
• Audi A6 sedan continued its positive arc with 20.1% gain.

Audi A5, Audi S5 June sales and news notes

• Demand for Audi A5 and Audi S5 continued to climb during its second year in U.S.
• Sales up 121.1% in June; sales up 131.5% calendar year to date.
• Sales of performance S5 coupe and cabriolet models have been strong; 23% and 23.9% of the A5 / S5 sales mix respectively.

Audi A6 June sales and news notes

• Sales resurgence: up 20.1% in June; up 31.6% CYTD.
• Recent positive media evaluations confirm its position in competitive luxury segment.

Audi Q5 June sales and news notes

• Q5 sales in June second only to A4.
• Sales up 48.3% for June and 71.7% CYTD.
• Audi Q5 recently named “Top Safety Pick” by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Audi TDI June sales and news notes

• U.S. consumers embracing Audi clean diesel technology in Audi Q7 TDI and A3 TDI
• A3 TDI accounted for 53.4% of all A3 June sales, outpacing expectation of 20% mix.
• Audi Q7 TDI sales mix of 37.2% were limited by availability of product in showrooms.