Putting a positive spin on declining sales is tough, but Audi has tried. While BMW and Mercedes each recorded over 100,000 more U.S. sales in 2025 than Audi did, the Ingolstadt-based automaker reports that things began improving in September, with deliveries rising year-on-year in every month thereafter. Audi also delivered a record 223,000 electric vehicles in 2025, a remarkable 36% increase spearheaded by the A6 e-tron (37,000 units) and the Q6 e-tron (84,000 units). However, Audi saw an overall decline worldwide of three percent compared to 2024, delivering a little over 1.6 million vehicles last year.
Audi’s Sales Figures Lag Behind Key Rivals
Audi
Audi delivered over 202,000 units in North America in 2025, a decline of 12.2%. Meanwhile, Mercedes shifted 343,200 cars in the U.S., and the BMW Group broke another sales record, selling over 400,000 cars in America. Granted, the latter figure includes Mini, but still, Audi’s rivals seem to be doing better. Audi notes that “geopolitical and economic challenges” pressured its deliveries, essentially blaming tariffs for at least some of its decline in U.S. sales. Other markets weren’t especially encouraging either. Audi recorded 464,000 deliveries in Europe, matching the previous year’s output, but like many of its peers, the company saw a decline in China, dropping deliveries by five percent to 618,000 vehicles.
Related: Audi Recalls Over 356,000 Vehicles Across 19 Models
As reported by Reuters, Audi cut its full-year profitability forecast twice last year while contending with restructuring costs and technological setbacks. “An intense competitive environment in China and U.S. tariff policy affected the entire automotive sector and shaped global consumer behavior,” said the automaker. So is it all doom and gloom? Not according to Audi execs.
Audi Expects Continued Momentum in 2026
Audi
Audi says that its newest vehicles should help improve the outlook this year, with March Schubert, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing, saying, “Our product initiative is hitting the road, and deliveries are gradually reflecting this. In 2025, we were mainly able to achieve increases for electric models. […] We want to continue this upward trajectory in 2026.” Audi recently won the China Car of the Year award, and with buttons returning to its cabins, as well as the possible arrival of a new sub-R8 sports car before long, the company can claw back some of the ground it’s been losing to BMW and Mercedes. A new partnership with Rivian should also be beneficial, though that will take longer to bear fruit. In the meantime, Audi’s compatriots in Stuttgart and Munich will be looking over their shoulders.
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