Audi’s double-digit sales rise reinforces challenge to BMW

Visitors stand by automobiles on the Audi company stand at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) trade fair, at Leipziger Messe in Leipzig, Germany. Audi posted its fifth double-digit percentage sales rise in six months in May, supporting its bid for the global luxury car-sales crown in a tightening race with rival BMW.Reuters/BerlinAudi posted its fifth double-digit percentage sales rise in six months in May, supporting its bid for the global luxury car-sales crown in a tightening race with German rival BMW. Deliveries at Volkswagen’s flagship division rose 10.8% last month to 152,000 cars on surging US demand, extending five-month sales to 713,900, the world’s No 2 luxury automaker said yesterday.Germany’s three leading premium carmakers have been closing ranks in 2014. Audi narrowed the four-month sales gap to BMW by a fifth this year to 7,200 cars, from 9,021 a year ago. Its own lead over third-placed Mercedes-Benz shrank 11% to 54,547 autos. Mercedes will publish May deliveries on Friday and BMW is expected to release the data next week. “It’s a tug-of-war for the crown between Audi and BMW and they’re battling it out with somewhat ageing lineups,” said Stefan Bratzel, head of the Center of Automotive Management think-tank near Cologne. Audi is aiming to “clearly” exceed last year’s record 1.58mn sales this year while BMW is pushing deliveries to 2mn or more, after selling a record 1.96mn in 2013. Analysts say the strongest sales momentum rests with Mercedes this year, which is benefiting from a spate of redesigned models such as the A- and B-Class compacts. Audi’s US deliveries jumped by a quarter in May, extending year-to-date gains in the world’s second-largest auto market to 11.4% or 67,482 cars. That’s in stark contrast to parent VW, whose core passenger-car brand is grappling with a 11.5% decline in five-month US deliveries in a growing market.