2024 will be a demanding year for the Audi Group. The challenging market environment and supply bottlenecks, especially for V6 and V8 engines, had a particularly negative impact on operating profit in the first quarter of the year. The company also has to manage numerous product ramp-ups. Revenue reached €13.7 billion in the first quarter of the year, while operating profit amounted to €466 million. The operating margin was 3.4 percent. In the first three months of the year, the Brand Group Progressive delivered 402,048 automobiles to customers – a decline of 4.7 percent. The demand for fully electric models, however, increased by 3 percent. Audi registered a significant increase of 13.7 percent in China, with 156,082 models delivered.
The Four Rings opened their first Audi charging hub outside Europe on April 26, 2024. In Tokyo, the capital of Japan, drivers of electric cars of all brands can now charge at four fast-charging points, each with up to 150 kilowatts (kW) – an excellent figure for charging power in Japan. Thanks to a buffer storage unit, the Audi charging hub places low demands on the local power grid. The seventh Audi charging hub overall only uses electricity from renewable sources.
Both models are real eye-catchers. The prototype for the e-tron GT family and the Ducati Panigale V4 R equally embody sporty-elegant design as well as pure performance. With their unique characteristics, Audi’s electric Gran Turismo and the uncompromising motorcycle primarily designed for the racetrack from the Italian Borgo Panigale, are the pinnacle of technology and passion.
It arrived at just the right time: The Audi 50, the first small car from a German manufacturer, was launched in 1974, shortly after the beginning of the oil crisis in 1973. Its fuel consumption was economical, and its design pioneering: front-wheel drive with a transverse engine, a two-door hatchback with a large trunk and fold-down backrest, compact external dimensions, and appealing road performance and driving characteristics. Moreover, the Audi 50 was a blueprint for the structurally almost identical VW Polo, which was launched seven months later, leveraging synergies within the Volkswagen Group – already a recipe for success half a century ago.
The Audi Group has achieved a solid result in the 2023 fiscal year under challenging economic conditions. Revenue rose by 13.1 percent to €69.9 billion, the operating profit was €6.3 billion, and the operating margin was 9.0 percent. Net cash flow was nearly on par with the previous year at €4.7 billion. With numerous new models, Audi will significantly strengthen and expand its product portfolio in the coming years: The world premiere of the fully electric Audi Q6 e-tron*, the first model on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE), heralds a series of product launches. More than 20 new models are planned for 2024 and 2025.