Tesla sold more cars than Audi in 2024

 

Audi didn't have a good year, there's nothing to sugarcoat it. The reasons are manifold. One of them is certainly the lack of new models. For what felt like an eternity, the Ingolstadt-based company did not bring any supplies. From the summer of 2024, they finally countered with the Q6 e-tron and later with the new A5 and the A6 e-tron. However, the new signings came too late for a good result in 2024. Audi recorded a total decline of 11.8 percent.

In Germany, sales were even 21 percent lower than in the previous year. Worldwide, 1,671,218 cars with the four rings were sold last year, exactly 118,008 fewer vehicles than Tesla's. You can see how the pecking order within the automotive industry is changing. And even if Audi really didn't deliver an outstanding performance in 2024 - for the first time, the all-electric brand from Texas is selling more cars than one of the three German premium brands.

The performance is even more impressive when you consider the following: Tesla has only five models in its portfolio and all of them are electric: Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X and the Cybertruck. As you can imagine, Model 3 and Model Y did most of the work. Elon Musk's company sold 1,704,093 units of these two models alone, exactly 32,875 units more than Audi as a whole. The fact that Model S, Model X and the Cybertruck accounted for only 85,133 sales is almost a gift.

This comparison is even more bitter for the Ingolstadt-based carmaker when you look at how many models its own lineup actually consists of. I hope I don't forget anything now, but with A1 Sportback and Allstreet, A3 Sportback/Sedan/Allstreet, A5 Sedan and Avant, A6 Sedan and Avant, A7 Sportback, A8, Q2, Q3 and Q3 Sportback, Q5 and Q5 Sportback as well as Q7 and Q8 there are already 18 models on the combustion engine side alone. Many of which also loop through their own S and RS variants.

In addition, there are the all-electric offerings Q4 e-tron plus Sportback, A6 e-tron plus Avant, Q6 e-tron plus Sportback, Q8 e-tron and the e-tron GT - some of them also with additional sports versions. And as if that wasn't enough, they also treat themselves to a handful of cars that are offered exclusively on the Chinese market. These include some sedans and SUVs with an extended wheelbase, as well as the somewhat confusingly named Q6 with combustion engines. Incidentally, the Far East also recorded a minus of 11 percent. However, China remains by far the largest market with 649,000 units.

What becomes clear is that Audi has many times more models and drive variants (diesel, gasoline, plug-in hybrids and electric drives) on offer compared to Tesla, but still sold fewer cars last year.

Tesla, on the other hand, was able to resist declining e-car demand reasonably successfully worldwide, selling almost 19,500 units less than in 2023. In Germany, on the other hand, the American manufacturer experienced a debacle and recorded a minus of 41 percent. The major facelift of the best-selling Model Y, which has just started production, could soon provide a remedy here.

In order to attack the other two German premium brands Mercedes and BMW, however, Tesla will probably need its eagerly awaited entry-level model. However, it is still unclear when a possible Model 2 will come. Mercedes-Benz sold 1,983,400 vehicles last year, a drop of three percent. BMW remains the premium leader. 2,200,177 deliveries represent a decrease of 2.3 percent compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, Audi is relatively confident about the future despite the recent tense economic situation. The long-neglected model offensive is in full swing. In addition to the new additions already mentioned, three absolute cornerstones of the portfolio will be renewed in 2025 with the third Q5 generation, the A7 and the Q3.

In addition, there is the launch of a new brand in China. It remains to be seen how AUDI (yes, it will really be called that) will fare in the currently extremely difficult Chinese market. From mid-2025, the new brand, created together with SAIC, will launch three vehicles on the market.

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