Audi

Luxury car growth is never ending in North America

Luxury Car growth world wide is going from strength to strength with some promising figures already emerging for 2014. North America are not alone in their appreciation of luxury and style, but here lets take a look at who is performing well in the States.

U.S. auto sales turned out to have an incredible month of sales in May. The news was good almost universally (except for the VW brand), but the luxury car market just seems to have no end in sight in North America. What we have not done was to break out sales prices and incentives in the luxury market as a whole.

What is obvious is that the luxury market just keeps on chugging higher and higher once you look at the sales data.

Can some of this be attributed to new model launches? In some cases. Still, the numbers just look strong by almost every account. We took a look at North American sales of Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Land Rover for the month of May. Even the used luxury market looked strong when the companies discussed it.

Porsche said that its May sales of 4,609 vehicles was bumped by the mid-May launch of the 2015 Macan S and Macan Turbo (1,263 units). Porsche said that this beats last year’s record sales number by 17.3 percent. It was also the best ever sales month for Porsche in the U.S. Porsche even went on to say that its two-door sports cars and Panamera have continued strong sales performance gains from 2013, and that the demand for Cayenne still outstrips the supply. Porsche even went on to say that its Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales in May were up 17 percent at 994 units.

Mercedes-Benz said that May was the company’s fifth record sales month Of 2014, with its Mercedes-Benz brand sales up 7.7% to 26,617 units. Total sales were represented as being up over 8% to 29,570 units if you blend the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines. The group’s top sellers in May were its C-, E- and M-Class model lines, with the E-Class up over 25 percent to 6,168 vehicles. Its high-end flagship S-Class volume of 2,173 was up over 82% from the same month last year.

BMW Group U.S. also posted a record May for its BMW brand, in part from the launch of the BMW i3. BMW and MINI combined sales in May were up over 13% to 35,331 vehicles, but sales of BMW brand vehicles rose by more than 17 percent in May for a total of 29,602 vehicles. The BMW i3 has now officially launched, with its first month’s sales totaling 336 units. BMW Pre-Owned Vehicles also rose by 14 percent to 18,064 vehicles. Management even talked up this summer –

“This will be the summer of BMW with the new M3 and M4 on sale this month and the new X4 and 4 Series Gran Coupe coming in July.”

Audi said that this was its best U.S. May sales in the company’s history, and second-best any-month tally period – with it being the 41st consecutive U.S. sales record. Its sales rose to 16,601 powered both by the new entry-level model, A3, and by the brand’s high-end cars. Diesels accounted for 11.5% to 28.2% of sales.

Jaguar and Land Rover have shown that May sales rose 17 percent, to 5,840 units (according to USA Today) – for the best May unit sales report since 2007. The Range Rover Sport redesign had record May sales of 1,496 units for a gain of 35 percent. Sale of the crossover Range Rover Evoque rose a sharp 59 percent to 1,196 sales. Jaguar sales were up 14% in May, led by its F-series sports car coupe and convertible and by the XK sedan.

Source Is There No End to Luxury Car Sales Growth in America? – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/autos/2014/06/03/is-there-no-end-to-luxury-car-sales-growth-in-america/#ixzz33khuqNoI

3 Ways Digital Innovation Is Driving Engagement In The Luxury Car …

If you like to keep up to date on the latest gadgets and technology AND like stylish luxury cars, you need to read The Future of Luxury’s 3 ways  luxury car manufacturers have harnessed digital platforms as part of a strategy to tackle poor performance in the luxury car market.

The luxury car sector has long been a leader in adopting the latest technology for design, manufacture and in-car systems however, luxury car brands are now increasingly turning to digital tech to entice customers before they’ve even taken a test drive in a bid to create powerfully engaging experiences.

1. Porsche – Augmented Reality App

Designed to support the launch of the Panamera in the Middle East, Porsche’s augmented reality iPad app gives potential customers a chance to explore the car’s capabilities through a highly interactive experience. Using augmented reality enables Porsche to bring the vehicle’s features to life in a more meaningful and impactful way than a simple brochure description could ever hope to achieve.

 

Steve Blyth of Engage, creators of the AR app, described it as providing “a unique and immersive experience” created to achieve the objectives set by Porsche of  “a high-level view of the product and brand as well as an introduction to the Panamera’s features.”

In the showroom, car each feature 5 markers that trigger the iPad app to provide detailed content about the car’s features in the form of texts, images, animations and video.

Online and offline are connected through data capture, with additional information revealed to users who supply their email address via the app. This data is then used by Porsche sales teams to follow up leads.

2. Audi – Digital Showrooms

Earlier this year, in addition to locations in London and Beijing, Audi opened another of its digital showrooms in Berlin. Featuring  interactive touchscreens, the showrooms allow customers to explore the range by personalising  Audi cars to their own specifications. A significant advantage of the digital showroom for both customers and brands is the lack of space restrictions. Although only 4 models are on display in the showroom, all 49 models in the Audi range can be viewed and interacted with using the multi-media screens.

 

Creating immersive experiences is central to success in today’s market; Audi’s head of sales in Germany, Wayne Griffiths commented,  “staging the brand is becoming so much more important.”  The success of this venture has been reflected by the footfall generated with Audi Beijing reporting 8,000 visitors per week , 60% of whom were new to the Audi brand.

3.   Volkwagen Group – Mobile Game

Mobile gaming was recently used by the Volkswagen Group to bring consumers closer to their premium sports car brands which includes a roll-call of some of the world’s most sought after cars – Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche.

Designed to bring each car to life through immersive gameplay, the ‘Sports Car Challenge 2’ app (available on android and iOS 7), allows  consumers to engage with vehicles through hyper-realistic, 3D product interaction.

 

Game features include the ability to compete for a position on the global leader board and a chance to take part in time trials with the ‘Ghost race’ feature helping to build racing talents. In addition, the immersive experience lets users customise gameplay through a choice of racing environments, driving conditions as well as offering the ability to customise the cars themselves.

Kristien Wendt of Proelios, creators of the ‘Sports Car Challenge 2’ app,  highlighted the growing importance of mobile platforms to increase customer engagement, “Because of the accessibility, brand engagement, reach, measurement through data analytics and the hugely realistic worlds we can now create on mobile, clients are looking at how we integrate mobile gaming into campaigns, how we can connect, measure and interact with offline media such as outdoor posters and print advertising, and how we can use the gaming platform to generate greater consumer loyalty.”

Gamifying the app drives repeat engagement with consumers, creates greater reach opportunities, lets users build an affinity with the vehicles and ultimately, bridges the gap between virtual and real-life brand interaction.

http://thetoptier.net/index.php/home/luxury-vehicles-a-sports-cars/2947-3-ways-digital-innovation-is-driving-engagement-in-the-luxury-car-market

Top 3 luxury cars you may consider buying in 2014

2014 is well on the way and it’s this time of year that people will start looking for their next car.

Here are 3 of the top luxury cars that you should be looking at before making a purchase.

These cars are not just high on comfort but also are high on power and refinement. Amid juggling between busy schedules and bad traffic snarls, a luxury car gives you that much needed relaxation space. In recent time many international car-makers have ventured into the Indian market space with the interesting lot of luxury cars.

Audi has recently bagged the top spot in terms of sales with over 10000 units being sold in the country last year. Terence Johnson, Vice-President, Overseas Sales, Audi AG, said, “We believe this market has tremendous potential for further growth of brand Audi. Reaffirming our commitment to the Indian market, we are bringing the Audi A3 Sedan – the next big Audi to India. We expect the Indian market to continue to grow and to contribute substantially to Audi’s global sales.” The German car-maker is relying heavily on the upcoming A3 sedan in India. As per sources the company is likely to assemble A3 at the Skoda Auto India Private Ltd’s manufacturing plant located in Aurangabad. Under the hood, a 1.8 litre TFSI gasoline motor is likely to be equipped that pumps out a maximum power of 180 Bhp and torque output of about 250 Nm respectively. Diesel variant on the other hand is expected to get a 2.0 litre,TDI powertrain that engenders a top power of 150Bhpand a peak torque of 320Nm.

Mercedes Benz GL63 AMG shall be powered by 5.5 litre V8 twin-turbocharged engine that enables the SUV to propel from 0 to 100 kmph within 4.9 seconds and acquires a top speed of 250 Kmph. The usual trim of GL is devoid of the mighty 5.5 litre motor that pumps out a pinnacle power of 557 Bhp along with a maximum torque output of 760 Nm. The 5.5 litre V8 engine comes fitted with a high-tech power package that consists of spray-guided direct petrol injection, bi-turbo charging, all-aluminium crankcase, Piezo injectors, air/water intercooling, alternator management and the ECO start/stop system.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe has just been launched in the country. The sedan is powered by astonishing 4.4 litre V8 gasoline motor with two win scroll turbochargers that is capable of churning out a maximum power output of about 552 Bhp between 6,000 to 7,000 RPM and a peak torque of 680 Nm between 1,500 to 5,750 RPM. The robust engine enables vehicle to sprint from 0 to 100 kmph within 4.2 seconds and attain a top speed of 250 Kmph. The engine is mated to a seven speed dual clutch automatic transmission that transmits power to the rear wheels. M6 Gran Coupe available in international markets offers enhanced power output along with an increased wheel rim size of 20 inch.

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Original story by Car Trade at  http://www.cartrade.com/car-bike-news/top-3-luxury-cars-you-may-consider-buying-in-2014-123505.html