As the German flagship Audi steered through the first half of 2021, it seemed resolutely revving towards a record-breaking spree. The soaring 981,681 units manufactured were clear indications the emblematic four rings was spiraling to a higher revolution on the sales metre.  

But adversity was lurking around the corner in the form of an acute and persistent shortage of semiconductors. It inevitably took its toll in the second half of the year.  Deliveries in the fourth quarter thus plummeted by 34.2% compared to the same period in the previous year. Overall, worldwide sales in 2021 fell by 0.7% to 1,680,512 vehicles compared to 1,692,773 in 2020.

 Stemming the fall

Despite this setback, taking advantage of its growth in the US and other key sectors, the German giant managed to stem the fall with the result of a total production level close to that of the previous year with 1.68 million vehicles. In the US, the previous year’s performance was exceeded by 5%.

In China, Audi ended 2021 with 701,289 vehicles delivered, representing a decline of 3.6% though imported Audi models recorded a significant increase in demand (+ 53%). 

 In the US, the company also surpassed the previous year’s sales figures with 196,038 vehicles – an increase of 5.0% – while in Europe it came close to the previous year’s level with 617,048 units delivered (-0.4%). A total of 31 European markets recorded a hike in the previous year. 

EV electrifies buyers

In Germany, the manufacturer delivered 180,883 vehicles (-15.6%). In addition to the lack of semiconductors, the effects of the reduction in VAT in the second half of 2020 were also noticeable. In the other world markets deliveries were up by 3.1% year-on-year to 137,347 cars. 

Electric models are clearly high on the cards with 81,894 units sold (+ 57.5%). Audi e-tron GT, Audi RS e-tron GT, Audi Q4 e-tron and Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron play a central role in the electrification strategy of the company. 

Clearly, these four models have electrified the hearts of buyers the world over during the year under review.