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Audi A3 supplies tight, model stealing Honda, Toyota sales

It appears that there was a pent up demand for compact, front-wheel drive German luxury sedans that no one really knew about. Not only has the Mercedes CLA-Class been a success in the US with its Hungarian factory running three shifts to keep up, but the Audi A3 Sedan is doing quite well, too, after just three full months on the market.
Audi of America recently announced that the compact sedan shifted 2,452 vehicles in June and 7,735 units of the A3 since the beginning of the year. Not only are they selling; it's the people buying them that's important. According to Audi USA spokesperson John Schilling speaking to Autoblog, "A little over 25 percent of A3 buyers in April were 30 years or under." That's compared to about 18 percent for the A4, he said. Company executives also recently told Edmunds that many of those new customers are brand conquests turning in Honda or Toyota models. We gently mocked Audi when it held A3 Sedan launch parties aimed at hipsters that served craft beer and played indie music, but the marketing worked, apparently.
That said, if you're in the market for an A3, you might have not be able to get one immediately. According to Edmunds, some customers are on a waiting list for the compact luxury sedan. Although, Schilling said that's because Audi is still stocking dealers. "It's a little leaner than other models, but that's mainly because it's new and still ramping up," he said.

Audi confirms Q8, electric CUV in the works

Word got out in late 2012 that the Audi Q8 was reportedly approved for production, but the company has kept the model's development under wraps since then. In a recent speech during Audi's annual meeting, chairman Rupert Stadler confirmed a little more about the vehicle and dropped some hints about other upcoming projects. With luxury crossovers remaining a lucrative market, it should be no shock that Stadler emphasized them in his speech. He reiterated that the Q1 was on track to launch in 2016, and the chairman also confirmed the Q8 as "a sporty Q derivative" that's on the way. The last member of Audi's upcoming CUV onslaught, an electric Q series, is set for 2018 with a range of over 311 miles. An earlier report suggests that the Q1 might not go on sale in the US because it's not right for the market. However, Audi of America is pushing hard to get the Q8. That crossover is based on the latest Q7 (pictured above) and is a way for the Four Rings to take on the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The electric Q model was only officially announced earlier this year, and it might use 90-kWh batteries to achieve its performance and range goals. The rest of Stadler's speech focused on the company's future. This year alone, the company is launching products like the second-gen Q7, the new R8, and latest A4. In the next five years, Audi plans to grow its product range from 52 vehicles "to about 60 models," according to the chairman. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG Neckarsulm, 2015-05-22 Speech at the 126th Annual General Meeting of AUDI AG Outlook Thank you, Axel Strotbek, for your summary of financial year 2014. Ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to 2015 – the year of the next stage of our model initiative. We will present twelve new Audi models this year; the three most important of them are: the new Audi Q7, the new Audi R8 as the sporty spearhead of our brand and our top seller, the new Audi A4. You have already been able to admire the new Q7 and R8 at the entrance. Both of them make a strong statement. Both of them stand for sportiness and top premium quality. And both of them underscore our claim to leadership. We have produced more than 540,000 of the first-generation Q7. The new Audi Q7 is more than a worthy successor. It's the lightest vehicle in its segment. By means of intelligent lightweight construction, we have reduced its weight compared with the predecessor by up to 325 kilograms, depending on equipment levels.

Audi Q7 testing gives us clearer view of new look

Audi just announced its intentions to build the Q1 in 2016. By that time, the company will already have introduced the opposing bookend to that subcompact utility vehicle, the fullsize Q7. The last time we saw the next-gen Audi Q7 out testing, our spy shots were very low quality and didn't reveal much about the luxury SUV. This time around we're able to make out a few key elements about the Q7.
For starters, the unfinished headlights have a stylish, wave-like lighting element with a three-dimensional appearance, while the rear of the Q7 will definitely get a similar wraparound liftgate as the current model. Overall, this prototype looks to be about the same size as the existing Q7, so it will be interesting to see how Audi squeezes almost 800 pounds from the SUV's curb weight. The diet will surely help improve efficiency, and we also hear that Audi is considering a plug-in hybrid model in addition to the standard gas and diesel variants.
Riding on a shared platform with the next-gen Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and the upcoming Bentley Falcon SUV, the next Audi Q7 is expected to bow in late 2014 for the 2015 model year.