Audi has lost 25% market share over two years time, as consumers prefer sexier cars like Mercedes and BMW, tells business analyst Shaun Rein in Bloomberg. Audi’s asset as a government car has now become a liability.
Bloomberg:
Audi’s share of China’s luxury-car sales has tumbled by 25 percent in less than two years as state agencies and executives tighten budgets and younger buyers seek alternatives to sedans traditionally used by the government. The German automaker supplied an estimated 70 percent of cars used by the government and state-held enterprises during the 1980s.
“Audi is seen as being a bit old-fashioned because of its association as being a government car,” said Shaun Rein, Shanghai-based managing director of China Market Research Group. “Wealthy consumers today want something sexier, more indulgent, which is why BMW and Mercedes have done well.”…
“Ten years ago, everyone wanted to be in government as that was seen as the ticket to wealth,” said Rein of China Market Research. “Today, the new wealthy consumer doesn’t want to be associated with officialdom.”
More links to Shaun Rein here.
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